Books

[LET’S CHAT] How Many Chances Do You Give An Author?

Mikaela @ The Well-Thumbed Reader67 Comments

Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in the day.

So, obviously, we bookworms don’t have all the time to read all the books that have ever existed (which totally sucks). That means we have to pick and choose which books we’ll spend time to read, and when it comes to authors that have failed to impress us, it creates a pretty tough situation: should we give them a second chance or go bye-bye? Let’s talk about it!

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we all want to give every single author or book out there a fair chance! This is basically the biggest reason why I avoid reviews – I don’t want someone else saying the book sucked to convince me it’s not worth checking out, especially since I would miss out on so many of my favorites!
But when should we acknowledge that it’s just not working out between you and the author?
Mainly, I’m curious about what other fellow bookworms think when it comes to giving up on authors, since we all probably have such varying opinions out there!

When it comes to Young Adult, things are sort of wonky when it comes to authors and second chances.

So, no surprise, I actually hated the Winner’s Trilogy. I feel like I’ve mentioned it about a million times, so there’s no need to elaborate on that and my huge disappointment. But, since the last book has come out, Rutkoski hasn’t really published anything new. Will I read a fantasy series of hers if she decides to write another one? After my utter dissatisfaction of the Winner’s Trilogy, I’m probably not going to be giving her a second chance (though I can get into a book if it has a good premise).
This is where my mixed feelings come in. You have probably heard me rave about Before I Fall at one point or another as it’s one of my absolute favorite stand-alones of all time. Unfortunately, pretty much every book I’ve read of hers since then hasn’t worked out for me. I DNF-ed Delirium because it bored me. I DNF-ed Panic because, yet again, it bored me. And I DNF-ed Replica because – that’s right – it was boring reading the same thing from two people’s perspectives after a certain point. Even though more of her books have been misses than hits, I still plan on reading Vanishing Girls (I can’t turn down a good thriller) anyway.
I love Cassandra Clare with all my heart, but I do have varying opinions on her books. More of them are hits than misses – I absolutely loved the original Mortal Instruments Trilogy and same with the Infernal Devices – but the last three Mortal Instruments books were a let-down, and I found Lady Midnight to be on the meh side. Regardless, I’m still going to read Lord of Shadows, and I get super excited every single time it’s announced that she’s writing a new book or adding to the Shadowhunter world!

When it comes to adult books, I feel like it’s a whole different story, though.

I attempted to read Lying In Wait last year, and though I stuck with it for a while, it really just didn’t capture my interest. It was pretty slow-paced, and I personally felt like it was more of a literary thriller than the suspenseful thriller I signed up for, so I ended up DNF-ing it. Despite that, I still decided I’m going to read Unraveling Oliver – I’m a sucker for a good cover and an amazing premise.
I actually hated The Couple Next Door with the fiery passion of a thousand suns, and even deemed it one of my least favorite books of 2016 (I still hate Marco to this day, I swear to God), and even though I haven’t been impressed by her so far, I still requested A Stranger In The House on Netgalley (and didn’t get it, so boo). Again, I’m a sucker for a good premise. I will read it someday, I swear.
The Girl On The Train was one of the first few thrillers I read when I started getting obsessed with them, and, unfortunately, after being mind-blown by the brilliance of Abigail Haas’ Dangerous Girls and falling in complete and utter love with Gillian Flynn’s books, Hawkins ended up really disappointing me. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it (though I did really enjoy the movie!). Even then, I’m looking forward to Into the Water, despite the meh reviews it’s received. LOOK AT HOW GORGEOUS THAT COVER IS!
Basically, from what I can gather, for some reason, I’m more open to second chances when it comes to adult thrillers than YA. I could name a couple more authors whose books I’m still reading despite not liking their previous works (Ruth Ware, for one – I didn’t like In A Dark, Dark Wood or The Woman In Cabin 10, but I have The Lying Game on my TBR anyway), but it’s definitely a bit more rocky when it comes to YA, and I think that’s because when it comes to thrillers, it’s more premise first, author second whereas I get hyped for YA books by author first (if it’s not new to me) and premise second.

