Marketing Mistakes

Take another look at these 3 new/upcoming releases

I’ve celebrated and commiserated with fellow readers and reviewers over thousands of books. Sometimes our praise and frustration extend beyond the story to the many aspects of marketing. We question title (Liquid, Fragile, Perishable), cover (please RIP color blob trend,), and summary choices (Wolf at the Table.) Sometimes there are multiple layers to the mis-marketing of a release. I’m still pissed about the 2-strike title and cover choice for The Last Romantics, and that was 5 years ago! Now I’ve just read a terrible trifecta of books where I think both the cover art and titles are wrong.

These new releases are each 5-star excellence but *ugh* the titles are too plain and the covers don’t match the stories! If I had truly judged these books by their covers, I might have missed out on 3 great reads!

Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg (releasing 9.17.24): The cover says YA fantasy but this story is a smart thriller about female entrepreneurs and the wellness industry—with a very timely twist.

A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg (releasing 9.24.24): The font paired with the bubble gum pink phone creates a nostalgic cover that is too fluffy for this generational story filled with family traumas.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (released 6.18.24) This cozy-looking cover is so misleading. The story is a deeply layered and heartfelt look at the life-changing consequences, redemption, and forgiveness that follow a young woman after her prison sentence.

Do you ever feel like a title, cover, or summary doesn’t match the story of a book?