sometimes it bugs me when publishers put on the book that it's "similar to the hunger games" or "similar to twilight", because sometimes that can be a turn off, especially if I didn't like the book it's being compared to! loved this discussion and hearing your thoughts. :)
I've seen that a lot recently too! I watched a film last weekend that got really bad reviews and then all of a sudden I saw the cover had changed and it said 'the next Frozen' on it. I watched it and it was nothing like 'Frozen'. So the critics decided it was rubbish and the film did really badly and now they've decided it's as good as 'Frozen' it's going to sell lots more. I didn't like 'Frozen' so if I didn't already want to buy the film before it was released it would have put me off enough to probably not buy it at all.
on my copies of the unwind series by Neal shusterman (sorry for spelling errors), it has a promotion related to the hunger games on it. "the new hunger games" or "if you like the hunger games you will love this!" nothing gets to me more ugh
I totally agree with you there. It's been going on for years but it's getting really silly now. They never make it clear how alike they are (is it to do with sales or plot or genre etc). I'm probably going to offend a WHOLE load of people but...I haven't read the hunger games yet...I hadn't even read the mortal instruments until very recently because of all the comparisons to twilight I'd heard. There are always other good books to read, I'd rather read something before/after the hype/hate goes down a bit and I can decide if I want to read it without being influenced by those silly comparisons. I have actually read the whole twilight saga (because everyone kept telling me to read it when I was a teenager) and that is the last time I will ever read something because everyone else I know is reading it. Still, I guess it helps me to know what I don't like. I can't judge twilight if I've never read it. And nothing against people who do like it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
I used to not like the "similar to" on books but I understand why now. People who don't read a lot need comparisons so they know what they might like. A lot of those people don't necessarily like to experiment. They want to read what everyone else is reading to stay in the conversation. By using comparisons, publishers are more likely to have their books picked up by readers who don't read all the time and very selectively pick up books. Most of us watching Booktube are avid readers are more willing to experiment and read books that don't have comparisons and don't have the hype.
Megan has a good point there. I do think the 'similar to...' comparison is not as bad as the ' the next...' and 'fans of ... will love ...' because similar clearly states there will be significant differences. I think putting things in genres is a fairer comparison though. I don't think that way you could put someone off of reading something so easily. Maybe, if they had to say something like 'other books from this genre you may enjoy are...' or 'also popular with readers of this book...' they could basically make the same comparison they were going to make anyway but word it differently. I don't like saying I hated a book but...I had nothing good to say about 'Twilight' and now thanks to e-readers if someone keeps recommending me a book then I will read a preview first. Although, I'd rather have a physical copy if I can so I'll probably go buy it from a store anyway.
It is really annoying! For example, when i started reading divergent, everybody was like "omg this book is just like the hunger games". Why? It is completely different!
hippolyte90 Yeah I agree, not gonna lie I do compare the two because katniss and tris have similar personalities (though I found tris to be less draining) + it's set in a dystopian world lol and the writing is kind of similar as well. But to be fair I generally only do this to people who don't read often, so it's usually spot on.
I hate it too! IT'S WORSE WHEN PEOPLE HAVE NOT READ EITHER OF THE BOOKS THEY ARE COMPARING. Like, you can't have a correct opinion if you don't actually know what you are talking about. It's like hating on a book/movie/tv show or anything they don't really know.
OMG YES. This has always been a pet peeve of mine as well. Things like "This is the new Hunger Games" or "the improved Twilight" don't sit well with me because books deserve to have a chance to be its own legacy.
Thank you so much for making this video! I see this a lot on Goodreads, especially with unreleased books. For example, I was recently on the page for Endgame by James Frey (who obv is not overly popular for reasons anyway), and that book isn't even out yet and people are already stating explicitly that it is a direct rip off of Hunger Games, when they haven't even given it a chance! So frustrating.
That's because of the blurb. It does sound exactly like THG but with Aliens and more sci fi. But the blurb isn't the full story, so really, people need to give it a chance.
somethinglikelydia One of the big things is that the book will have different blurbs in the UK and most of the time the US blurb and the UK blurb sound like completely different stories.
Yes! This irritates me to no end. Especially when publishers or whatever do that on purpose to try to get the book to sell better. It can stop a lot of people from giving a book a chance if someone associates it to an overhyped book.
I don't read a lot of genre fiction where this kind of comparison is an issue, but I read something forever ago about how female authors are always compared to each other as if we can only allow one female author to be successful at a time, and that made me think a lot about how I compare books and authors! I still compare if it will help someone understand what a book is like, but I try not to do it in a negative way, as if there is some kind of winner.
A pretty popular view point on story telling I have had reaffirmed by watching Brandon Sanderson's creative writing courses is that ideas are cheap, its the execution that matters. Even if books have similarities, the important parts are the nuance and the way the story is presented to the reader.
This happened with endgame! The synopsis sounded like it was exactly the same as the hunger games. (It even has the word games in the title). BUT it was completely different!
I can't tell you how much I needed this video. I feel like a lot of great books aren't given the chance to be explored just because of they are compared with other popular books. It sucks so much because I love finding books with fresh stories and most of the times, I myself become a victim of this comparisons. I tend to refuse to pick up books because I get turned off with the summary because it was being compared to a previous books that I hated.
This is so true! I get really annoyed when I see people putting down a book simply because it's in the same universe of conceptualization as another book. It puts others off those books as well! Unless people are determined to ignore other people's reviews, it means that books get less exposure because some people refuse to give books a chance. GAH. You hit the nail on the head here!!!!