How many chances do you give an author? Do you have any examples of authors you’ve given second chances or those you’ve completely blacklisted?

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67 thoughts on “[LET’S CHAT] How Many Chances Do You Give An Author?”

  1. Willing to give second chances usually. Some books bored me to the extent I would never try those authors again.

    Best example of a second chance was Iain Banks. First one I read was The
    wasp Factory, recommended by a friend. I hated it with a passion!
    Later I read his Espedair Street and it is now in my top ten favourite books.

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  2. A very interesting discussion topic! It’s a question that completely depends on the context. For example, I read Ellen Hopkins’ Crank series and really loved it, but after that I read Impulse (which is the book I hate the most ever) so I will never touch anything she ever does again. Or how I liked Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, but hated the rest of her books I picked up, but I would still read a book by her. Or like how I did not like Shadow and Bone and was iffy to start Six of Crows (lol) but now it’s my favorite universe and Leigh Bardugo is awesome. So yeah, entirely depends. Great discussion topic, you’ve done it again 😂

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    • Haha, so true! It depends for me as well! I feel like there are authors who I’ll try even if I’ve been thoroughly unimpressed with their books, which usually happens more with YA thrillers, since those aren’t written all the time. 😝 Or authors who I’ve hated their books, but still get hyped once I read the premise. What do I even know? 😂

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  3. To be honest, I try really hard not to judge an author by their books, and if I don’t like one of them, my mind kinda wants to give them another opportunity, because the plot, premise, characters or writing may vary from one year to another. Buuuut… once I’ve read a book from one author and dislike it, I’m quite apprehensive about their new works (yes, my mind is a mess), and despite wanting to read something else by them, I usually reach for other books (unless the new premise sounded awesome, in which case I’d probably change my mind😂).

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    • That’s true! I definitely give more chances to authors who write books in multiple different genres, since just because I don’t like their contemporary book, doesn’t mean I won’t like their thriller since those have two different criteria. Yeah, I feel like I can be apprehensive as well when it comes to authors I didn’t like! A good premise can get me there, though!

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  4. I give second chances to authors if their next book is something that I’m interested in, but there have been times where I just don’t want to read any of their other books. Like I hated Lauren Kate’s Fallen so much that I just didn’t bother with the rest of the series. And I’d loved the Twilight series until the last book which I didn’t finish, so I decided to give The Host a try and I ended up not finishing that one either 🙃 One author I’ve given a million chances is Stephen King because I haven’t finished any of his books yet but I don’t want to give up on them completely.

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    • Yeah, if I’m interested in one of their other books, I’ll give it a chance! I’ve heard terrible things about Fallen haha. 😂 Ooh, I’ve seen people say they preferred The Host to her Twilight series (I watched the movie and it was meh). I’ve actually read his short story collection Bazaar of Bad Dreams but still haven’t read a novel if his yet (even though I’m pretty sure I’ll love Misery, Sleeping Beauties, Running Man, etc).

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  5. I talked about this a while back (https://theliteraryhuntress.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/second-chance-author/) and this is a topic that definitely intrigue me too. I gave Lauren Oliver 2 chances by rereading Delirium even though I hated it the first time, and I still dislike it the second time, however, I still want to read Vanishing Girls. I felt okay with TMI, but TID is my all time favorite series. I guess it depends on how much I hated the book to decide if I will give the author another chance, but 99% of the time, I will 🙂

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    • Yeah, Delirium has an interesting premise, but what I read of the first book didn’t impress me (and I heard there’s a love triangle anyway, so…). I’m intrigued by Vanishing Girls for sure! Yes, I love TID more than TMI (they’d be on equal ground if those last three books didn’t exist, though). That’s true! If a book is just meh, I’ll probably give the author a second chance over a book I outright hated. 😂

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  6. I have completely blacklisted Jay Kristoff after I read Illuminae. That book bored me to no end. And then there’s the whole mess of how he treated people who called out Nevernight for its harmful representation.

