WORST TRENDS IN FANTASY

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

It’s not just fantasy but : if the book has a movie or tv adaptation, I do not want a screenshot from it as the cover

[@lululala4658]

Oh my god yeeeeees. I hate it when they do that !!

[@ericward8459]

SO annoying *glares at World War Z*

[@BlackXSunlight]

Conversely, it’s criminal if an adaptation doesn’t have at least one shot that freeze-frame copies the OG book cover. Have to give Twilight credit for getting that one right 😂

[@dajtoad1]

So true, but it's all about marketing. I'm sure that it adds sales, so in the end, it makes sense. How many more people bought Pride and Prejudice when we suddenly had Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle on the cover?

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Agree

[@firvantavan2793]

Regarding trends with the "strong female character", I absolutly HATE the trend where some people think that strong = an absolute asshole. I can't stand the books, games and movies where some female character is supposed to be badass, but is written like a pissy teen that is so annoyed that she has to go disneyland with her family that "she can't even", and then she is acting like a douche towards everyone, including her siblings who thinks it is awesome that she's with them, and no one calls her out on her bullshit ever. Can. Not. Stand. It. Terrible, terrible writing.

[@kalinaribic6383]

It's like they are vilinazing strong women.

[@andrewlustfield6079]

An absolute pet peeve of mine---I love strong female characters. The first one that leaps to mind is Ripley from Alien and Aliens. Ripley was so much stronger and so much more compelling than the schlock we get today.

[@nicodiangelo6788]

There are exceptions though. Like, in Lucifer, Maze. She’s rude and inconsiderate but she’s a demon so it makes sense. That’s her nature. She’s still cunning but she’s also demonic and bad. But, spoilers, she grows a soul and then begins to understand feelings and be a good person, while still being badass. Or if a character was evil and is in a redemption arc. They can be badass but still be rude because they’re still coming out of the darkness so it’s an adjustment.

[@firvantavan2793]

@@andrewlustfield6079 Yes, Ripley is a great character!

[@firvantavan2793]

@@nicodiangelo6788 I don't know the character you're talking about, but both your examples seem to not only be exceptions, but something different than what I'm talking about all together. =) But, even if it wasn't: Everything good can be written bad, and everything bad can be written good. So, I am sure there are actual exceptions also, I have just not encountered them.

[@emdi-q8j]

As someone who's somewhat involved with the publishing industry, you are 100% correct on books heavily featuring minority characters getting less editorial and marketing attention. The majority of them are not considered "headliner" books (i.e., likely bestsellers), which means they're not deemed good enough to spend real money on

[@ebnovels]

That’s very frustrating-I appreciate you sharing your knowledge on this

[@-Adam.Z]

And then when someone points out problems with these books, they’re called racist/sexist/misogynist

[@therealcirclea762]

"As someone who's somewhat involved with the publishing industry, you are 100% correct on _books heavily featuring minority characters getting less editorial and marketing attention._ The majority of them are not considered "headliner" books (i.e., likely bestsellers), which means _they're not deemed good enough_ to spend real money on" And why do think that is? Please be direct.

[@emdi-q8j]

@@therealcirclea762 ? I am being direct. This is the case because the people in charge of such decisions believe these books won't sell as much as others. Traditional publishing generally invests little in what they think won't make a bestseller. That's it.

[@SeanMendicino]

@@emdi-q8j but the publishers are usually far Left and open about it. Do you really think that it's racism?

[@henrywayne5724]

Region blocking on most art forms has always been weird, but the audiobook one is easily the craziest one I've ever heard.

[@ebnovels]

It’s quite frustrating, I must say 😅

[@Liriodelagua]

It doesn't sound weird to me at all, mainly because of taxes and such. I don't think a publishing company would be willing to sell their books in a country they don't have a sort of business agreement (ie, pay less taxes) with the local laws and goverment. I'm not an expert of course, but I think the reason must be along these lines.

[@danielleoliver1734]

It’s different publishers in different countries, not the authors. America has a lot of audiobooks that I can’t get in Australia as we pretty much get the UK publishers

[@martinjrgensen8234]

It is so annoying. Star Ward audio books are very limited outside of the US store, which annoys me to no end,

[@arlissbunny]

It’s a copyright issue. Whomever got the audio rights for the UK has either tied up the international rights and is asking a higher price than Audible US is willing to pay or they never bought the international rights at all and a new recording is needed for the US market. This is a consistent issue across all genres and it’s INCREDIBLY frustrating.

[@crowletters]

I'm from an Indigenous minority and I am SICK of having oppression porn and "representation" forced down my throat. Like Elliot said, forget trauma porn and jumping on the fad identity bandwagon. Just write good characters.

[@serenity2010sh]

Right!

[@johnmarks9994]

It’s almost like the people in power don’t actually care about you.

[@orirune3079]

Agree, I want more books with gay characters and NOT just more sad stories about unrequired love, being abused for coming out, having your lover die and then being sad and alone...I just want books where the character being gay is incidental, like maybe there's a love interest, maybe not, but just where it's normal.

[@allengordon6929]

This has resulted in people ordering me to can medically and culturally accurate recovery porn, and that was before the dark humour and efforts to make these people relatable. It's almost like the people who are tired of ssing these people like damaged goods...hate it more when there's seen as people.

[@lightningtiger7721]

I kinda hate that (it feels like) the one only way for someone from a marginalized group can get published is by writing a story “in our own voice” if that makes sense. Worst yet, it’s like we need to commodify our trauma? In our own voices is important, don’t get me wrong, but marginalized voices should be allowed to tell other stories 😅

[@ebnovels]

Absolutely. It comes across like publishing only thinks marginalized groups can exist as representations of specific kinds of trauma.

[@RoseBaggins]

Agree. Came across some African and Chinese fairy tales while working at a thrift store. They were absolutely gorgeous and fun to read!!

[@roseNthorn]

Yeah, because they (like Hollywood) don't really care about these groups of people that they claim to care so much about. Its all about pandering and virtue signaling.

