What a novel idea...

[Jennifer Stone]

So I popped into my local book store, and noticed a new feature they're trying out. Who thinks it's a good idea? I apologize for the bad photography, it was a laminated sign. Rest assured, I bought a book, not sure if i want to ruin the mystery by unwrapping it, but I bought it to read it, so I guess I must eventually.
It reads;
Don't judge a book by it's cover!
You can't see who wrote it, and you can't see the title.
All you have to go on is the plot!
We've gift wrapped some fantastic novels from our Fiction section so why not take pot luck?
Only £3.99 each.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I wouldn't be able to stop buying them. Best gambling method ever.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

It's a 'novel' idea (no pun intended, honest!). But if it was me, I'd be thinking "Hm guess these are the one's that don't sell." So it wouldn't work for me. But can't hurt to try.

 

[Stephen Drake]

I agree with Alistair. Lots of people are very picky about what they read (me included). But, it can't hurt, I guess.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I'm about as reckless as they come — so more than one person has told me (my wife among them). I'll read anything; I'll only drop it if it's unbearable, which of course you find from time to time. You'd be surprised, how disparate of sources can offer inspiration in your own work.

I never read the sleeve or forward before I begin the story, so that I have no idea what it's about or what I might expect to happen. Similarly do I prefer to see a movie without ever having seen the preview, and without any knowledge of the genre or plot. I want to see it unfold in exactly the order in which it was meant to be seen.

This idea would definitely be for me, but I could see someone not wanting to risk the cost of the surprise.

 

[Emurelda]

I'm one of those who doesn't mind spoilers. In fact I prefer knowing the ending and watching a film or reading a book to discover a different layer of story that I wouldn't appreciate if I didn't know what will happen next. I can then enjoy the now familiar story.

So I guess this wouldn't work for me at all. Although I do like to open presents even if I do know what's inside

Oh and I got a 'Little Miss Contrary' book for a birthday present from a friend when we were at Uni.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I'm one of those who doesn't mind spoilers. In fact I prefer knowing the ending and watching a film or reading a book to discover a different layer of story that I wouldn't appreciate if I didn't know what will happen next. I can then enjoy the now familiar story.

So I guess this wouldn't work for me at all. Although I do like to open presents even if I do know what's inside

Oh and I got a 'Little Miss Contrary' book for a birthday present from a friend when we were at Uni.

When there's a twist, for example think of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club or M Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, you can see the same book or movie two completely different ways the first and second time, if you don't see what's coming. You can watch it or read it a hundred times, and you'll find a new, hidden layer every single time.
I very meticulously worked elements into the three books I've written of the series I'm working on, where elements that appear innocuous in book 1 take on a completely different meaning after you've read book 2 — elements of books 1 & 2 take on new meaning in book 3, all the way up to other elements in books 1, 2, 3, and 4 which will all end up being a twist in book 5.
I'm going to try to keep a JJ Abrams Cloverfield-esque lid on the surprise, if any of them ever get published, and try for the sort of surprise where people will recommend it to you, and say "I'm not even gonna tell you what happens — you've gotta read it."
You know. While we're in Fantasyland.

 

[Dan Henshaw]

I think it's a brilliant idea!

 

[Writing Saint]

Good to see booksellers trying something different, but I prefer to choose my own books. This way you may end up with something your well-meaning aunt might give you for Christmas!

 

[Meerkat]

I think this is a great idea. I'm a creature of routine, and I find that I never get better ideas than when I break my routine. Were it up to me, I would still be exclusively reading classics, instead of anything written in the last seventy years!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I'm not sure I'd buy a book I knew nothing about, but I often go into the library and just pull the first book off the shelf, without looking at it at all, just to read something I might not normally pick up. At the library, it's a no-risk proposition! I love libraries for that!

 

[Jason Byrne]

I'm not sure I'd buy a book I knew nothing about, but I often go into the library and just pull the first book off the shelf, without looking at it at all, just to read something I might not normally pick up. At the library, it's a no-risk proposition! I love libraries for that!

That's a good point.

 

[1408]

I think it's a great idea. We're very visual creatures and this seems to be stripping books back to what they're supposed to be about: the story. I'd definitely have fun shifting through the books and reading the different plots. It would be interesting if I ended up with a book I'd previously disregarded because the author/cover didn't appeal to me.