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  7. I usually give authors 1 chance, and if I don’t like their books, I probably won’t pick them up again unless I hear exceptional things about them. I first read The Grisha Trilogy a few year ago, I thought it was just meh. But then Six of Crows got popular and I waited a good year before finally giving the book a shot (I’m glad I did! I really loved it). I agree on Cassandra Clare’s books. I love some of them but others are just meh (and I really wasn’t a fan of Lord of Shadows but I’ll still give book 3 of TDA a shot whenever that comes out)

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  8. Depends for me. If an author has racist, homophobic, or sexist content, the odds of me picking up their next book are basically zero. If any author just has a “meh” book, I might give them a second chance.

    I have given a couple chances to Victoria/VE Schwab. I read ADSOM and liked the first book. When I read the second, I was extremely disappointed but I still decided to read the Near Witch. While I liked the book, I knew it was the end for her and I because it feel incredibly short.

    Also, it depends on the genre. If I read several disappointing Romances by the same person, I will most likely give them a second chance. If I read a disappointing fantasy by an author, I almost never read their next book. I’m picky with fantasy and it is a lot of effort to read fantasy books so I’m not as forgiving as I am with Romance.

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    • Ooh, I actually love her books. I didn’t like ADSOM as much as AGOS (and I haven’t read ACOL), but I’ve loved all her books since that, and Vicious is my favorite of hers! I still need to read The Near Witch, but that ones definitely older. I think I prefer her recent works!

      That makes sense! I don’t think I mind when it comes to genre (I might be biased towards adult thrillers though)!

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  9. I usually give authors at least 2 chances. If I don’t like the second book, then chances are I won’t read anymore from them.
    I’m glad to see that someone also has mixed feelings about Lauren Oliver’s books! I loved Delirium, hated Panic and I enjoyed Before I Fall, but I didn’t love it. Replica is still on my TBR so we’ll see how that goes.
    Great post!💖

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  10. I think it varies for me. I usually like most of the books I’ve read. If I don’t like one, I will usually give the author another chance if they have a book that I really want to read. I’m not sure I could continue after reading two that I didn’t like though. The writing style has to click with me.

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  11. I read from a wide range of genres, YA is just one of them. BUT I don’t follow the popular ‘on trend’ authors as I tend to work with a lot of indies and self-pub authors.
    This way I run under the radar of much of the mass marketing of new books by popular authors, so I’m rarely eagerly awaiting new books in a series.
    But I still see authors in the indie crowd who regularly produce and market their new work.
    So before I take on another book by an author I’ve previously read, I ask myself: Did I enjoy their last book? Is the new one in a genre I enjoy? Was their last work well-written with a believable plot-line and characters? Was it well edited and proof-read.
    These questions will also help me consider more traditionally published works too.
    Another great discussion post.

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  12. I will give 2 chances at best. But there is not enough time in the world… So if the first book is bad, I probably won’t pick up a second book by them. If the first one was good, and it’s the second one that disappoints though… Then I will probably give them another chance (hence the 2 chances). Other than that? Dang, there are just too many books 🙂

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  13. This is so interesting to think about!! I think that if I absolutely hate a book by an author, I’m not going to read another book by them to avoid disappointment. However, if there is a book getting loads of hype and it turns out to be from an author who’s book I didn’t really enjoy, I would probably give them another chance to see what I think!

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    • That makes sense! I find when I read said books influences me as well! If I’m reading an author’s books for the first time, and the first one sucked, I’m less likely to give them a chance than I would if it was my second or third book from the author! Hyped books can drive me to give second chances, if I’m interested in the premise!