[@tiberiusgracchi-gb6tf]

Conversely that’s the only way that these stories should get told, you shouldn’t have to write autobiography but you should write what you know, an American or a Briton marginalized or not really has no business writing an Eastern European peasant or a working class Chinese person or someone from a traditional African community unless that’s literally their familial background because they’re not going to get the nuance, there was a famous black American author who wrote a book about slaves in colonial Brazil that was a perfect example of that, great writing awful book. With other marginalized groups, there really needs to be some consultation, a person who isn’t LGBT or a woman shouldn’t make a book where the primary or POV character is a woman or LGBT, these people should feature in books but they should primarily be written by collaborators from that group. I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing something where a black woman is an important character unless I had a co-writer who was a black woman.

[@BlackXSunlight]

Now imagine the personal essays we have to write to get into college.

[@zeallygreen]

So I worked in printing for many years and I had to chuckle at your nettle and bone comparison….so here’s some info to maybe help you understand better. The larger book is actually MUCH cheaper to produce. The longer something is on a running press the more productive it becomes reducing labor costs and increasing machine efficiency significantly. Also, there is A LOT less paper waste in trimming on a larger book. Paper is also a commodity, so paper prices are constantly fluctuating, in the morning the price might be $1.00, but in the afternoon, $10.00. Also paper has to be manufactured, transported and stored in a controlled environment, is can easily be ruined by a very small change in temperature or humidity, so paper quality can be very important. The higher the quality, the higher the cost for a controlled environment, especially the transport portion, because thicker, nicer paper is much more absorbent and susceptible to environmental influences and because paper is shipped to the printer from all over the world, transport cost is often exorbitant. Anyway, just a few fun facts, might help you understand. 🙂💚

[@ebnovels]

That’s very interesting! Why are the prices so different between age ranges, though?

[@shaunduquette5992]

@@ebnovels page sizes?

[@shaunduquette5992]

@@LeonC0704 buying paper in bulk?

[@FioraVorela]

​@@LeonC0704 Best guess from other industry's. If the machine is working it's making money when it's not, its losing money. For longer books the longer it has to operate to make 10,000 500 page books than 10,000 250 page books. When the books are done you have to stop the machine to reconfigure it to make a different book. That's how it works in some other industry's like cars, not sure that's how it works for book makers. But best educated guess I can give.

[@SpacemanTheo]

​@@LeonC0704 because trimming the edges of say, 500 page book, you're only trimming maybe .5% of the paper used for that book. A 250 page book you'll still be trimming the same space (1/4 in.) but it's now about 2% of the total paper used for that book. Now times it by 10,000 copies of each book and compare the waste to the volume in books and you'll see why. (I'm pretty out of it right now so sorry if this explanation doesn't make sense.)

[@BecxReadz]

Agree with the trauma dumping on marginalized groups. You can show them living a fun adventure and dealing with hard times that don't speak to just what makes them minorities.

[@futurestoryteller]

It's a double edged sword, honestly. Then you get accused of suspicious race-blindness

[@allengordon6929]

I write a lot about people who must deal with social sympathy as a protection racket. The one thing marginals and politicians have in common is a strong one indeed.

[@DL-idk]

My problem with traumatised less represented characters is more about the way they are written. I don't mind when they have the saddest back story or when they're not playing the role of protagonists. IMO it's totally fine to write them as love interest, male or female (sometimes the story simply needs a love interest and someone has to play that supporting role). What's important is the way they're treated as characters. One of the examples I can think of is the women in Porco Rosso. They aren't the protagonists, and they are kinda centering themselves around Porco more or less. But I don't have the same feeling of being insulted and belittled as a woman as sometimes when I read about love interests in other stories. Because those women, despite falling in love, are still their own person and have strong personalities. The man is important to them, but they still have their own lives outside that one man like real people do.

[@ericward8459]

Ah! A man of Culture! Well cited!

[@aubreysmith71112]

Yes to number 3!!!! Sometimes I am not feeling up to the really intense traumatic books but I still like experiencing diversity in my books even if I am going for a more "light" read!

[@SuddenReal]

Concerning the price tag, I'm reminded of the Nine Inch Nails show in Australia in 2007 or 8 when Trent Reznor urged the fans not to buy his record but to pirate it. He had just done a signing session at a record store and noticed his album (Year Zero) was sold at 25 dollars while other artists (like Britney Spears and Marillyn Manson and other popular mainstream artists) were only 17 dollars. When he asked the record label representative about the price difference, she tried to bullshit her way out of it saying it was because of the packaging and the treatment of the CD (the CD has a black cover which turns white after playing due to the heat), but Trent shut her down quickly by saying he was the one who looked into all the fancy stuff, so he knew what the costs were. And then she just admitted his albums were so expensive because the record label knew fans would pay the money while those "popular" artists wouldn't sell anything if they weren't cheap.

[@SnorriSnibble]

No.2 is so frustrating! I live in Germany, but it’s similar here with YA/Fantasy and literary fiction. Hardcover YA or Fantasy books are usually 17-20€ whereas literary fiction hardcovers are often 25-30€ although most of them have a lot less pages. It always feels like they deem literary fiction to have more quality and that’s why they make it more expensive. As if the literary fiction publishers think „Our books are ✨sophisticated✨ and should be read by rich people“

[@juliastms]

I think there is actually an explanation for this. Someone from Thalia once explained it to me; basically the more copies a book can sell the cheaper it can be priced. Now I'm not 100% sure about this but I imagine YA and fantasy books sell a lot better than literary fiction, so that's why they're overall cheaper. Side note: that's apparently the same reason why textbooks are so damn expensive because they print them in way smaller numbers.

[@derekb.4292]

I think the region locking has to do with the distribution rights agreed upon during the book deal. Some authors may want to retain worldwide rights for whatever reason or the publisher/imprint may just not have the interest or means to manage worldwide distribution. I'm in the process of converting my debut into an audiobook and Audible's ACX made me confirm like 3 times that I have audio and worldwide rights to the title. Since I'm not traditionally published, the rights are pretty simple, but I imagine it gets more complicated with contracts and all that. Definitely annoying whatever the cause is though.