I do dislike it when people compare books but I even more dislike it when it is done by publishers. I am a huge fan of the High Fantasy genre and I cannot even begin to count the many times I read "The next Tolkien" on a book cover and was like "ugh... nope." But I think the worst thing that I read was when a publisher made an ad for a book (I totally have no idea anymore what book it was because that ad put me off so much I didn't even considered reading it. Sadly.) saying that the book was "Game of Thrones for Girls". And there was so much wrong with that because it did not only break the book down to being just something similar to a right now very popular series in order to sell it instead of telling us what the book was really about, it also clearly stated that GoT and ASoIaF is just for boys and this book just for girls. I am a huge fan of Martin and his books, and I am a huge fan of the HBO series and I know that I am surely not the only girl in the world to do so. And I do believe that these gender confines by today's publishing industry that put of many readers. No one should tell you what you should read and what not just because you are a boy or a girl. But that's maybe just me interpreting way too much into a sell strategy of a publisher. Anyway I do dislike comparing books a lot.
Completely agreed! It frustrates me when people do this! I think there has only been one time that I have & I think it justifies it because the story arc & characters are practically identical just the mythology is named different. Really liked this discussion and can't wait for the rest of your videos this month! :D
This is definitely one of my pet peeves as well. I hate when people say. "That's just another..." Ugh! I do however think its helpful to compare a book to another one. Just as a tool to explain it better. But I think if you compare books, you should say exactly what about the books your comparing. Like whether its the setting, the characters, the romance, etc.
The longer I think about The Iron Trial, the more I notice the differences between that book and HP rather than the similarities. And for me it was more the characters that were similar rather than the story.
Yes I agree with you! + Don't forget the multiple comparison trick SHADOW AND BONE IS THE HUNGER GAMES MEETS POTTER MEETS TWILIGHT MEETS LORD OF THE RINGS MEETS GAME OF THRONES
i agree so much! it's unfair for people to make assumptions about books they haven't read. also just thought i should add: your hair looks really amazing :)
THIS VIDEO IS EVERYTHING. This was a topic I was literally thinking of last night as well! I've been waiting for someone to make a video like this and I'm glad we share the same views!
I really could not agree more!!! To add to that though when publishing companies are advertising/hyping up a book and put stickers on them saying 'the new hunger games' or something to that extent..!
I love that you're talking about this. Comparing books to another is definitely a book pet peeve, if anything it should be more like "If you liked this book, then you may like this one." The whole Harry Potter and Iron Trail thing is stupid because most Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure is very similar anyway. Same with YA Dystopia. Even fantasy is becoming very similar to one another, but it's all about how the author shakes it up. I'm going to do a blog post about this and link your video in the post as I believe this is a very well done video. Thank you for making it! Ps, your hair is....just know it's slaying every hairstyle there ever was!
YES!!! i HATE it especially when the blurbs say "OH HUNGER GAMES FANS WILL LOVE THIS!" WHEN ITS A COMPLETE DIFFERENT STORY, DIFFERENT PLOT, DIFFERENT CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT!!! AND THG IS JUST AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE THATS PROBABLY THE MOST COMMON COMPARISON ALONG WITH HP AND TWILIGHT. UGH JUST UGH.
This is such a great video i totally agree ! I hate when people do that , when they just compare books they dont even know . " oh that totally sounds like the hunger games / twilight " like okay they have similarities but that doesn't mean the plot , the problem , the places are the same.
This is one of my pet peeves too! I hate when people say books are exactly the same! Every time someone does that I read the books they're talking about and then tell them all the differences just so they can see that even though there may be similarities, every book is different.
I think you need to consider Cassandra Clare's past and why people are comparing these two books. Her Mortal Instruments series, albeit marketed as "original" has heavy roots in fandom. Even though the story is what can be called original, she very heavily based Clary and Jace off of Ginny and Draco. A LOT of people took offense to the fact that fan fiction was published as something original - a la what happened with Fifty Shades. Fifty Shades and Twilight are totally different and I read both and I could tell those characters were the exact same people. It's shameful, in my opinion. (Although, Fifty Shades and Master of the Universe are SO INCREDIBLY SIMILAR that you could literally google the fanfiction and have read the novel. I don't see how that's not viewed as proper theft.) But even in her fanfiction days she was accused of plagiarism over and over. She plagiarised dialogue and even entire chapters. Here's a link! www.dailydot.com/fandom/fandom-guide-cassandra-clare-mortal-instruments/ And here's another link! fanlore.org/wiki/Cassandra_Claire Then Cassie came out with her own series - The Infernal Devices - and it was awesome! There were new characters that we all can assume that she created totally from her head. She's clearly proven that she is a good writer. Hope was restored to those of us who were turned off by her less than stellar history. And now she writes a book that looks EXACTLY like Harry Potter after publishing a FAN FICTION of Harry Potter? I haven't read the book, but I do understand why some people won't. And you can think that's unfair because they should give it a chance, and what you're saying is valid, but what they are saying is valid too. Some people just feel too uncomfortable with Clare at this point. (However, I haven't been running around saying she stole The Iron Trial from Harry Potter because I have no idea of the content. I will have a more solid opinion once I've read it, but I do agree that people shouldn't just willfully judge based off the cover. I'm just trying to explain why some people are.) So, in terms of this particular argument, I think you're missing the reason a lot of people are comparing these specific two books. Yes, book comparison is a thing and it drives me up the wall when people compare ALL high fantasy to JRR Tolkein, lol. But in this case, there's a lot of underlying factors. Don't get me wrong. I read the Mortal Instruments series and they were a lot of fun! I have very mixed and muddy feelings about all of this, but at the end of the day I can say I feel quite uncomfortable. And the more I learn about it, the more uncomfortable I'm becoming. SO TL;DR: - Cassie has a history of plagiarising and people are uncomfortable. -People have more reasons for comparison other than the cover. (Her history.) -Don't take my word for it. I've posted a few links and there are many more so you can all educate yourselves and decide for yourselves what your opinion on the matter is. -Comparing books does suck, though. -You're adorable and I hope you don't take my comment as aggressive, I'm just trying to explain this comparison. :) MORE LINKS! www.paperdroids.com/2013/09/16/cassiegate-cassandra-clares-alleged-plagarism-in-the-mortal-instruments/ The VERY in-depth observations of Avocado: www.journalfen.net/community/bad_penny/8985.html
It's like Anna Todd. She wrote 1D Fan Fiction and now she's got a publishing deal to publish them as erotica novels, but without the 1D boys in it. But overall, it is a good trilogy.