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  14. I generally read one book by an author, and if I hate it, that’s it. My exception is generally for classic authors, where I’ll try another one of their well-known novels. The only time giving an author a second change really worked out for me was with Leigh Bardugo, though. I think Six of Crows is significantly better than her first trilogy. So I guess hype can sometimes convince me to give someone a second chance.

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  15. I don’t really have any set rules for how many chances, it depends on what’s happened. If it’s an author who’s written books I love I’m more inclined to give them more chances. If it’s a new author I might try another if the premise interests me.

    If it’s a popular author and a highly rated book that just didn’t work for me I’ll assume they’re not for me and am less likely to give them another go (I’m pretty sure they won’t be losing any sleep over it).

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    • Yeah, that’s true! I have a lot of faves where I either hate one of their books or I haven’t even read them all (the shame!), so I’m definitely open to anything they write. If the author is new to me, I definitely might try something else of theirs! There have been authors where I didn’t bother with their first series, but their next series sounds awesome, and I’ll add it to my TBR!

      Yeah, I think I’ve gone back and forth on this! I re-read The Winner’s Curse because everyone loved it so much and I felt I was missing out (I hated it even more) and did the same with Daughter of Smoke and Bone (which I loved even more). So it really depends with me!

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  16. I depends…

    Are they being ableist/sexist/racist/etc. in any way, and not just because i’s a novel supposedly set in the early 1600s? If it’s some topic I know about and I give them the information, do they just deny it and gaslight me (Like the Apla Xi Delta chapter in my university when I said Autism Speaks is a hate-group to save their butts)? If it’s a topic I don’t know much about do I address the concern with others and then the author (and then the same as the last question happens) after I’ve done my research?

    Is it even a genre I’m okay with? I refuse to read anything with smut in it (because of my sensitivity, to be honest; my friend, on the other hand….), and the only romance-fantasy duel-genre book I’ve ever touched is L. C. Mawson’s “Love/Hate” because almost all other romance books, from what I have seen, focus waaaay too much of the physical, and not the emotional, parts of things (and that is a book that is supposedly action/dystopian/etc). For someone like me, who is only interested in emotion that is pretty alienating.

    Even if the book meets these two (rather stringent/strict/harsh I will admit) criteria, how do the syntax and diction work together? My brain has had a college-reading level since fifth grade, so it was already hard to find books for me without having to worry about age restrictions. With the restriction gone…it’s still nearly impossible because of the above, and that I am a neurodivergent who likes words put together in a strict manner. I can learn to deal with the syntax and diction if it is nor perfect, but I likely won’t remember much from the novel…

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    • That’s interesting! I feel like when it comes to authors, I’m open to all genres, depending on who they are! There are certain authors I’ll literally read anything from, no matter what, so they could write in a different genre, and I’ll cave. 😂

      I don’t think I’m ever one to notice if something in a book is problematic, and it usually doesn’t bother me too much, but I know some people refuse to read authors for those reasons!

      I don’t mind writing either! I find that strange – I’ve always noticed if I like good writing, but when it comes to bad writing, I usually don’t notice unless someone says, “The writing sucked.” I don’t even know. 😂

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  17. Ooh..great question. It depends – with stuff like Twilight or Divergence – tried the first book, struggled through and gave up. Series I’ve gotten into (such as Stephanie Plum books) I usually have to have a few stinkers before I give up.

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  18. What an interesting discussion! I tend to give popular authors a couple of chances. For example, I didn’t like John Green’s Paper Towns, however I did give him a second chance and read TFIOS which I loved! Since then I’ve read Looking For Alaska and I have bought Turtles All The Way Down which I can’t wait to pick up!! X

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  20. It really depends for me. If someone I really trust has recommended an author to me then I’ll likely give them several chances; however, if it’s an author I’m not familiar with at all then I may only try them once depending on how good/bad the book was. Great discussion!! 🙂

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  21. This is a really great discussion! I have a problem where I don’t really hate books? I mean, I definitely should be more critical but as a speed reader I seem to just gloss over so many details which could potentially make me hate it.