[@lieslherman]

Point number three is something I've noticed in other media/genres lately too and it makes me SO uncomfortable... Particularly in Yellowstone and its spin off series, violence against indigenous people (particularly women) always seems to be a plot point. Regardless of whether it was indicative of the time periods those shows are trying to portray, it becomes so graphic and overdone it ceases to be informative and just becomes gratuitous. I think trauma can be an important part of storytelling, but it's a fine line to walk and some go WAY past it.

[@elf1709]

Support My Little Pony

[@natashaestes154]

I don't understand. I've seen only a few episodes, but I think I know what you're referring to, at least in this one episode a Native girl was murdered. I was half paying attention. Anyway, that's far less than actual history & it still happens now. I understand gratuitous violence & gore, I mean, that's what slasher films are. But real life has plenty of sick people who've done sick things. Granted, something being gratuitous is subjective depending on genre, target age, tone, etc, but taking something to the lowest common denominator does, in my view, injustice to the victims & survivors, invalidating their trauma.

[@lieslherman]

@@natashaestes154 The most agregious example is in Yellowstone 1923, where every episode features multiple scenes of abuse of a girl at a residential school. It's not to say it isn't historically accurate, residential schools were horrific, but it became way too much. Yellowstone 1883 focuses on the Oregon Trail and showed a lot of violence both to and from indigenous folk, but at least there were a couple characters who existed for reasons beyond that... In the original Yellowstone series I don't recall when the scenes happened, but it's mostly when you look at all 3 series together you can see the trend and it just seems like a morbid fascination I'm not sure needs to exist. EDIT because I forgot to address your latter point: I do 100% think sharing stories of trauma is valid and should be explored in media, especially when they're painting an era or subject matter people may not be familiar with, and sometimes entertainment media can serve a dual function of education... The issue is that I think marginalized folks deserve stories that aren't focused on their trauma, and it's very difficult to tell when that focus goes from being informative to gratuitous.

[@TOchick]

@@lieslherman I grew up on the rez and am indigenous our stories have immense trauma because it's just fact. Both of my grandparents were in residential schools and were taken away from Arizona and sent to some place in Arkansas to "save the man, kill the Indian." We have so many times that we are victimized and traumatized in history, like the trail of tears, the massacre at wounded knee, Bear River massacre, and I can go on and on. We indigenous women didn't have a static of how many of our mothers, sisters, aunts , cousins went missing or were killed for many, many years. Hell, we still don't really know and it's still happening like the Highway of Tears in Canada where indigenous women are still going missing or winding up dead. I get it makes you uncomfortable but it's our story and our history and I appreciate that it's not sugar coated because we still deal with this trauma to this day.

[@lieslherman]

@@TOchick I 100% agree that those stories need shared, and I am sorry if the way I expressed my concerns did not make that explicit. While obviously it's something I've never experienced personally, the city I live in (Thunder Bay, Canada) still to this day deals with the repercussions of the horrific treatment of indigenous peoples. Our area is steeped in a history of pain, and I don't think anyone should shy away from learning of it. It is SO important. However, the point I'm trying to make is that some of the media I have consumed lately has taken that history and in a way, tried to make entertainment of it... and THAT is what makes me uncomfortable. My feeling is that the Yellowstone shows shine when they depict both the trauma that was endured as well as the complexity and depth to indigenous lives and culture, but the most recent series they have produced featured many scenes of abuse with almost no context or suggestion to purpose to the plot. They simply flipped between scenes of a girl being beaten at a school, to scenes to a ranch nearby with a connection not made known for many episodes. It goes on for a duration I don't believe was necessary. If you have seen this show and disagree, I respectfully concede that my opinion is less important, but as of now I decline to continue watching that series because I believe they could handled it with MUCH more respect.

[@s13gaming72]

An interesting pricing fact is that it costs publishers the exact same amount to make a hardcover as a paperback yet they charge so much more for hardcovers.

[@thisoldgoat3927]

And publishers take a larger percentage of their profits from paperbacks than from hardbacks. Strange.

[@gektoast4968]

It’s just capitalism. People desire hardcover more, so it’s charged more 😞

[@vespernight4236]

​@@gektoast4968 hardcovers also seem to get damaged less. So again capitalism at play, knowing you'd probably want your book to last awhile they charge more for the version that does so.

[@jeniferalvarez2914]

I read a lot of ebooks and it drives me CRAZY when there isn’t a map! The Plated Prisoner series doesn’t have a map to the point where I spent 27$ on Gild (the original US edition) just to have one. The Kingdom of the Wicked also doesn’t have a map, thankfully I already owned the books. (I’ll switch between ebook and physical) But if you get the special editions, guess what? No maps because the maps are on the end pages 🤦🏻‍♀️ Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. There’s also the issue when sometimes I have ebooks where I can’t click on the map to zoom in on my kindle (Once Upon a Broken Heart is an example) and it drives me crazy! I like having maps, ok! 😂

[@TheArtfulBrittani]

I've never understood book pricing. just this week my mom bought "A Man Called Ove" so we could see the movie together and she's usually an ebook buyer, but the paperback was cheaper!? I thought we were in a paper shortage?...let alone the fact of digital versus all the things needed to make a book. I've checked and alot of times an ebook isn't cheaper than the physical book...it's so weird.

[@rhonab6698]

I think there is an attitude with digital media that you're paying extra for the 'convenience' of instant access and/or portability compared to some physical media. mostly see it with video games, usually at launch a digital copy is £10 more than the disc because you can 'pre-download' the game so it's ready to play the moment it officially becomes available. whereas you can't buy the disc until shops open the next day and then you have to wait for it to install onto your console anyway. movies/tv shows/books it's tackling it more from a portability aspect because why break your back carrying DVDs/books everywhere when you can have one device with all of them on it. It's a load of crap, because in the end the production costs should be cheaper for the digital file, you're just paying a premium for a feature (easily portable or immediately accessible) you might not care about.

[@unavezms8167]

The fact that some ebooks cost 20$ is insane...