Ha I'm going to be honest, I have re read both Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments so many times and have never once seen similarities (besides obvious ones, like the fact that it's a self discovery story). Even thinking about it I don't get it. Obviously I'm not saying your wrong, I just always felt the series was original. I would actually be really interested to read that fan fiction (both TMI and TID are my all time favorite series) do you know if it's still out there?
I don't know if you've read both HP and TMI (from your comment it does sound like you have) but I think you're letting the fact that she started as a fanfic writer create bias in your thinking. TMI is nothing like Harry Potter except in the fantastical sense. I'm not sure how you think that's plagiarism when they're not that similar at all. Like, at all.
Jordan Pearson I'm not sure, unfortunately. :( I think Cassie took it down after she was discovered by Holly Black. I think the similarities lie more in the characterization. If you find it, let me know, though!
When I bought 'Throne of Glass' it had a sticker on it that said 'The next Hunger Games!' Really? I don't see any similarities between the series's and other than they are YA with a female protagonist. I must admit that sometimes when I read a plot synopsis will think 'that sounds a lot like X' but really nothing is completely original and people need to calm down.
Loved the discussion. Everything you mentioned is exactly what I think of when people compare books. Excellent video, and I laughed at the end... my stomach does that too. Cheers from Brazil.
I love your videos so much!!!!!!! Your passion towards reading really inspired me a lot, and I am actually start reading the books you recommended and they are awesome!
I have the same opinion as you! When I went and watched Divergent with some classmates, the started comparing it with obviously The Hunger Games, they didn't even knew the name of both authors and they were judging them, of course me being the one who has read both series is the one that is asked everything. I got in a fight, I told them who died in the last books of both sagas but the good thing is that I won. But it stresses me out. Another example is that right now I am reading 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and they are comparing it to The Fault In Our Stars... What is wrong with these people? I hate when that happens. I have lost hope in society now...
Omg that last part MAN that was loud LOL. Yeah I've seen books being compared it doesn't bother me but I have seen almost the same scene when I watch the movie adaptation. I don't know if this was just me but there was a scene in Divergent that mirrored a scene in the Giver. I was like I seen this before. I've never read the Giver but saw the movie, but I read books for what they are the movies just make it visible.
You're so pretty today (as always). :) I wonder if that topic was brought for any special reason... I've heard a lot of comparison between the new Cassandra and Holly's book to HP and that certainly annoyed me.
Definitely! I have heard several people compare The Iron Trial to Harry Potter over the past week and I knew you were going to bring it up even before you mentioned it. It's so frustrating if someone uses this comparison to either not give the book a go or even encourage people not to read it!
I usually compare books to friends that barely read. So to described Divergent I said it was kind of like THG as they don't understand "dystopian" but I totally agree with you. I can also make you not want to read books if they're being compared to books you didn't enjoy!
It's true, a lot of people do it. I think each book is unique and special, therefore, every book deserves give them a chance and stop judging and comparing it with another book without even seeing a page of it. It happens to me just like you, that attitude bothers me a lot. Kisses for you from to Venezuela =)
YES! I'm so happy you made this video:)! It's like when everyone said Divergent was EXACTLY LIKE The Hunger Games! UGH, YES they are both Dystopians with a female protagonist but that's it! People say all the time that they're the same because of those two reasons! But also I've noticed no one ever does that with books with male protagonists- only female. They say all books are anymore are female protagonists when those didn't even REALLY start popping up until more recent years. I just find it so irritating and I'm so glad so many other people see it the way I do.
I totally feel you on that! People need to stop being so judgmental right away. Also tbh, lately it has started really putting me off buying new books when I see those statements stuck on there by the publishers or the marketing campaign. Even if it's being compared to a book I enjoyed, it still makes me turn away. Books need to be promoted for what they are, not for what someone would want them to be (aka hugely successful like HG, HP and so on).
Some of my friends asked me to explain divergent and I said it was like the hunger games but completely different xd because they don't know what dystopian books mean. And personally I think every book is special and unique in it's own way. Nothing is completely new there are always simalarities but every book, movie etc. Is different and unique in it's own way and i totally agree with you
Nops, you're deffo not alone!! I agree with you a hundred percent in this matter. I hate when people compare Hunger Games with Divergent, for example. And the worst thing is, they always compare bashing one or another. This is ridiculous. Each book has its good things. And those things need to be shown and as I see people have a huge difficulty in seeing this! I get angry when people compare books! Argh! Sorry if I talked much, but... I needed this! :D
It's the same with movie trailers... if you look at the comments there are so many people saying it's a rip-off of something... like Divergent or Maze Runner are just like Hunger Games and those people haven't read the book or watched the movie. Also, I hate it when they market something as "the next something" like this book is the next harry potter or the next twilight...
