Do Spoilers Improve Books?

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I think one flaw with the study is that it doesn't take into account the interest in the story or the expected surprise of a reveal.

If I were a participant, and reading short stories I care nothing about, I might say that I liked the "spoiled" stories better as well. However, that doesn't really correlate into real world situations with entertainment we specifically choose to consume and care more about. I think that all the study really shows is that many people don't mind, and maybe even enjoy, spoilers on things they don't care very much about.

That is a very good point.

I'm very strongly anti-spoilers for first reads of things I have a high interest in - I do NOT want to know in advance, before first read, what happens in the next book of a favourite series (beyond the blurb or either very vague or very minor things; or, say, knowing that my favourite side character makes an appearance, without knowing what they actually do, is a positive spoiler, while knowing in advance that a favourite side character isn't going to appear is likely to diminish my excitement when reading).

However, with things I only have a passing interest in - shows I've half given up on, series where I'm not sure I want to read more, books that are somewhat dull so I go onto Goodreads and read reviews in the hopes of finding out whether something exciting is going to happen at all or should I just DNF it - spoilers are something I don't much care about. If I have any interest at all, I'd still rather not know spoilers of the "main character A turns out to be evil / unexpectedly kills main character B" sort, but medium things, even knowing the ending.. yeah, whatever.

Chances are that if I was given a bunch of random short stories I wasn't exactly actively interested in, I'd appreciate spoilers, too, and thus give the impression of "people want spoilers" when in real life, for "things that matter", I really do not wish to be spoiled.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by meeera

A middle of the road sample... of reasonably privileged Americans aged 18-22, all students at the same 4-year college, who are reading short stories they were told to read for study-participation class credit. I just don't think that sample or that methodology can be generalised to "most people everywhere of all ages and backgrounds actually enjoy spoiled novels/TV shows/movies/short stories even though they say they don't".

And when I was in college, the shortest path to "Get this done" was the winner. So if someone gave me spoilers and that meant I didn't have to do x, y or z to complete the task, it was a win. If you are a non-reader, and given this task, spoilers would be the bomb. What is the story about? Aha! I want the spoiler. Fill in the blank.

That said there are people who like spoilers and that is a fine and good thing for them. My mother and her best friend are avid readers. My mother's friend ALWAYS reads the last chapter first. She reads a lot of mysteries and thrillers. She and mom argue all the time over whether that makes sense and so on. Friend has never been able to explain to Mom why she does it, but she does it. I've always wondered if she doesn't like too much tension in what she reads--so she checks the ending. But honestly, that's just the way she reads. She and Mom both read a LOT so in a survey of the two of them, you'd be 50/50 for spoilers.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

The spoiled works were only slightly better liked.

The studies, as I read them, are about the gap between what people think they like and what they do like. They say nothing about what people buy.

Your points about student culture are good ones. It may be that restricting to people who read lots of books would give a different result.

I have another hypothesis about which people would, and would not, actually like spoiled stories and books. People with a stronger motive to achievement would tend to like spoilers, except in the case of relatively easy to solve mysteries. That's because we achievement types (I am one) dislike playing games unless we probably will lose. But readers with a greater need for power would be glad to get into a battle for wits with a brilliant mystery writer for the same unfathomable (to me) reason many, not all, of those folks buy lottery tickets. For some, a near-hopeless challenge is apparently great fun.

Then there are the people who need no spoilers because they always can figure out who did it. I don't even want to think about those people

There's also a mood thing. When I want a more predictable story I know what genre to pick up (sorry Romance readers, but this is just the truth! Not to say there can't be surprises, but there are certain publishers who put out books that are pretty dang predictable in that genre. But that is the point. They do it because when you want pizza, you want pizza, not a sub sandwich with sauce and cheese.)

There are some thrillers that are like this as well. I really enjoy a good "kick-ass tough-guy story" now and then. I don't pick up Robert Crais because I'm looking for a cozy. If I want something with a bit of fantastical in it, but still kick-ass tough guy, I'm going to look at Benedict Jacka, maybe Joe Nassise and so on.

This isn't exactly the same as spoilers, but depending on how the question is asked, some readers might assume the survey is talking about "buying or reading a book when you know what is going to happen." When I read Robert Crais, I KNOW Joe Pike is going to win at the end of the day (Sorry. Did I spoil that for anyone???) There is likely to be some death and destruction along the way...

So the exact wording of the questions can really matter.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I've always wondered if she doesn't like too much tension in what she reads--so she checks the ending.

I know several people who don't deal well with tension or suspense. They actually get a bit freaked out over it (real or on TV). I'll have to check and see if they read the ends of books first before going back to the beginning.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that those who say they like spoilers, also snooped to find out what they were going to get for Christmas when they were kids. I always figured it was easier to BE surprised than to pretend I was (not to mention actually enjoying a bit of suspense).

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I know several people who don't deal well with tension or suspense. They actually get a bit freaked out over it (real or on TV). I'll have to check and see if they read the ends of books first before going back to the beginning.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that those who say they like spoilers, also snooped to find out what they were going to get for Christmas when they were kids. I always figured it was easier to BE surprised than to pretend I was (not to mention actually enjoying a bit of suspense).

The whole not dealing well with tension thing is my bag, and yet, I don't like spoilers and I didn't snoop at Christmas (except for once, when I figured out that it took all the fun out of the process). Not knowing may wear me out, but knowing is a bore when the presentation is dull. I'd rather be tired than bored.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by rkomar

The whole not dealing well with tension thing is my bag, and yet, I don't like spoilers and I didn't snoop at Christmas (except for once, when I figured out that it took all the fun out of the process). Not knowing may wear me out, but knowing is a bore when the presentation is dull. I'd rather be tired than bored.