    The only authors where this has actually occurred to me that I can think of right now are Kelley Armstrong and Stephen King; the latter, not so much. As a big fan of Kelley Armstong, I found her book The Masked Truth a massive disappointment, but since then I’ve kept reading her books and loved them all.

    As for Stephen King, the only book by him I’ve read is The Gunslinger, which I found rather slow for my tastes. But I’ll most likely pick up another book or two by him, such as It, before I decide he’s not for me.

    It’s interesting because readers have such varying opinions on books and authors!

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    • Oh, I can definitely hate books. 😂 I’m a fast reader as well, and I feel that! Sometimes I skim and miss out on details because I’m reading so fast.

      Ah, I have a Kelley Armstrong book on my TBR! It’s a thriller, but I don’t even remember the name. It sounded awesome though. 😂

      I STILL NEED TO READ A FULL-LENGTH BOOK OF HIS. I read his short story collection Bazaar of Bad Dreams and adored it, and I have so many books of his on my TBR, BUT THEY ARE SO BIG! 😝

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      • They are huge! The gunslinger is tiny though haha but it’s one of his lesser known books but his first series.

        I actually want to learn to be more critical about books, it gets boring always saying “I love it”. I’m trying though.

        And yes Kelley Armstrong! Read it for sure.

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  22. I think it depends on how prolific the author is, either in number of works released or how much praise they get. One example comes to mind for me: I just cannot get behind Zadie Smith. I have read NW and really did not like it. Poking my nose into White Teeth and Swing Time, the writing style seems to be very similar yet these are highly acclaimed works. Do I continue just because everyone else seems to like them? There are just so many authors I prefer, so why trudge through? If anyone else has read Smith and can truly recommend White Teeth or Swing Time, I am willing to give them a go! 🙂

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    • I’ve heard of Smith, but actually haven’t read any of the books! And that’s true! I also tend to try an author again just because of all the hype they get, which isn’t really the same as when I read a more underrated author (unless they publish books in a genre that isn’t as prolific, such as YA Horror).

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  23. I find that even though I didn’t enjoy a book from a certain author I’m still willing to give all their other books a try! Although I will admit that i tend be very wary of picking up a book from an author whose book I didn’t quite enjoy. I also have lots of experience of loving an author for one of their works and not liking the next book I’ve read from them. (looking at you An Abundance of Katherine’s) my mind set I think is less focused on judging a book on who wrote rather by whether it or not it interests me (or if it looks pretty tbh) or makes me want to read it.

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    • Yeah, I think I only really have a few favorites where I blindly love all of their books. Even some of my faves have books that I think sucked or I’m not interested in reading (for example, I also hated Katherines, but John Green is still one of my fave authors). I think I also sometimes don’t mind who wrote a book…I’ve continued to pick up books whose authors disappointed me several times because the premise is too good. 😂

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  24. Some people have a problem with not finishing books. I’m just grateful that I’m not that way! If a book is boring, I will either not finish it or just skim-read the ending. If the ending is also disappointing, I will definitely not read the author again. If the whole book was just okay, but not riveting, I would possibly buy a copy at a thrift store for cheap, but would never buy it new. I tend to get stuck on one author for a long time and forget that there are other authors worthy of my time out there. Since most of my favorite authors are dead, I can usually find free copies of their works on Kindle, and it’s easier and cheaper to dump a disappointing author.

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  25. To answer the question in the title: Like, two? I always give them a first chance, and then I’ll give them a second, whether it’s for another series of theirs or a standalone. I don’t tend to continue with series that I’m not enjoying though. I’ll happily try the author again if they bring out something new though.

    I also adored Before I Fall but Oliver’s other books have been pretty bleh.

    If you didn’t like The Couple Next Door, you might not like ASITH. It’s definitely the weaker of the two, especially for thriller fans like us!