I hate it as well! Like my classmate didn't even start reading Divergent and wanted to tell me how shit it is and that it's a Hunger Games fake...nearly threw the book in his face...
What I absolutely hate the most is the fact that they compare nearly every Dystopian book to The Hunger Games. I think comparing Dystopians to THG is the biggest comparison out there, there aren't many books being compared in the genre of Contemporary or Fantasy or any other genre basically. And I absolutely hate it when they go over board with Dystopians, like, I get it that The Hunger Games was a bestselling trilogy and that it was made into a movie and all of that, but that does not mean they need to compare EVERY SINGLE NEWLY RELEASED DYSTOPIAN BOOK OUT THERE TO THG!! I just hate it so badly, and this is probably the reason why I am seriously turned off by THG. Sorry about the little rant there :)
I completely agree with the 'nothing is completely original' statement. Human imagination has it's limits??? It's like how we can't even imagine a colour not on the visible colour spectrum; we just have to keep making different shades and combinations of what we have, so eventually, there will be some overlap. I don't know if that makes sense, ha ha. Just wanted to throw in some input. :)
I understand you so well! One of my friends is a "Fan" of the hunger games. Watched the movies, hasn't read the books. The first thing she says about Divergent is that its a rip off of the hunger games. In reality they're completely different and it pisses me off when people do that.
It really bugs me when people compare large book franchises solely because they're huge! They itch to find something to say it's the same? Twilight and Hunger Games are DIFFERENT novels with DIFFERENT genres and plots. Claiming they're really similar only because of a love triangle is so stupid in my opinion.
I feel the same way Cat. People assume they know what a book is about just by one key word in the synopsis. It's like if someone were to read the synopsis of 'The Bronze Horseman' and they saw the words Soviet Union, they'd compare it to another book about Russia. I see your point and why its so frustrating!
People did that with The Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman. They saw that the main character was the "niece" of Adolf Hitler and assumed that it was a WW2 book, when it's not.
I totally agree! It's so annoying! It's annoying when it is used in a negative way... but I also find it annoying when it is used to boost sales. You know, all this "If you loved..." , "In the style of...", "For the fans of..." I think it diminishes a book (if that makes sense). There are examples of books I really loved and they were compared to more popular books (positive or negative)I really disliked and I could never see the similarities. But some people might never pick them up because of the comparison! But all they shared (as you said) was the genre!
Thank you for making this. This is definitely is one of my pet peeves as well. Every book is it own story. Genres and sub-genres do and probably should share certain similarities. However, every story has a different plot, characters, and audience. I think it's okay to say that the humor or general vibe of a book is similar to another. However, to say one book is exactly the same is just silly. It makes me crazy. Especially when publishers or people in the media do it just to sell a upcoming book/movie/TV show.
I totally agree ! I love Harry Potter and I love the Hunger games, and it irritates me when some people of the HP fandom compare the two or say for example "oh you know.. Hunger games it's good I guess.. But it'll never top and/or be equal to Harry Potter". Ugh Come on, it's not even the same genre. Stop comparing them. And having other favorites besides Harry Potter doesn't make you a traitor. It is possible to love both !
Yeah, i hate it too. Here in Brazil when the Beautiful Creatures moovie came out, the slogan was THE NEW TWILIGHT. I didnt read the books, but i knew it was about witchcraft... so completely diferent.
sometimes it bugs me when publishers put on the book that it's "similar to the hunger games" or "similar to twilight", because sometimes that can be a turn off, especially if I didn't like the book it's being compared to! loved this discussion and hearing your thoughts. :)
I've seen that a lot recently too! I watched a film last weekend that got really bad reviews and then all of a sudden I saw the cover had changed and it said 'the next Frozen' on it. I watched it and it was nothing like 'Frozen'. So the critics decided it was rubbish and the film did really badly and now they've decided it's as good as 'Frozen' it's going to sell lots more. I didn't like 'Frozen' so if I didn't already want to buy the film before it was released it would have put me off enough to probably not buy it at all.
on my copies of the unwind series by Neal shusterman (sorry for spelling errors), it has a promotion related to the hunger games on it. "the new hunger games" or "if you like the hunger games you will love this!" nothing gets to me more ugh
I totally agree with you there. It's been going on for years but it's getting really silly now. They never make it clear how alike they are (is it to do with sales or plot or genre etc). I'm probably going to offend a WHOLE load of people but...I haven't read the hunger games yet...I hadn't even read the mortal instruments until very recently because of all the comparisons to twilight I'd heard. There are always other good books to read, I'd rather read something before/after the hype/hate goes down a bit and I can decide if I want to read it without being influenced by those silly comparisons. I have actually read the whole twilight saga (because everyone kept telling me to read it when I was a teenager) and that is the last time I will ever read something because everyone else I know is reading it. Still, I guess it helps me to know what I don't like. I can't judge twilight if I've never read it. And nothing against people who do like it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
I used to not like the "similar to" on books but I understand why now. People who don't read a lot need comparisons so they know what they might like. A lot of those people don't necessarily like to experiment. They want to read what everyone else is reading to stay in the conversation. By using comparisons, publishers are more likely to have their books picked up by readers who don't read all the time and very selectively pick up books. Most of us watching Booktube are avid readers are more willing to experiment and read books that don't have comparisons and don't have the hype.