I didn't mean to draw any correlations between Christmas-snooping and those who are uncomfortable with suspense. In fact my two paragraphs were basically two different thought processes. Sorry for any confusion.

I'm sticking by my spoiler-lovers were probably Christmas snoopers hypothesis, though.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm sticking by my spoiler-lovers were probably Christmas snoopers hypothesis, though.

It makes sense to me.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Hitch

How does using spoilers, to avoid having to figure out the plotline/mystery/storyline along the way, or wait for the reveal, ending, whatever, correspond to working with "singleness of purpose...to a goal?"

It doesn't. Socialized achievement types don't try to achieve in every activity. I was assuming that the average readers of suspense fiction cannot correctly guess most endings. So guessing the ending would usually lead to failure, something achievement types do not like.

Most of the more-avid readers of mysteries I know can nearly always figure out "whodunit" far in advance of the big reveal.

As I understand the Leavitt/Christenfeld model, these readers would be among the big minority who not only consciously dislike spoilers, but, also, actually dislike spoiled works.

At that point "far in advance of the big reveal," I wonder if they then lose interest, due to having spoiled the ending though an act of intellect. I suppose some do.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

It doesn't. Socialized achievement types don't try to achieve in every activity. I was assuming that the average readers of suspense fiction cannot correctly guess most endings. So guessing the ending would usually lead to failure, something achievement types do not like.


As I understand the Leavitt/Christenfeld model, these readers would be among the big minority who not only consciously dislike spoilers, but, also, actually dislike spoiled works.

At that point "far in advance of the big reveal," I wonder if they then lose interest, due to having spoiled the ending though an act of intellect. I suppose some do.

Sometimes I figure out the ending. Do I get bored and stop? It really depends on how many subplots there are and whether the characters are interesting enough for me to continue. I'm a character-driven reader to begin with--the characters pretty much have to grab and hold my attention, almost unrelated to the plot. So if that element is there, a good mystery where I don't guess the ending is just icing on the cake. But if I do guess, it can depend upon where in the book and how much I'm enjoying other aspects of the book.

As I said, I read Robert Crais thrillers because I love a good story where tough guy beats the crap out of the enemy. He solves the case and rescues the dog/woman/kid/slaves/etc. The intrigue and guilty part is only one element of the overall experience.

With a cozy mystery I'm usually in it for the interactions and the humor. I sometimes guess the culprit fairly early, but I'm really reading to see what the Geritol mafia does next or for the romance angle or the character development/resolution of some family issue. Just depends on the book. But I don't want to be TOLD who the culprit is beforehand and if a cozy mystery series has a long-running "possible" romance between two characters I'd rather not know if they finally go on a date, etc. That's part of why I read. To see what happens next.

[Catlady]

I've just finished reading a thriller with a lot of twists and I realize that there is one kind of spoiler that I would have appreciated. An animal is featured in the story, and I kept worrying that it would come to harm; I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd known ahead of time that the animal would be OK.

[latepaul]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I've just finished reading a thriller with a lot of twists and I realize that there is one kind of spoiler that I would have appreciated. An animal is featured in the story, and I kept worrying that it would come to harm; I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd known ahead of time that the animal would be OK.

I once wrote a short story in which a cat appeared to die. I thought at the time it was one of my better pieces but when I gave it to a friend to read she couldn't get past the cat thing.

Not sure a spoiler would have helped though as it was only a couple of paragraphs between the "death" and "resurrection" of the cat.

[speakingtohe]

I had no choice but to snoop at Christmas. At 6 I was given the job of buying the family Christmas presents by my father. Seems odd I know, but my father worked 7 days a week to keep us below the poverty line and it stressed my mother out to buy presents over practical items. Basically if my mother was buying we all got socks for Christmas and ugly uncomfortable ones to boot.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

I love detective stories/books and would not read a spoiler.

Not because of the challenge, because I rarely actively try to figure out who done it. Usually I know by some weird form of osmosis about 1/4 way through. Sometimes I am surprised at the end, but I don't see that as an advantage/disadvantage. Even with Christie and her cleverly planted clues, it is the story, characters etc. that enthrall me and pretty hard to spoil that.

With most series books such as Christies Poirot, I am pretty sure the main character survives or the series would end. That in itself is a spoiler of sorts. I would guess that the majority of mysteries, the main protagonist is overall successful. I know the good guys will overcome. Doesn't stop me from reading to see how they manage to do it. And in the cases where I am absolutely sure who did it pretty fast, I still enjoy reading to the end. Some people even reread mysteries which is of course the ultimate spoiler.

Helen

[4691mls]

I don't like spoilers. I get frustrated with book descriptions that contain information in the first line that is a spoiler if you are reading an earlier book in the series. I have received spoilers like this while scrolling through series listing on Overdrive library, which doesn't have sorting by series order.

I might have read books 1, 2, and 3, looking for book 4, but on my way I scroll past the description for book 8 which says something like "Now married and expecting a baby" when the character wasn't even seriously seeing anybody in the books I've read, or "In his new life as a _____" (some major career change). I read mostly mysteries, so the relationship stuff isn't the main point of the book, but I would still rather find it out as I go along. I wish the descriptions started off with "In this eighth book in the Jane Doe series"

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by latepaul

I once wrote a short story in which a cat appeared to die. I thought at the time it was one of my better pieces but when I gave it to a friend to read she couldn't get past the cat thing.

Not sure a spoiler would have helped though as it was only a couple of paragraphs between the "death" and "resurrection" of the cat.

The book I was reading had some overly descriptive passages of people being tortured, so my stomach was in knots anticipating that this poor animal was going to be a victim of violence. A natural death I can handle, but not any violence against animals--or children.