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    • I feel like two seems to be average for most people who commented! 😄 I don’t think I’ve ever had a specific number in mind, especially since I’m all over the place anyway. 😂

      Yeah, her debut seems to be the best of hers so far! But I adored that book so much, I’m willing to give her more chances. Maybe she needs to write another contemporary novel?

      Oh no! We shall see. I can enjoy a good thriller that’s not the most clever, but entertained me (which is probably why I keep reading Ruth Ware’s books).

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  26. I give two chances for adult fiction. One for YA. I read more of the former, and with the latter, I’m not of the aimed demographic, so I’m not as invested to giving away chances.

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  27. Luckily most of the series and authors I picked were good and interesting. But there are few kind of books I won’t read and so ultimately author. I will give second chance, but I will make sure that story is interesting or I’m curious and want to see what happens next if it’s series. Mostly I’m optimistic, keeping fingers crossed, hoping it won’t be another disappointment and go for the same author. If it’s still not good.. ahem I don’t think I will read next one. Nice Post! ☺️

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    • I agree, I feel like most of my experiences have been very positive when it comes to series (I’ve never DNF-ed a series in the middle – for some reason, I’m one to give up on the finale). 😂 I can definitely get on board if the next book sounds really interesting or if the author published in various different genres! Thank you! ❤️

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  28. If I can’t finish one book by an Author I don’t usually pick up another book by them. Simple as that. Too many book out there that I do enjoy to waste my time on books I don’t!
    Love your post, really got everyone chatting!

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  29. I’m a horrible, horrible person and pretty much never have a clue what author I’m reading in the first place. I know tons of bloggers have favorite authors and such, but to be perfectly honest, it’s not one of those things I ever paid much attention to. Now that I’m getting more into the book community, I’m seeing certain names pop up and it’s starting to register more in my brain. I really need to start being more observant!

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  30. I’ll give an author a second chance if I really loved one/some of their books.
    Like with Sarah J Mass, I absolutely loved ToG and CoM. But then I read HoF…unpopular opinion but I hated it. But still, I wanted to give her a second chance so I read QoS, which I also hated. I ended up giving her a third chance with ACOTAR and ACOMAF, and though I loved them both, she’s been blacklisted forever after the disappointment that was ACOWAR.

    But I don’t usually give someone that many chances. It just depends on how much I liked their books. Victoria Schwab is another good example. Her books are all hits or misses for me, so one of my favourite series (Shades of Magic) is by her, but I didn’t like This Savage Song much. I’ll still read everything she ever writes though.

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    • I love all of SJM and Schwab books that I’ve read, so I can’t relate, but that makes sense! I think there are some authors who write great stories…I just don’t relate to them well. So I’ll continually read their books because they come up with interesting plot lines or ones I haven’t seen often – but they might be hits or misses!

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      • That’s one of the reasons why I love Schwab’s books so much. They’re all so different. So it doesn’t really matter whether one of them wasn’t for me, because I know that chances are I’ll probably love another one of her books, so I can always give her another chance. Someone like Cassie Clare on the other hand… I love her books but there are so many sinilarities between them all (other than being set in the same world. And I’m not on about her middle grade books here because I haven’t read them). I’d imagine if I hated one of her books, she’d never get a second chance because there wouldn’t be any point.

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  31. I think I give way too many chances, honestly! Like- I kept reading the stupid Throne of Glass books even though I was bored. I have since stopped, but yeah. Same with Cassandra Clare, actually- I just kept forcing myself to finish! Whyyy? There are a few authors who mostly write contemporary and they’re just too fluffy for me, so I tend to avoid them. But as a whole? I am wayyyy too forgiving, sadly!

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  33. I probably give authors like five MILLION chances RIP me. Probably because I’m forgiving and also the synopsis seems interesting??

    I’d probably blacklist an author if they were rude to a reader or something- maybe if their book made me freaking DNF it, since I hardly DNF books

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  34. If I like the first book in a series I tend to stick with the author, even if the sequels aren’t good. I get too curious about where the author will take the story. However, if the first few chapters of a book don’t catch me I give up.

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