Megan has a good point there. I do think the 'similar to...' comparison is not as bad as the ' the next...' and 'fans of ... will love ...' because similar clearly states there will be significant differences. I think putting things in genres is a fairer comparison though. I don't think that way you could put someone off of reading something so easily. Maybe, if they had to say something like 'other books from this genre you may enjoy are...' or 'also popular with readers of this book...' they could basically make the same comparison they were going to make anyway but word it differently. I don't like saying I hated a book but...I had nothing good to say about 'Twilight' and now thanks to e-readers if someone keeps recommending me a book then I will read a preview first. Although, I'd rather have a physical copy if I can so I'll probably go buy it from a store anyway.
It is really annoying! For example, when i started reading divergent, everybody was like "omg this book is just like the hunger games". Why? It is completely different!
I hated THG but loved Divergent.
***** I think both are a hit and miss series. For me though, I hated THG because I could tell it was written for a movie.
Yeah if people are comparing Hunger Games with another book, Battle Royale is the more similar to THG than Divergent.
I think they're compared because both Divergent and THG have a female teenage protagonist, set in a dystopian world and both can kick ass.
hippolyte90 Yeah I agree, not gonna lie I do compare the two because katniss and tris have similar personalities (though I found tris to be less draining) + it's set in a dystopian world lol and the writing is kind of similar as well. But to be fair I generally only do this to people who don't read often, so it's usually spot on.
I hate it too!
IT'S WORSE WHEN PEOPLE HAVE NOT READ EITHER OF THE BOOKS THEY ARE COMPARING. Like, you can't have a correct opinion if you don't actually know what you are talking about. It's like hating on a book/movie/tv show or anything they don't really know.
Like they are just going by what society says and they don't even make their own opinion by reading either book.
Yes! It's so frustrating - you should form your own opinions on a book by reading it yourself!!!!
OMG YES.
This has always been a pet peeve of mine as well. Things like "This is the new Hunger Games" or "the improved Twilight" don't sit well with me because books deserve to have a chance to be its own legacy.
Well said...
And your hair is on point.
Thank you so much for making this video! I see this a lot on Goodreads, especially with unreleased books. For example, I was recently on the page for Endgame by James Frey (who obv is not overly popular for reasons anyway), and that book isn't even out yet and people are already stating explicitly that it is a direct rip off of Hunger Games, when they haven't even given it a chance! So frustrating.
That's because of the blurb. It does sound exactly like THG but with Aliens and more sci fi. But the blurb isn't the full story, so really, people need to give it a chance.
Yeh it was definitely a badly-written blurb from the publishers, but still, people shouldn't be so quick to judge when they haven't even read it yet.
somethinglikelydia One of the big things is that the book will have different blurbs in the UK and most of the time the US blurb and the UK blurb sound like completely different stories.
***** Yes! Frustrates me even more with independents, because their sells are so heavily based on reviews.
Yes! This irritates me to no end. Especially when publishers or whatever do that on purpose to try to get the book to sell better. It can stop a lot of people from giving a book a chance if someone associates it to an overhyped book.
I can't stand it when people act like one book series has a monopoly over an entire genre just because it's popular. It annoys me so much.
Don't forget ANY SAD BOOK with john green
so true :)
HER HAIR THO. SOOO PRETTYYY
I don't read a lot of genre fiction where this kind of comparison is an issue, but I read something forever ago about how female authors are always compared to each other as if we can only allow one female author to be successful at a time, and that made me think a lot about how I compare books and authors! I still compare if it will help someone understand what a book is like, but I try not to do it in a negative way, as if there is some kind of winner.
I remember hearing something like that too, which is quite depressing.
A pretty popular view point on story telling I have had reaffirmed by watching Brandon Sanderson's creative writing courses is that ideas are cheap, its the execution that matters. Even if books have similarities, the important parts are the nuance and the way the story is presented to the reader.
I totally agree. People you need to read the book first before comparing it to another and giving your opinions about it.
This happened with endgame! The synopsis sounded like it was exactly the same as the hunger games. (It even has the word games in the title). BUT it was completely different!
I can't tell you how much I needed this video. I feel like a lot of great books aren't given the chance to be explored just because of they are compared with other popular books. It sucks so much because I love finding books with fresh stories and most of the times, I myself become a victim of this comparisons. I tend to refuse to pick up books because I get turned off with the summary because it was being compared to a previous books that I hated.
This is so true! I get really annoyed when I see people putting down a book simply because it's in the same universe of conceptualization as another book. It puts others off those books as well! Unless people are determined to ignore other people's reviews, it means that books get less exposure because some people refuse to give books a chance. GAH. You hit the nail on the head here!!!!
Im right there with you on this. What bugs me is that some don't even give the book a chance. They compare it to another as an excuse NOT to read it.
I do dislike it when people compare books but I even more dislike it when it is done by publishers. I am a huge fan of the High Fantasy genre and I cannot even begin to count the many times I read "The next Tolkien" on a book cover and was like "ugh... nope."
But I think the worst thing that I read was when a publisher made an ad for a book (I totally have no idea anymore what book it was because that ad put me off so much I didn't even considered reading it. Sadly.) saying that the book was "Game of Thrones for Girls". And there was so much wrong with that because it did not only break the book down to being just something similar to a right now very popular series in order to sell it instead of telling us what the book was really about, it also clearly stated that GoT and ASoIaF is just for boys and this book just for girls. I am a huge fan of Martin and his books, and I am a huge fan of the HBO series and I know that I am surely not the only girl in the world to do so. And I do believe that these gender confines by today's publishing industry that put of many readers. No one should tell you what you should read and what not just because you are a boy or a girl.
But that's maybe just me interpreting way too much into a sell strategy of a publisher. Anyway I do dislike comparing books a lot.
Completely agreed! It frustrates me when people do this! I think there has only been one time that I have & I think it justifies it because the story arc & characters are practically identical just the mythology is named different. Really liked this discussion and can't wait for the rest of your videos this month! :D
I completely agree. I've been so annoyed with people saying certain books are rip offs of popular books when they're obviously not!
