What makes readers stop reading a book?
We asked our readers what annoys them in a book they have picked up, causing them to abandon the story. There are so many books to read, that even if the volume has been recommended, they may still abandon it and move on to the next. Bear in mind that once the reader has rejected a book, it is unlikely they would buy another by the same author.
After receiving their replies on our social media pages and via email, we decided to compile a list with their reasons to share with you. From our sample, you can assume that each point has a significant number of votes.
It might seem obvious, but if the book is boring, people will abandon it. Some even elaborated and said that if the beginning of the book is not gripping enough, they will give it up in the first chapter.
If the book is poorly written or edited. Good use of grammar, correct spelling and punctuation seem to be of great importance to them. Even the formatting can put some people off if it does not look professional.
Tastes vary, and if the content contained too many graphic or offensive scenes, they would reject it. This is why part of the book description should contain warnings if it contains this sort of material.
Also, if a story contains a lot of details in the narration or too many specific terms, it makes it confusing, and people give up later on, once they forget who all the characters are, and what these strange terms mean.
Some referred to the plot of a book and said that they don’t like books that are too predictable, or have no conflict and no action. Unbelievable plots that defy all logic would be a turnoff as would a plot with unrelatable characters or characters that change their personally traits in the middle of the story for no apparent reason.
Readers don’t like books with too many points of views (POV) in the story or when too many new characters are introduced at the same time. Also, regarding POVs, some expressed more specific tastes, and said that they don’t like books written in the first person. It can work, but the character has to be very easily connected with, and this is something only a small number of skilled authors can achieve.
If the pace of the story is too slow and nothing has happened in the first 50 pages or sometimes a lot less, they will drop it. Some others argued, and said that they don’t mind a slow beginning as long as they can see that the story will develop to something more exciting within a reasonable time.
Some readers said that they don’t like stories that are too long, or that contain long narrations without any dialogue breaks.
Depending on the genre, most said that they prefer books that are well-researched. There is nothing worse than some obvious factual error. This throws the credibility of the whole work into doubt.
If a writer tries to force politics or their own beliefs through narration instead of presenting facts or using these ideas as a context for their characters, the readers will back off. By all means, have your characters opinionated, but never try to tell the reader directly.
Finally, if a writer uses the same formula for characters in all their books, the reader knows exactly how they will behave or what will happen by a certain point. Think outside-the-box and give the reader something different.
At Fiery Seas Publishing, we attempt to address all of the above concerns, and our writers are closely controlled to ensure that once you get one of our books, you keep reading to the end.
Regardless of your preferences in genres, we encourage you to keep reading and discover your next favorite author.
Happy reading, everyone!
