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What do you look for in a Book? (Read 6595 times)
Pantheon
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What do you look for in a Book?
Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:12pm
 
I am planing on writing a book, however i wont say on what subject its on..

But first i would like to know what do you look for in a book?
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John Smith
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #1 - Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:20pm
 
does naked women count or is that more 'magazine' type material?
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MumboJumbo
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #2 - Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:27pm
 
Pantheon wrote on Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:12pm:
But first i would like to know what do you look for in a book?

A cover. Pages. A blurb.

Seriously? It's gotta be about something interesting. For example, if you were to write another book on the Menzies era, I'd only buy it as a self-defence weapon.
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Lord Herbert
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #3 - Nov 20th, 2014 at 8:13pm
 
Pantheon wrote on Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:12pm:
I am planing on writing a book, however i wont say on what subject its on..

But first i would like to know what do you look for in a book?


Good luck with this.

They say there's a book in everyone just waiting to be written, and it only needs a keyboard or a type-writer to get it done.

My advice? Write the book for yourself. If you find what you're saying is interesting, then others will find it interesting too.

Just bear in mind that a published book usually goes through the tedious process of a dozen drafts before it's finally deemed fit to be handed over to the printing shop somewhere in a backstreet of Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Jeffrey Archer had to slog through no less than 18 drafts with one of his books before the publisher finally gave it the green light.

Just Do It!

I'll come to your book signing looking for a free copy ..  Smiley








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bogarde73
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #4 - Nov 21st, 2014 at 8:56am
 
John Smith wrote on Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:20pm:
does naked women count or is that more 'magazine' type material?


You might be annoying at times John but at least you have a good sense of humour.
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bogarde73
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #5 - Nov 21st, 2014 at 9:01am
 
Ahovking, I have read a lot of biographies, letters & auto biographies of writers.
It depends what you want to write. Serious fiction? Many seem to have an almost life & death struggle with their creations.
Non-fiction. Be prepared for many months if not years of full-time research in some cases.
Pulp fiction. You just need to settle on a genre and be able to rattle off a yarn seemingly.

Go for it. I wish I had the motivation & dedication. Setting a certain number of words per day seems to be a rule many go by.
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cods
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #6 - Dec 10th, 2014 at 3:17pm
 
bogarde73 wrote on Nov 21st, 2014 at 9:01am:
Ahovking, I have read a lot of biographies, letters & auto biographies of writers.
It depends what you want to write. Serious fiction? Many seem to have an almost life & death struggle with their creations.
Non-fiction. Be prepared for many months if not years of full-time research in some cases.
Pulp fiction. You just need to settle on a genre and be able to rattle off a yarn seemingly.

Go for it. I wish I had the motivation & dedication. Setting a certain number of words per day seems to be a rule many go by.



like painting you also have to be in the mood..and or very disciplined...

google story telling I would think...no good pandering to what others think.. its what you like going through your mind..

if you have a lively imagination.... Wink Wink 50 Shades of Grey...who knows.....
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #7 - Jan 20th, 2015 at 8:28pm
 
Ahovking, might I suggest that before it is bound and published you not refer to it as a book. Call it a work, a manuscript, a story, a novel, a bio, anything but a book. What do I look for? Well that depends on the genre.

Honesty is a good place to start. I like a good sense of irony. But if you are serious, I cannot recommend strongly enough Steven King's "On Writing." I don't even like his novels, but this treatise is one of the best on the craft.
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John Smith
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #8 - Jan 20th, 2015 at 9:57pm
 
Pantheon wrote on Nov 20th, 2014 at 7:12pm:
But first i would like to know what do you look for in a book?


an escape
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Jasin
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #9 - Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:25am
 
I remember Jeffrey Archer in Australia doing an interview and stating that he is a Story Teller, not a Writer.
Great Writers can sometimes have boring unimaginative stories.

I think a bit of both goes a long way.
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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.
 
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Jasin
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #10 - Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:26am
 
I remember Jeffrey Archer in Australia doing an interview and stating that he is a Story Teller, not a Writer.
Great Writers can sometimes have boring unimaginative stories.

I think a bit of both goes a long way.

FD is writing a book called Ozpolitic Apocalyptic.
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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.
 
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Sir Spot of Borg
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #11 - Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:30am
 
Wonder if pantheon ever wrote his book?

Spot
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Jasin
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #12 - Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:51am
 
Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:30am:
Wonder if pantheon ever wrote his book?

Spot


Reckon he did and getting a trickle from 5c online sales from people who read on trains.
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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.
 
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Sophia
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #13 - Mar 9th, 2021 at 5:53pm
 
Jasin wrote on Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:51am:
Sir Spot of Borg wrote on Mar 5th, 2021 at 2:30am:
Wonder if pantheon ever wrote his book?

Spot


Reckon he did and getting a trickle from 5c online sales from people who read on trains.


Maybe... or perhaps still working on completing it, proof reading, looking for publication... getting copyrights...

What attracts me to a book...  I could be walking past a bookstore at a airport... like recently... with no intention to buy a book... then a title captures my interest!
I don’t like long intro’s although it is like a summing up of what to expect. But if it’s too long it annoys me. I want to get to “chapter one” ASAP
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Re: What do you look for in a Book?
Reply #14 - Mar 9th, 2021 at 7:01pm
 
The most important thing to a 'fictional' book is the 'story'.
Moby Dick - listed as America's Greatest Novel has a bloody good story, because it is based on 'facts' (In the Heart of the Sea - to which a movie of it done a good job of being factual as much as it could fit in with Hemingsworth in it as well).
But Herman Melville is a 'tedious' Writer who wrote to be as 'sophisticated' as all the other great writers of whom he studied. So great story, but it was so over-done in it's writing style. Just like Umberto Eco, Tolstoy and other over-achiever writers that write books that can only entertain someone doing a year in a prison cell with no-where to go.
Over-complicated drivel.

If the first few chapters don't grab me or insinuate better to come, then its not worth finishing, because the ending will be just as boring.

I love originality of course, something that I haven't read before. Stories with innovative concepts are great. But hey, I've always enjoyed the light fast paced and simple Mills & Boone on a nightshift. Nice to get a book done on a shift (yep - I got paid to read books once Cheesy).

Non-fictional books are more of the domain of good writers as facts and delivery are important to keep the reader going.

One of the best (short) stories I've read is the Intro to a Literary Collection Book that told of Sylvestor Stallone's pursuit to sell his story (while homeless on a park bench) of ROCKY to Movie Producers. Sly Stallone has to sell his dog for $125 to push it and although he was offered a sum of $100,000 (If I remember correctly) - he refused (although hungry) because he bargained that he must be the Star of the Movie. Three times they refused him and each time offering more money for the Rights until eventually they caved in and made the movie with him in it. Well the rest is history as he made MILLION$ from the movie and went and bought his dog back... alas he had to pay something like $115,000 for it. The story of Rocky is also considered one of the best stories in America.
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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.
 
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