This is definitely one of my pet peeves as well. I hate when people say. "That's just another..." Ugh!
I do however think its helpful to compare a book to another one. Just as a tool to explain it better. But I think if you compare books, you should say exactly what about the books your comparing. Like whether its the setting, the characters, the romance, etc.
The rule "don't judge a book by it's cover" seems to be a very big part of this! I totally agree, you have to get an idea from somewhere!!
Yes! Every single word!
The longer I think about The Iron Trial, the more I notice the differences between that book and HP rather than the similarities. And for me it was more the characters that were similar rather than the story.
Yes I agree with you! + Don't forget the multiple comparison trick SHADOW AND BONE IS THE HUNGER GAMES MEETS POTTER MEETS TWILIGHT MEETS LORD OF THE RINGS MEETS GAME OF THRONES
I was thinking about this as well last night. And I completely agree with you. Thanks for bringing it up.
I totally agree with you! Love your hair and this video!
i agree so much! it's unfair for people to make assumptions about books they haven't read. also just thought i should add: your hair looks really amazing :)
Omg that ending was hilarious :'D
THIS VIDEO IS EVERYTHING. This was a topic I was literally thinking of last night as well! I've been waiting for someone to make a video like this and I'm glad we share the same views!
I really could not agree more!!!
To add to that though when publishing companies are advertising/hyping up a book and put stickers on them saying 'the new hunger games' or something to that extent..!
I totally agree with you! So glad you made this!
That's EXACTLY how I feel. This was such an amazing video, Catriona!
"Stories are a lot more complex than their ideas".
This.
It's perfect.
I'm currently rereading Harry Potter and really want to try something similar. Thank you for your recommendation!
Btw, your hair is even more marvelous than usually! :D *.*
I love that you're talking about this. Comparing books to another is definitely a book pet peeve, if anything it should be more like "If you liked this book, then you may like this one."
The whole Harry Potter and Iron Trail thing is stupid because most Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure is very similar anyway. Same with YA Dystopia. Even fantasy is becoming very similar to one another, but it's all about how the author shakes it up.
I'm going to do a blog post about this and link your video in the post as I believe this is a very well done video. Thank you for making it! Ps, your hair is....just know it's slaying every hairstyle there ever was!
YES!!!
i HATE it especially when the blurbs say "OH HUNGER GAMES FANS WILL LOVE THIS!" WHEN ITS A COMPLETE DIFFERENT STORY, DIFFERENT PLOT, DIFFERENT CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT!!! AND THG IS JUST AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE THATS PROBABLY THE MOST COMMON COMPARISON ALONG WITH HP AND TWILIGHT. UGH JUST UGH.
This is such a great video i totally agree ! I hate when people do that , when they just compare books they dont even know . " oh that totally sounds like the hunger games / twilight " like okay they have similarities but that doesn't mean the plot , the problem , the places are the same.
This is one of my pet peeves too! I hate when people say books are exactly the same! Every time someone does that I read the books they're talking about and then tell them all the differences just so they can see that even though there may be similarities, every book is different.
I completely agree Catriona!
I think you need to consider Cassandra Clare's past and why people are comparing these two books. Her Mortal Instruments series, albeit marketed as "original" has heavy roots in fandom. Even though the story is what can be called original, she very heavily based Clary and Jace off of Ginny and Draco. A LOT of people took offense to the fact that fan fiction was published as something original - a la what happened with Fifty Shades. Fifty Shades and Twilight are totally different and I read both and I could tell those characters were the exact same people. It's shameful, in my opinion. (Although, Fifty Shades and Master of the Universe are SO INCREDIBLY SIMILAR that you could literally google the fanfiction and have read the novel. I don't see how that's not viewed as proper theft.)
But even in her fanfiction days she was accused of plagiarism over and over. She plagiarised dialogue and even entire chapters. Here's a link! www.dailydot.com/fandom/fandom-guide-cassandra-clare-mortal-instruments/ And here's another link! fanlore.org/wiki/Cassandra_Claire
Then Cassie came out with her own series - The Infernal Devices - and it was awesome! There were new characters that we all can assume that she created totally from her head. She's clearly proven that she is a good writer. Hope was restored to those of us who were turned off by her less than stellar history.
And now she writes a book that looks EXACTLY like Harry Potter after publishing a FAN FICTION of Harry Potter? I haven't read the book, but I do understand why some people won't. And you can think that's unfair because they should give it a chance, and what you're saying is valid, but what they are saying is valid too. Some people just feel too uncomfortable with Clare at this point.
(However, I haven't been running around saying she stole The Iron Trial from Harry Potter because I have no idea of the content. I will have a more solid opinion once I've read it, but I do agree that people shouldn't just willfully judge based off the cover. I'm just trying to explain why some people are.)
So, in terms of this particular argument, I think you're missing the reason a lot of people are comparing these specific two books. Yes, book comparison is a thing and it drives me up the wall when people compare ALL high fantasy to JRR Tolkein, lol. But in this case, there's a lot of underlying factors.
Don't get me wrong. I read the Mortal Instruments series and they were a lot of fun! I have very mixed and muddy feelings about all of this, but at the end of the day I can say I feel quite uncomfortable. And the more I learn about it, the more uncomfortable I'm becoming.
SO TL;DR:
- Cassie has a history of plagiarising and people are uncomfortable.
-People have more reasons for comparison other than the cover. (Her history.)
-Don't take my word for it. I've posted a few links and there are many more so you can all educate yourselves and decide for yourselves what your opinion on the matter is.