[@Ketutar]

Totally agree. Ebooks should be cheaper. But when it comes to that specific pocket, maybe it was a special price for the moment?

[@lumiukko4296]

I think this just tells you how little value the actual physicality in the product is. The price really comes from the publishing team and cover design etc. Not from the materials and printing.

[@XAltrus]

First, I'm not saying this to defend the price of e-books. I really have no idea what the actual costs of distribution for books is. I personally fall into the category of "often frustrated with how much this e-book costs". But I do want to point out that digital products are not resource-less or no-cost goods. Data hosting and transfer are both something companies pay for in volume. As well as the cost of development and integration of the infrastructure for receiving and using that data, with the ability to receive the product again in the future, across many different devices/operating systems. Physical books don't tend to have "eternal" costs, besides them physically taking up space at a store.

[@shiannebowlin2736]

For Godkiller, I saw on the authors Instagram that no US publisher bought rights to the books, so it wasn't going to be sold in the US at that time. It was a few weeks ago. So maybe that changed. As for a trend I hate: special editions in subscription boxes. The marketing is good enough that people feel compelled to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a book they likely haven't read yet, just so they can have this "exclusive" design. And there are so many different versions of special editions, that people will buy many, soending even more money on a single story. The whole concept feels very predatory to me. But that's capitalism for ya😅

[@annai6051]

The myriads of special editions and collectors' editions are killing me. I think this trend does not inspire people to read more just to collect pretty objects.

[@wendyinthegarden523]

@@annai6051 You are right! As a bookseller I actually heard a young customer tell her friend that she bought books because they are pretty, not to read them

[@jessieliseem8182]

And really how “special” are they if they are just going to do another “special” edition. I’ve been a book reader for many years and I have never bought a special edition of anything. I don’t understand… like what a waste of money, just to have an object you look at.

[@catherinegreer854]

I agree 100%! As an admitted shopaholic this is a strong pull for any marketing campaign. Sometimes I have to shut all my notifications and socials down because of this. They always do the be a subscriber and get 15% off for just a little piece of your soul. 🫣 Sorry, little dramatic there but not too off point.

[@existentialgamer9206]

Yes the “special groups”, I’m an old person and this is an old problem. It’s a bit sad that it’s still going on. TV Tropes even acknowledged it in the Bury Your Gays trope where is was guaranteed that if a story had a gay or lesbian couple you could be assured they wouldn’t get a happy ending. Usually one of the couple or both would die tragically, or maybe turn evil and then die etc. Also re: women, I’ve tried to read more women centric stories but I avoid the Trauma Conga Line (also from tv tropes lol). Like yes misogyny exists but these kinds of stories are relentless. The female character, her family if she has one are oppressive and chauvinistic, her society is like patriarchy on steroids, all her love interest are abusive, she either has “grape” in her backstory or it’s a constant threat during current story. I totally get it, avoid, no thank you

[@morganabourggraff132]

The book length kills me because as a writer querying a fantasy novel the agents keep insisting that all books must be standalone. And they have to be short because “no one will publish a long book because it will be too expensive for readers.” …. So, obviously not?

[@therevanchist1123]

For me right now it is not so much regulated to the author or publisher but the retailer. Package your books properly for shipping. Out of the eight books in The Witcher hardcover Orbit set I’ve had to return three copies due to them just throwing the books in a box, no packaging, and no water protection. It sucks because I hate waist-fullness,but when the dust jacket looks like it’s been through a battle zone and the book itself looks like it was used for drying dishes, it really leaves you with little choice but to initiate a return and I’m not sure who loses out financially in that situation but I definitely lose out in the time and effort to send it back. As for the other points I couldn’t agree more especially with the flawless female character, just like wood it’s not the flawless strip of grain that makes it stand out, that people admire, but the knots, wane, pitch, and shakes.

[@moonstonepearl21]

Too many female characters being like that is due to issues with modern mainstream feminism that has gone in some unhealthy directions in recent years. Being a strong person does not mean you are flawless and emotionless and can go nonstop. Because of the stereotype that women were too emotional to do "important work" in the past, they have tried to push out emotions from the female experience instead of emphasizing that we are not overemotional and that emotions are a part of being human. It is unhealthy for young girls to constantly see women handling an unrealistic number of things on their plate and tell them that if they don't live up to those unrealistic standards then you are inadequate as a woman and are wasting our freedom. It's why you see some women in positions of power telling women under them to suck it up if they have a problem because then you'll seem like a stereotypical weak female. This mindset is not healthy.

[@MegaLilly96]

The audiobook not being available internationally is even worse if you don't live in an English speaking country. Here in Italy Audible for example only has italian translations of audiobooks, and especially in the fantasy genre that greatly reduces the catalogue compared from what I hear is available in other countries. Fortunately Storytel also has english audiobooks so there is an alternative but sometimes I noticed that titles that were available in english in other countries are not available in Italy. That has probably something to do with the rights that may vary country to country but is still very annoying.

[@ozencasli]

Yes definitely agree on this! Similar for Turkey, audiobooks are not accessible or enough especially if you want to listen in English

[@annmoore321]

One of the things that bothers me most is when publishers and/or authors refuse to reprint their works in hard back. For example: I discovered the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio last year, and I prefer owning books in hard back. Well, you can’t find a decent hard cover for the first book in the series for under $100 because the publisher won’t issue a reprint! 🤬 Steven Erikson’s Malazan books are another example. I mean, I get that publishers don’t want to reprint books that are unpopular, but good grief! They’re also doing this for works that are widely known and loved! Ugh.

[@riva7rau]

I'm trying to get either hardbacks or trade paperbacks of these same exact two series and am running into all of the same problems. I probably will opt for eBooks for Malazan as the trade paperbacks are so expensive (and not available for all books), and for the Sun Eater series I will end up with a couple trade paperbacks, one mass market paperback, and starting with book 4 hardbacks. I fully admit I'm a little anal about my books, which means I like to have all books in the series in the same format :)

[@songsayswhat]

Our local library has a continuous sale room where they decomission books and also sell donated books. They charge a flat $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardbacks. I find a lot of out of print copies that way. You might check your local library to see if they do something similar.

