Support for Indie Authors discussion

I guess it's okay. I've seen people do it.. but remember that taste is subjective. You might think your book is just like insert-book-name, but what if a reader decides to buy it based on that and finds out that HE doesn't think it's anything like insert-book-name?

Do you mean, like, saying your book is like Wuthering Heights meets Dog The Bounty Hunter Coloring Book? That kind of thing? Yeah, as far as I know there's no rules or laws against it.

Would I recommend it? No. Like Alexis said, taste is subjective. I have a book out that's heavily influenced by Shoeless Joe but the story is nothing like it and I would not draw the comparison as fans of that book will probably not see or care about the influence.

I also wouldn't do it as I see it as weak. I'd rather do or die with my books on their own merits than hop the passing coat tail of another author.

There's also the great number of potential readers who will see it and shrug as they didn't care for the book you're talking about, never heard of it or have never read it. You're wasting words trying to hook people by mentioning some other book when you could be using them to boost your own.

No, I have never referenced my books to other books. I've never had the inclination to. My writing style changes and multi-layers throughout my books so I don't tell people what to expect, since it would be hard to put into words, but if you want to make your blurb interesting originality is best. Keep it small, with a little mystery but some intrigue.

I wouldn't do it.

Two reasons:

I'd like to think my writing is unique

If I read a blurb that references other books/authors it puts me off enough to stop reading right there.

Eric wrote: "Is there an actual Dog The Bounty Hunter Coloring Book?"

Nah. I was just trying to come up with a book that would be outlandish to mix with Wuthering Heights and couldn't think of one, so I made one up.

I guess I could toss this in as another reason for myself, personally, not to use the names of other books in my blurbs. Similar to Angel and Jane, there's not a lot of work out there that is like mine. I take my influences from so many sources... anything from Shakespeare to Daffy Duck. It's sometimes hard to pin one or two similar works to what I do.

Personally when I see a reference to another book in the blurb, I put the book back where it was and move to another one. A reference to Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Twilight, or any other books leads me to believe the story will not be original. Why would I waste time on copycats?

Let the reviewers do it IF it really sounds like another book.

No. You're describing your book, not theirs. Even by comparison, you're giving a prompt to somebody elses' work. Stand on your own; tell them about YOUR book, and let the reader decide. It could actually hurt. I know I've seen many books I was considering, until they compared it to something else I didn't like - meaning it killed a sale, because I was willing to give them a chance until they mentioned something I didn't care for, despite it's popularity.

I agree with what's being said here. It's all to easy to have that come across as a knock-off, not an analogy.

Keep in mind that people in general don't do a read close reading of blurbs. Things catch their eye and they react based on that element. Even if you explain what you are doing, they may key on the phrase and miss the explanation that puts the phrase in context.

If you want the reader to see what style to expect, I think it's better to reflect that style in the blurb, and try to describe it.

There's also the issue that your blurb becomes your book description on Amazon. They certainly frown on the names of famous authors being included in their keywords field so I'd err on the side of caution in any case - from https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A2EZES9JAJ6H02 - "Do NOT include the following in keywords ... Anything misrepresentative, such as the name of an author that is not associated with your book. This type of information can create a confusing customer experience and Kindle Direct Publishing has a zero tolerance policy for metadata that is meant to advertise, promote, or mislead."