-Comparing books does suck, though.
-You're adorable and I hope you don't take my comment as aggressive, I'm just trying to explain this comparison. :)
MORE LINKS!
www.paperdroids.com/2013/09/16/cassiegate-cassandra-clares-alleged-plagarism-in-the-mortal-instruments/
The VERY in-depth observations of Avocado: www.journalfen.net/community/bad_penny/8985.html
It's like Anna Todd. She wrote 1D Fan Fiction and now she's got a publishing deal to publish them as erotica novels, but without the 1D boys in it. But overall, it is a good trilogy.
Ha I'm going to be honest, I have re read both Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments so many times and have never once seen similarities (besides obvious ones, like the fact that it's a self discovery story). Even thinking about it I don't get it. Obviously I'm not saying your wrong, I just always felt the series was original. I would actually be really interested to read that fan fiction (both TMI and TID are my all time favorite series) do you know if it's still out there?
I don't know if you've read both HP and TMI (from your comment it does sound like you have) but I think you're letting the fact that she started as a fanfic writer create bias in your thinking. TMI is nothing like Harry Potter except in the fantastical sense. I'm not sure how you think that's plagiarism when they're not that similar at all. Like, at all.
Kieran Crump
I hadn't heard about that, but... weird, lol.
Jordan Pearson
I'm not sure, unfortunately. :( I think Cassie took it down after she was discovered by Holly Black. I think the similarities lie more in the characterization. If you find it, let me know, though!
Yes, yes, yes and thank you!
Amazing video! Your points are articulated so well and you clearly put a lot of thought and heart into it.
Total agree it's hard to get into a book when in the back of your mind your trying to find the comparisons.
I completely agree with you. I also hate when people say a genre is "overplayed", no one told you to read every single book in a genre.
Your red hair is so pretty!!! I have natural red... Not very noticeable like Maureen's...
Yes! You are totally right! Awesome vid! ❤️😝👍
Nope. You're not alone! I feel you girl.
I'm totally with you! Even author's sometimes do it, and it's not very accurate!!!
BTW, that blooper's hilarious! Totally been there!!!
When I bought 'Throne of Glass' it had a sticker on it that said 'The next Hunger Games!' Really? I don't see any similarities between the series's and other than they are YA with a female protagonist. I must admit that sometimes when I read a plot synopsis will think 'that sounds a lot like X' but really nothing is completely original and people need to calm down.
Yes thank you!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!!!! :)
I COMPLETELY AGREE!
I completely agree with you!
Loved the discussion. Everything you mentioned is exactly what I think of when people compare books.
Excellent video, and I laughed at the end... my stomach does that too.
Cheers from Brazil.
I love your videos so much!!!!!!! Your passion towards reading really inspired me a lot, and I am actually start reading the books you recommended and they are awesome!
I have the same opinion as you! When I went and watched Divergent with some classmates, the started comparing it with obviously The Hunger Games, they didn't even knew the name of both authors and they were judging them, of course me being the one who has read both series is the one that is asked everything. I got in a fight, I told them who died in the last books of both sagas but the good thing is that I won. But it stresses me out. Another example is that right now I am reading 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and they are comparing it to The Fault In Our Stars... What is wrong with these people? I hate when that happens. I have lost hope in society now...
I know! That happens to me so many times I want to rip my hair out!
I totally agree, this is a great video!
Omg that last part MAN that was loud LOL. Yeah I've seen books being compared it doesn't bother me but I have seen almost the same scene when I watch the movie adaptation. I don't know if this was just me but there was a scene in Divergent that mirrored a scene in the Giver. I was like I seen this before. I've never read the Giver but saw the movie, but I read books for what they are the movies just make it visible.
You're so pretty today (as always). :)
I wonder if that topic was brought for any special reason... I've heard a lot of comparison between the new Cassandra and Holly's book to HP and that certainly annoyed me.
SAME HERE! I've only just started it and the concept of it is quite different.
"OMG The Iron Trial is JUST LIKE Harry Potter!!!!!11111" It saddens me how many times I have to hear that.
Caz, your hair is so on point! And this is such an amazing video as well! Miss ya, love! Hope youre well :)
Definitely! I have heard several people compare The Iron Trial to Harry Potter over the past week and I knew you were going to bring it up even before you mentioned it. It's so frustrating if someone uses this comparison to either not give the book a go or even encourage people not to read it!
I usually compare books to friends that barely read. So to described Divergent I said it was kind of like THG as they don't understand "dystopian" but I totally agree with you. I can also make you not want to read books if they're being compared to books you didn't enjoy!
It's totally a pet peeve of mine as well!!
Yes, I agree. Especially if it is labeled a rip off or a copy when it was released years before the book it supposedly ripped off.
I agree with you! It's really annoying when people do this!
stories-they're a lot more complex than their ideas -best quote ever!!!!
It's true, a lot of people do it. I think each book is unique and special, therefore, every book deserves give them a chance and stop judging and comparing it with another book without even seeing a page of it. It happens to me just like you, that attitude bothers me a lot. Kisses for you from to Venezuela =)
YES! I'm so happy you made this video:)! It's like when everyone said Divergent was EXACTLY LIKE The Hunger Games! UGH, YES they are both Dystopians with a female protagonist but that's it! People say all the time that they're the same because of those two reasons! But also I've noticed no one ever does that with books with male protagonists- only female. They say all books are anymore are female protagonists when those didn't even REALLY start popping up until more recent years.
I just find it so irritating and I'm so glad so many other people see it the way I do.