[@Fangirlingisnormal9]

Yes!! I have been trying to get a hardback copy of Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett and it's impossible unless you want to spend 100+ on a used edition!

[@ThePeper]

I think a good short book can be more dificult to write than a long one. It's easier to go on and on, with countless scenes and endless description, dialogue or self reflection than to distill the story to its essence.

[@Maxfeatherstries]

As someone working in the printing industry in the EU, I can say that the large price differences in printing, especially when it comes to novella's, and other shorter books is completely normal. The price is dependent on so many things like the quality and thickness of the paper and cover, the set up costs, how many books they print, etc. I can ask for a quote from 5 different printing houses for the same books and get 5 completely different prices. With this comes that the more books you print, the cheaper the price per product becomes and thus the cheaper the book on the shelf can be. I can go into more detail, but I don't think anyone is interested. I'm sorry for the long post. :3

[@joyahawkrose3984]

Thank you for the info!

[@Maxfeatherstries]

@@joyahawkrose3984 You're welcome. :3

[@bobd4401]

Hi Elliot, Thank you for shouting out smaller/new/indie/self published writers. There are so many great stories out there that have trouble breaking through the juggernaut of "Top 40" marketing, and I concur that we don't need so many new covers for older works - those efforts and funding would certainly have much greater impact on smaller authors than on already hugely successful ones. Sadly, this is unlikely to change since it is, as you pointed out, a BUSINESS...same holds true in other markets as well - music is the most obvious. The other effect of the Top 40 marketing mentality is that it devolves from "supplying" what people want to "dictating" what people should want, because that is what is selling. Vicious circle. Okay, rant mode OFF 😃

[@samuelstuart3856]

Not the trends I was expecting but definitely the trends I needed to hear

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

I really appreciate you covering publishing trends. ❤

[@J.R.Carrel]

I'm the same way with audiobooks. If I listen to an audiobook and I really like it. Then I'll normally go out and buy a hardcover of the book or an autographed copy. I'm an author as well, it does seem like they price gouge on some of these books. I only charge $20 for my hardcovers and my first two books we're just under 300 pages.

[@ebnovels]

It’s a very large amount of money for such a small amount of pages 😅

[@Newrocka]

Ohh Im so glad The Winnowing Flame series was available as audiobooks here in England, since that's how I consume most of my fantasy. I downloaded them off the back of your recommendation and enjoyed them a lot. I didn't even realize different countries had different audiobooks

[@Javaslinger7730]

Your fantasy critiques and reviews are terrific, thoughtful and entertaining, but if I'm honest I come to see the new hair styles... Today's is mucho bueno!

[@rainyjreads]

Wow 100% yes. Thank you for voicing these so well and putting it out there. I hope we do narrow in on a good balance for everything.

[@anasofiaaceves]

I agree with the cost, I went to a sale of hard covers a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't believe the cost, some people earn minimum wage, so if a book is more than what you make in an hour and it's super short of course you're not going to buy it!. This is a common problem in México with making the books so expensive that only upper middle class can't afford them. Books should be for everyone, also beautiful books, hard covers not just cheap paperbacks.

[@ruthclough6969]

As an international reader (outside US and UK) I can relate to some of these issues. I get annoyed at all the limited special editions and the cost of them and the FOMO. I don’t really buy sub boxes as the international shipping is too high to justify. I do love a pretty edition but the story is what you read and love. I largely ignore all the hype around special editions. I don’t mind things like Waterstones special editions as they are easy to get if you preorder. I also dislike the prohibitive cost of novellas etc.

[@TexasPelican]

Your concerns about new covers are absolutely spot on. The 10th anniversary edition cover of Leviathan Wakes is awful. There are other titles and especially classics where they change the cover constantly and it's irritating.

[@wendyinthegarden523]

Also every new edition means a price increase

[@kevinkearns959]

What is that number set right behind your head... It's lovely

[@MacSusi10]

I live in Europe and the third book in The Scarred Earth Saga is not available in audio format in my country. The first and the second are but the third isn't. I don't understand how it's possible to do that in the middle of the series.

[@BaldBookTuber]

I made a video recently discussing negatives as a digital reader, and region blocking was one of the big things on that list that irritates me. Unfortunately, it is more common the one would expect. Pricing of digital works in general (beyond just the short works) is another thing I tackled in the same video.

[@mistyspencer7249]

I am new to your channel but Thank you for this video. I am wrapping up the first book in my fantasy series and your views on how some heroines and groups are portrayed. Is giving me confidence, I am headed in the right direction...

[@mikesionu]

I totally agree on the new covers for old books! Fun video

[@ivylilybasket]

One trend I dislike specifically in YA is duologies. Often it feels like 1 book split in two for cash grab purposes (why sell 1 book if you can charge for 2). I hate if book 1 is just cliffhanger galore and nothing really develops and it's all a setup for the sequel.

[@ViridianForests]

This is funny to me because I sometimes prefer duologies to trilogies. But I haven't read any duologies that feel like they should have been only one book. Mostly I've read a lot of trilogies that would have been excellent as duologies and ended up feeling spread thin as trilogies because the author needed to invent something interesting for the middle and more or less failed. I find its so rare to find standalones in YA though, I understand it would be frustrating to read something in two books that should have been one.

[@StarlessTerrace]

@@ViridianForests Actually I agree with this. I typically prefer duologies to trilogies because trilogies often fall into "middle book" syndrome. This is where the middle book is just a placeholder book and nothing significant happens in the plot. It solely exists to make the series a trilogy.

[@grand_R]

I got Nettle and Bone for 13.25 Euro in Rome, OMG I hate it when the publisher can't be assed to add the series order in their ebooks. Like, I have the Murderbot series on my Kindle and it remains unread because every time I open the collection I can't tell where to start and lose interest. Was it too hard to add #1, #2, #3, etc??

