The Realm of the Elderlings U.S covers are some of the ugliest I’ve ever seen.

Also U.S publishers have a formatting consistency problem. Like why would you change the format half way through a series? One of the most annoying and aesthetically ugly things to look at on a book shelf. U.K publishers know that their buyers hate that sort of stuff. U.S publishers may not care? Or sell more digitally anyway? Idk.

Was also in the camp of people who thought it was stupid - and I’m someone who really loves philosophy so this wasn’t a case of it being too meaning-infused. I just thought it was written for a 7 year old trying to see the world the first time. For anyone older it felt pretty lame.

The fifth book of the Eragon series 😭

Personally, the problem I have with The Alchemist is the people I've met in person who read it, which is mostly people who says they love reading books but could not mention any other books than The Alchemist (or The Count of Monte Cristo.)

I don't care if people don't like books, we all have our varied interests. I hate it when people mention this book (and The Count of Monte Cristo) as valid examples that they're "well read" too. The reason non-readers read it is it's short and popular. Who hasn't heard of The Alchemist, right? I've read it too, but the problem is I've read other books too and that's very much the end of books as a topic in a conversation for me.

My opinion on the book itself is that it's a padded short story masquerading as a right full book. It's charming, sure, but it could have been better off as one shorter story in a book of collected stories.

Says you

[removed]

I think it's pretty messed up someone can write and entire book, only to have a publisher just not release it.

And the next one.

It has some wonderful parts, but overall, I think it is over-rated.

One example I can think of is Whose Names are Unknown, by Sanora Babb. She had a publishing deal for the book but it was shelved when Grapes of Wrath came out, as the publisher didn't think the market could support two books with similar settings and themes. It has since been published, relatively recently in 2004 (it was written in the 1930s), by a university press and in my opinion is better than Grapes. It's also very likely Steinbeck used her notes when writing Grapes of Wrath.

The first book I thought of was The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall which was a version of Gone With the Wind but told by one of Scarlett O'Hara's slaves. I thought the legal issues from Margaret Mitchell's estate kept it from ever being published but it turned out with some changes it got published anyway.

>Actually, a copy for personal use is quite legal.

Personal use isn't sharing with others.

There is actually a Wikipedia category on this subject. But more often: There are lots of unfinished books by authors, either because they died before they finished them, or because they never felt what they were writing worked. (In some cases authors have actually published unfinished books, knowing they will not be able to finish them but still wanting to put out what they have finished.) Similarly, there are unpublished books by authors. I suppose the equivalent of a canceled TV series would be an unfinished book series.

I'm sure plenty of books get cancelled all the time. I have one novel published and a second written. However, I had trouble getting beta readers for the second book. So it remains finished, but unpublished. Maybe one day I'll return to the series, finish it off, and publish all the books, but until then they're cancelled.

>Except i can copy a paper book and share it without issues. It's not much different

No, you can't.

‘Personal use’ not to all and sundry. And publishers hate it because it’s pirating a product THEY paid for. When was the last time YOU put up the 10s of thousands or even millions of dollars it costs to publish books??? I don’t know much about computers, what I do know is, if you’re sharing my book, cool, but don’t take advantage of me. Pay me for my work for those extra copies. Or in this case, stop sharing my shit for free just because there are a lack of regulations online as of yet.

Edit: and if it’s for a good cause like the library shutdowns over covid (even though most libraries are online anyway), like at least ask first, damn. People just think they are entitled to everyone else’s work. Like I didn’t write a book for free, the publisher didn’t produce & market it for free, the original copy wasn’t free, so why should a global archive that’s not even a real library be able to duplicate it into a different format and share it for free?

i thought it was fun

One reason is US publishers know that most of their books are sold online, and so lean heavily on making book covers that are good thumbnails. High colour contrast, large text title (or author's name), high impact imagery. Most European books look best as a physical object.

Covers that stand out in a media rich advertising storm of social media and online shopping are the "right" pick for advertising acclimated Americans.

I didn't like it either. I was hoping to learn something from that book. I did not. I'm 45 and already realized most of the things in there. A bit like The zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. Maybe it depends on where you are in your life and what this book may bring you. I remember loving Le discours de la méthode from Descartes when I was in college. That was really an eye opener for me and made me realize how I should be approaching others and new experiences. I'm glad you liked it though :)

they're for juveniles and I'm not a juvenile so i don't read them

Don’t say this 😭😭😭

My Hunger Game covers on my versions that shipped from the UK would like a word with you.

They're hideous.

I signed a book deal with a very small publishing house but my book didn’t come out due to me showcasing a few too many symptoms of bipolar disorder in my communication with the editor/owner of the press. I don’t know how common that type of stuff is but there’s a few different reasons that people will renege on book deals.

For some reason, the UK editions of Vintage (Random House) reissues come to mind, and they’re mostly boring, bordering on clip art. But, I’d prefer that over the aforementioned movie connections - yuck 🤢

I actually liked the first parts of the book quite a lot, where it's just a boy wandering around with some sheep. I wished it had continued like that.

But I didn't feel anything at all from the allegory and the lesson that it offered. Or rather, I think it's a really mistaken view of the world, but it's also not novel or interesting in a way that would make it worth reading for someone who doesn't buy the conclusions.