I totally feel you on that! People need to stop being so judgmental right away. Also tbh, lately it has started really putting me off buying new books when I see those statements stuck on there by the publishers or the marketing campaign. Even if it's being compared to a book I enjoyed, it still makes me turn away. Books need to be promoted for what they are, not for what someone would want them to be (aka hugely successful like HG, HP and so on).
Some of my friends asked me to explain divergent and I said it was like the hunger games but completely different xd because they don't know what dystopian books mean. And personally I think every book is special and unique in it's own way. Nothing is completely new there are always simalarities but every book, movie etc. Is different and unique in it's own way and i totally agree with you
Nops, you're deffo not alone!! I agree with you a hundred percent in this matter. I hate when people compare Hunger Games with Divergent, for example. And the worst thing is, they always compare bashing one or another. This is ridiculous.
Each book has its good things. And those things need to be shown and as I see people have a huge difficulty in seeing this! I get angry when people compare books! Argh!
Sorry if I talked much, but... I needed this! :D
Could you do a Fangirl review? I read the book and I really enjoyed it ! Love your videos! Xxx
Just watched your video and I love your passion and knowledge!! Enjoyed this and ps great hair!
It's the same with movie trailers... if you look at the comments there are so many people saying it's a rip-off of something... like Divergent or Maze Runner are just like Hunger Games and those people haven't read the book or watched the movie. Also, I hate it when they market something as "the next something" like this book is the next harry potter or the next twilight...
I hate it as well! Like my classmate didn't even start reading Divergent and wanted to tell me how shit it is and that it's a Hunger Games fake...nearly threw the book in his face...
What I absolutely hate the most is the fact that they compare nearly every Dystopian book to The Hunger Games. I think comparing Dystopians to THG is the biggest comparison out there, there aren't many books being compared in the genre of Contemporary or Fantasy or any other genre basically. And I absolutely hate it when they go over board with Dystopians, like, I get it that The Hunger Games was a bestselling trilogy and that it was made into a movie and all of that, but that does not mean they need to compare EVERY SINGLE NEWLY RELEASED DYSTOPIAN BOOK OUT THERE TO THG!! I just hate it so badly, and this is probably the reason why I am seriously turned off by THG. Sorry about the little rant there :)
Your hair looks great!
I completely agree with the 'nothing is completely original' statement. Human imagination has it's limits??? It's like how we can't even imagine a colour not on the visible colour spectrum; we just have to keep making different shades and combinations of what we have, so eventually, there will be some overlap.
I don't know if that makes sense, ha ha. Just wanted to throw in some input. :)
Took the words right out of my mouth.
I understand you so well! One of my friends is a "Fan" of the hunger games. Watched the movies, hasn't read the books. The first thing she says about Divergent is that its a rip off of the hunger games. In reality they're completely different and it pisses me off when people do that.
It really bugs me when people compare large book franchises solely because they're huge! They itch to find something to say it's the same? Twilight and Hunger Games are DIFFERENT novels with DIFFERENT genres and plots. Claiming they're really similar only because of a love triangle is so stupid in my opinion.
I feel the same way Cat. People assume they know what a book is about just by one key word in the synopsis. It's like if someone were to read the synopsis of 'The Bronze Horseman' and they saw the words Soviet Union, they'd compare it to another book about Russia. I see your point and why its so frustrating!
People did that with The Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman. They saw that the main character was the "niece" of Adolf Hitler and assumed that it was a WW2 book, when it's not.
Once I assumed that the Septimus Heap series and the Wardstone Chronicals were parallels but *oh boy* they're so different.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO
I agree completely. I especially dislike it when it is used as a marketing strategy to sell more books by comparing it to an over-hyped book.
I AGREE WITH YOU!!!!
I totally agree! It's so annoying! It's annoying when it is used in a negative way... but I also find it annoying when it is used to boost sales. You know, all this "If you loved..." , "In the style of...", "For the fans of..." I think it diminishes a book (if that makes sense). There are examples of books I really loved and they were compared to more popular books (positive or negative)I really disliked and I could never see the similarities. But some people might never pick them up because of the comparison! But all they shared (as you said) was the genre!
Thinking the same thing! I'm reading The Iron Trial right now, and I'm like... literally, there's magic, and a boy, and a school. Nothing else.
I don't even have anything to say because you said it all 😊 LOVE YOU AND THAT RED HAIR OF YOURS 🙊
preach the truth!!!! oh and by the way I LOVE your nails
This is an awesome discussion! Lots of good points/ideas made :)
Thank you for making this. This is definitely is one of my pet peeves as well. Every book is it own story. Genres and sub-genres do and probably should share certain similarities. However, every story has a different plot, characters, and audience. I think it's okay to say that the humor or general vibe of a book is similar to another. However, to say one book is exactly the same is just silly. It makes me crazy. Especially when publishers or people in the media do it just to sell a upcoming book/movie/TV show.
LOVED this. Yes yes yes. Thanks for making this.
i have never agreed more with a video in my life
you said everything i feel
Yes. Yes yes, oh my goodness yes.
AMEN SISTAH! :)
I love your nail polish :)))
I totally agree ! I love Harry Potter and I love the Hunger games, and it irritates me when some people of the HP fandom compare the two or say for example "oh you know.. Hunger games it's good I guess.. But it'll never top and/or be equal to Harry Potter". Ugh Come on, it's not even the same genre. Stop comparing them. And having other favorites besides Harry Potter doesn't make you a traitor. It is possible to love both !
Yeah, i hate it too.
Here in Brazil when the Beautiful Creatures moovie came out, the slogan was THE NEW TWILIGHT. I didnt read the books, but i knew it was about witchcraft... so completely diferent.