[@misspenneylane]

Aurora Rising was available in Ireland on audiobook but not book 2 or 3, I couldn't make sense of that at all! 😅

[@danielleoliver1734]

I hate kindle versions of books being $15 when the physical is only a couple of dollars more. I know we need to pay for the story but the e version should be substantially cheaper. Tor is the worst, I only read them if my library has them

[@AvalonCameron]

As a book lover living in Australia, I can comment on the audiobook issue. I have lost count of how many times I have found a book that I would prefer to consume via audiobook format only to discover that said book is not available in Audible Australia but is available pretty much everywhere else. It's seriously maddening.

[@AseAPS]

Length is not always synonymous with quality or even with the amount of work put in. Unfortunately, I haven't read either of the books that you listed for your example, but I've noticed that writing more sophisticated themes in the same page length takes a lot more effort. That said, there's still popularity to be considered. I believe Nettle and Bones was in the running for winning several awards last year and it was pretty hyped. It could be that they're charging more because they know people will buy it and the price might have gone up.

[@biznis9965]

I was also wondering about nettle and bone. I almost picked it up on a whim at the local bookstore but when I saw the price was 25EUR for this tiny book I decided to sleep on it.

[@netogrof]

It’s actually a Tor issue. They publish like 90% of the fantasy sci-fi novellas and charge an ugly amount of money for them in physical form.

[@mishelly]

I love this video i feel like I need to make a response video. I have some strong feelings regarding in-particular to the cost of books. And the way they push trending books.

[@marycooney2194]

Someone left a review of my first book which said that they liked the book and showing the hardships of life in the Mediterranean without the gratuitous violence which was a compliment that I appreciate from an observant reader. I write sapphic historical romance and struggle with the trends in the LGBTQ+ genre so I'm just writing what I love. Your first point about audio was well put. I think for self-published authors anyway its expensive and hasn't been profitable but as more AI tech comes available, I think audiobooks will be the thing for a lot of readers.

[@brielambley3466]

What name do you write under please and are your books available on kindle??

[@marycooney2194]

@@brielambley3466 I only have one book out and its sapphic historical romance. Its on Kindle and called The Women of Apasas my pen name is Elizabeth Reign

[@Excelsior1937]

Ooh sounds interesting

[@annai6051]

I don't think it is only a trend in fantasy but I don't like that it seems like authors use certain tropes (like enemies to lovers) or "vibes" (for example dark academia) not because it best serves the plot, the characters, style etc. but to help market and sell the book. I don't mind that there are popular tropes but I don't like how often these tropes take the center stage.

[@girlwithflowers8058]

Where I live (Europe) most classical fantasy/sci fi are only available for insane prices like 150 dollars. I can't even find Warbreaker anymore (except for the ebook).

[@ellyra412]

Where do you live in Europe ? I have no problem getting them in France. Have you tried online website like bookdepository that ships internationally for free?

[@girlwithflowers8058]

@@ellyra412 I live in Italy! And I do have access to Amazon but to give you an idea, I was looking for a Rilke book and I found a used, old, ugly paperback edition that was over 100 euro. Or Asimov's foundation (used!) for 70 euro??? And the prices get more insane the older the book, especially with fantasy. I don't understand why. I just checked book depository and I have access to it! So thank you so much for mentioning it ☺️

[@ellyra412]

I believe that is because you are looking at old editions of those books that are no longer published, since you can't find them anywhere else, sellers rise their prices. It is the same in every country. If you go for newer editions of these classics you will probably find much more affordable prices.

[@alyciag6427]

I ordered Godkiller through Blackwells Uk and it arrived in a few days and the shipping was free I believe! I’m actually going to be ordering quite a few UK editions I’ve had my eyes on because the shipping was so fast and convenient! But I agree that some of these shorter novels are astronomically priced.

[@danic9304]

The worst thing with region locking is when books 1 and 2 are available, but book 3 isnt. That drives me mad. It works the other way too - I live in the UK and have encountered some series that arent available, or are only partially available outside of the US

[@helenFX]

The worst part of being a fan of light novels is the tiny word count for so many series. Books that are then full priced with a translation premium. My favourite series Ascendance of Bookworm is about 100k words per volume, which is fine, especially for just for £6.50 digital. But there are books that have 25K words and cost almost £10 digital. These aren't stand-alones either they are part of expansive series with several dozen volumes. These books cost usually

[@ebnovels]

I haven’t read any light novels yet, so I’ve not encountered this issue, but that’s very frustrating!

[@TheAzureGhost]

as someone who enjoys lightnovels aswell i can feel that pain in the wallet. paying >12€ for

[@mistyspencer7249]

Thanks

[@Jeanette_Medina]

I'm one of those who's waiting for the new Mistborn covers. 😅 I don't like any of the previous US covers, and I had been eyeing the white UK paperbacks. Someone told me they look great but are not so good to read, that it is hard to open them, so I refrained from getting those. Got excited when I saw the news on the new US covers, I like them! 😁

[@geholohorroh]

I think the audiobook availability sadly comes down to rights :( The publisher of the audiobook has likely negotiated for the rights to e.g. the UK, but not the US.

[@seamusb9012]

I can't get a bunch of Audiobooks in Australia, including the Dandelion Dynasty. I can only proper read on holidays, which is once a year. Very frustrating!

[@chloem7563]

Finally got my hands on Ninth Rain on your suggestion! It was so good!

[@unavezms8167]

Or male authors describing women breasts like its the most important part about them.

[@JoelAdamson]

If I had to pick one worst trend, it would be symbolic covers, or more generally covers without people on them. Covers are a huge part of why I read fantasy, and the atmosphere provided by seeing a hero/heroine in his or her natural environment on a cover is something that can't be provided by the current trends in graphic design. Example: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier was re-released in trade paperback, and they got rid of the beautiful illustration by John Jude Palencar and replaced with this Swarovski crystal swan on a plain green background. Lame. The cover tells you nothing about the book.

[@bellamin4549]

I completely agree with how publishers push books for tragedies that are trending. I understand if it’s non-fiction and it’s the author’s experience, but in fantasy it can come off as opportunistic.

[@joshuatempleton9556]

when was the bigger printed vs the smaller book, materials and artist used etc.

[@justabookishreader]

on the second point - there's a novella companion to Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson and I wanted to get it, it was printed odd so it wasn't as tall as a regular book (makes no damn sense) and was still $14.99. Cheaper sure, but only by a few dollars. Ended up not getting it so far.

[@kelleyceccato7025]

I will only read novellas on my Kindle these days because their prices in print are so high -- or else I wait for them to come out in compilation form (e.g. Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novellas).

[@ronniethompson6373]

Have you read Ascendance of a bookworm?

[@brianjauch9958]

So many Fantasy covers looking like romance novels grinds my gears.

[@heiditwist4726]

I’m cringing at Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee being a 160 page novella and the Kindle price is $14.99! Same price/more expensive than Greenbone books

[@allisonthompson5667]

😬 Yikes. I want to read that one, but…no.

[@ebnovels]

That’s quite a bit!

[@Valwiggers27]

You guys must be really poor. You should find a free hobbie like watching the stars or sleeping the entire day. Or maybe tiktok. A lot of authors can barely survive by writing books alone, then on top of that they need to listen to people complaining about their book prices. I'd increase the price of my books even more.

[@wiktoriagrochola3256]

I refuse to buy short books full price because it just feels like a rip off to me 😂😅

[@mischarowe]

I buy ebooks more lately which helps when the physical is expensive.

[@wiktoriagrochola3256]

@@mischarowe I get most of my books secondhand and I buy all my ebooks on sale so I do save a lot of money that way 😊

[@ebnovels]

I try to wait until I have store credit 😅

[@daria_gl]

I can't listen to fantasy audiobooks. There's too many character names and words for world-specific phenomena that are impossible to decode. Also I like flipping back to previous points in the book or referring to maps, which is just too much of an obstacle when listening to audiobooks.

[@heyimsasa]

there is so much i agree about this video, especially about creating things to profit off of the traumas of marginalized groups. thanks for talking about all of these important issues. i'm also sick of the new additions milking the community for everything like so many of these (problematic) authors don't need the money nor exposure.

[@dvckduckgoose]

I don't know if it would be considered a trend but i hate that, as someone who lives in Australia, we don't get half as many choices for covers or special editions, book boxes etc. Sometimes the only way to get a specific edition we have to pay exorbitant amounts, plus incredibly high shipping costs, either from retailers or other readers charging way too much, it just feels a bit extortionate in my opinion. Also with the book prices, here it's common for paperbacks to be a very minimum $15 but more likely towards $25-30 regardless of the page count, and hardbacks just go up from there. I find myself borrowing from the library or using Scribd for ebooks/audiobooks because i just can't afford the high prices of physical books here.

[@drsaumyasingh4941]

Changing the covers of books frequently is annoying especially with regards to a larger series. When kept on a bookshelf, the whole series lacks uniformity due to the change in cover. Another annoying thing is the addition of stickers with words like "Now available on ____ as webseries".

[@catherinegreer854]

Hey Elliott ❤️ now I have seen both parts 😄. The VPN issue is bad for almost all digital media. So incredibly frustrating and silly. So many freaking layers to that story. Also, I agree with cover changes on books but also with the "Now a..." covers where they ruin a beautiful cover with a huge unrecoverable gold or silver sticker. Or worse just do away with the OG and slap a screenshot of the said movie or show AND still have the sticker. Oh, the humanity!! 🤦‍♀️🤦🤦‍♂️😄

[@bookishnatie9614]

Adult fantasy book is literally why I just buy them on my kindle app now. Its more accessible unfortunately in this matter. I would like the physical copies though.

[@ThePrincess0fChaos]

So diplomatic on point 3. For me it is getting to a point where I am starting to avoid books with female lead characters. I tend to read thrillers and detective novels also and I find 90% of the female characters very annoying and unlikable.

[@ebnovels]

But they’re so strong! (Kidding, of course)

[@MsWillowbayOrelse]

I tried buying a book that was only available in the UK with a vpn and it wouldn't let me.

[@sarahdreger5031]

I 100% agree with the disparity between UK and US publishing. Along with the new covers why does throne of glass and mistborn match? They had so many resources to make amazing artwork covers and they created a ya color block disaster.

[@lk_3099]

I'm quite nervous about not being able to make physical versions of my novels when I start releasing them. Audiobook I don't even know what process or cost is needed, so e-books sound like my only option for the time being. I see myself self-publishing.

[@U2BearCat]

Authors paid to have an audiobook done. Costs about $5000 to $7000.

[@campo870]

I’ve very recently encountered a similar problem. I’m in Australia and I can’t seem to get the audiobooks for Ken Liu’s dandelion dynasty ANYWHERE. Could anyone enlighten me?

[@moonstonepearl21]

It was cool you focused on industry issues here and not trends in the actual writing only like I was expecting. Yea they should have some sort of pricing system where size plays a part because they clearly don't. The repressed groups only being shown being traumatized and them pushing these stories when something in that area happens is a symptom of the problematic social and political climate we have right now that only focuses on the negative and likes to make certain groups feel like they are constantly being victimized to keep everyone in an uproar and fighting all the time. Businesses definitely make money off of all this cultural tension.

[@christianmagrum3282]

I am very tired of being preached to regarding modern issues in our real world in a fantasy story if problems exist in that fantasy world and it comes up organically and it doesn’t feel like there is an agenda by the author then I don’t mind it but in so many modern fantasy books, I can feel the author saying I’m right about this you know you should agree with me and it is the most frustrating thing I’ve run into in recent fantasy. If you want to talk about modern issues, repeat contemporary story one I probably won’t read.

[@paulemerick8661]

Not having an audiobook can definitely be a con and I say that personally as a self-published fantasy author at least from my experience. Only way around it which isn't perfect is getting the e-book in PDF format and having an audio read feature using the PDF file options. It doesn't sound as good or as natural but it can work to an extent. For self-publishing authors audiobook being contracted out would probably be very costly for many self-publishing authors that probably could not afford it. Just my weigh in. I can't attest from author's experience that doesn't do self-publishing since I don't have that experience.

[@Simone-bc2fo]

Trying to get back into the fantasy genre, I'll take this as a useful warning, thanks a bunch. Can you recommend any adult fantasy that isn't excessively trope-driven? (sorry for any grammar screw-ups, non-native English speaker here)

[@petrusjnaude7279]

It may be silly, but I agree with you about the older series getting new covers. To me, the Wheel of Time series is a major culprit.

[@walkingtheline1729]

When the ebook pages don't equal physical book pages. I use good reads to motivate me to, keep track and get info about what I am reading. It is a small thing I know but progress bars are great motivators

[@BlackXSunlight]

I mentioned this before somewhere, but it would be so cool if in fantasy novels with maps, a line would trace the characters’s journey as you progress in the ebook.

[@sophiasthoughts]

The audiobook thing is a licence issue. Usually authors have to sell their audiobook permissions at the same time as they sell the book to a publisher. That publisher, if they develop an audiobook, can then only sell the audiobook in their licence area (e.g. UK). It is very frustrating. Happens a fair amount in the UK with books in the US. My recommendation? International library cards!!

[@mr-vet]

I plan to self-publish my first book when I finish it. I will sell it on eBay, Amazon, Mercari, and whatnot. I have a decent following on whatnot for Fantasy and Sci-Fi books, so I know I’ll sell some on that platform…and it’s a great opportunity to market it.

[@bobd4401]

Hi again Elliot, I also agree with you on the pricing, and would extend that conversation to e-books vs. physical books, though this seems to be predominantly a trait of traditionally published works - almost like publishers are trying to dissuade e-book purchasing. How can they justify charging MORE for an eBook than they do for a even a trade paperback? Okay...WHO flipped that rant switch AGAIN??? Promise...rant mode OFF (again)!

[@Theblondebass1]

They also didn't have the kindle ebook version up until like 3 months ago

[@whitneywest3538]

I’m good with an older series getting a facelift if it fits the current trend more but most especially, I’m good with new printings if they make the book easier to read. The fact that all paperbacks aren’t floppy is practically criminal. And excessive page count books that don’t have the super thin pages is unacceptable. But mostly, give me floppy or give me the Kindle version. But I also agree that if it doesn’t have to be done then spread the love elsewhere. We don’t need 5 versions of a 6+ book series that’s already established and beloved.

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

6:17 I don’t think books prices should be connected to how many pages the book is. I pay for a good story not “per page.” $25 seems like a reasonable price for a smaller book… and I think it’s good that a thicker book is not twice as much as as thinner book…. I look at it more in terms of… I feel like $20-30 is a very reasonable price for a hardcover book. (In fact I expect $35-40 so a thick book for 20 something means it’s a deal not that the thin book is overpriced… I’m sure that there is a base cost for putting out a hardcover and then… adding more pages doesn’t add that much to the cost)

[@msthornback7935]

It is a fucking travesty that the Broken Earth Trilogy doesn't have special editions yet.

[@megan397]

Fireborne doesn't have distribution rights for the ebook or audiobook in Australia and I'm so sad!

[@sablemoreno5095]

I'm late, but I think the audiobook thing is a publishing rights issue, like certain companies make deals with others not to publish works in specific regions and vise versa in a larger trade agreement with said company and the authors suffer a bit due to it inadvertently. (Leading to the American and the UK version of audio books) but the publishers continue because overall it's a win for them- like they get sole American publishing rights to x amount of books from company UK and company UK the same from them, as neither have a large enough international market to warrant printing/running/or selling audiobooks there.

[@Katiedora122]

Based on my previous job in the publishing industry (specifically working with international customers of a US company), the issue with the availability of different formats has to do with rights. I have no other detailed knowledge, but my company had sister companies in other countries and basically paid each other back and forth for sending books over, and other times I think it was other publishers in those countries who would buy the books/ebooks (and I assume audiobooks, but that was a completely different branch of the company with different rights). From a customer perspective, it obviously sounds insane that the same book by the same author isn't consistently available when the format exists somewhere else, but corporations love to divide and overcomplicate things unless they can guarantee a huge paycheck for themselves. Also, idk what the status is now, but there was a paper shortage or something a few years ago, and the book supply chain was already struggling before the pandemic, contributing to higher prices (which I noticed in YA before adult fiction).

[@inkfeats1143]

Also experienced the audiobook block ㅠㅠ I can’t get Steven Pacy reading First Law here in South Korea for some reason :( Other Abercrombie books are ok but just not the 1st law trilogy

[@DragonReborn12]

What are the books behind her with the roman numerals on the spines ?

[@UNIDiver]

Those are the Kraken Book Co. dust jackets for The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

[@ReadingNymph]

The recovers can be annoying, I find it frustrating when it takes so long to get a paperback version of a book. For example Addie LaRue (love the book) it still doesnt have a paperback copy BUT it has a special edition that was released a year later instead. I mean yes they are lovely but I dont get why they cant do both? Or why it needed a special edition so soon

[@liljatupsu]

Speaking as someone who has been lucky enough to not have faced discrimination (at least not a notable amount) - unless it's by a really good writer, I can't fully relate to those stories. I don't really consume a lot of human focused media in book form, meaning I don't usually get into the character's head when the topic does come up and thus there's no chance for the author to describe the situation in a relatable way. This results in there being very few characters from marginalized groups that I can relate to. Discrimination stories do need to be told, perhaps making people like me understand is one of the reasons, but those groups shouldn't be reduced to the poor treatment they receive from others. They deserve to have fully fleshed out complex characters too (Also discrimination is by no means the only thing I struggle to relate to in stories. Any unfamiliar experience, unless described really well, makes the story unrelatable for me. The most notable example is romance. I've never had a crush so the typical falling in love story doesn't appeal to me. I could never understand the experience before reading More Than Meets The Eye by James Robers. Something about the way Chromedome and Rewind were written was different - like the writer didn't just expect the reader to know the nature of their relationship right away)