Comment by Cthulhu_

Comment by Cthulhu_ 3 days ago

12 replies

> He writes crime novels. Doesn't even like them, but if you want to sell, you either write smut (big gamble) or crime novels (less crowded).

Reminds me of Chuck Tingle, who is an author but also a troll, writing books like "Pounded In The Butt By My Handsome Sentient Library Card Who Seems Otherworldly But In Reality Is Just A Natural Part Of The Priceless Resources Our Library System Provides".

dayjaby 3 days ago

Reminds me of about every single Japanese web novel...

"I've been killing slimes for 300 years and maxed out my level"

"I'm a behemoth, an S-ranked monster, but mistaken for a cat, I live as an elf girl's pet"

The list goes on with even longer titles.

  • Ekaros 3 days ago

    Actually Japanese titles are explained by the reality that market is so crowded that no one reads the synopsis(backside) or even blurbs anymore. So putting it all in the title is best way to get enough information out to catch some attention.

    • tourmalinetaco 3 days ago

      Additionally, although this is potentially hearsay (IANAJCL), from my understanding Japanese copyright law is strict and names cannot be re-used, so to get around this they tack on a single sentence synopsis, so it’s incredibly difficult to run out of names.

  • asddubs 3 days ago

    It's just clickbait titles, because it works. Wouldn't surprise me if we see more of that on books as well in the future rather than short and vague titles

    • cpach 3 days ago

      This fashion was not uncommon before the 20th century or so.

      For example, Daniel Defoe’s seminal work from 1719: The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself.

      • ants_everywhere 3 days ago

        And well-known enough for Monty Python to make a joke of it

        > Yes...I wonder if you might have 'The Amazing Adventures of Captain Gladys Stoutpamphlet and her Intrepid Spaniel Stig Amongst the Giant Pygmies of Beckles'...volume eight.

    • norman784 3 days ago

      In manga aren't click bait titles, but because there are so many published, you pick basically a title that explains the premise, otherwise it's harder to get users to read your manga. I suppose that also could work with novels, I'm not a book person, but I suppose you read a review or watched some video that recommended you a book, and if the title is self descriptive, then would easier to go to the book store and buy something that might is your liking.

      • throw16180339 3 days ago

        It's common for romance novel titles to include the major tropes, e.g. The Scandal of the Duke’s Secret Baby. Here are some example titles from the Amazon Top 100(https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-Romance/zgb...).

        • Truly Madly Deeply: A Grumpy x Sunshine Romance

        • Temptation Trails: A Small-Town Romance

        • Phantasma: a Dark Fantasy Romance

        • Madness: a Dark Revenge Romance

        • Meant For Gabriel: A small town, single dad, surprise baby romance

        • Little Stranger: a Dark Taboo Romance

        • Sexting the Silverfox: An Age Gap, Single Dad Romance

        • Brutal Savage: A Single Dad Forced Marriage Irish Mafia Romance

        • Twisted Love: A Grumpy Sunshine Romance

        • Beautiful Beast: An Age Gap Forced Proximity Mafia Romance

        • Obsession Falls: A Small-Town Romance

        • Flawless: A Small Town Enemies to Lovers Romance

        • 082349872349872 a day ago

          That suggests a game in which to goal is to come up, for any two-word phrase, with a suitable romance novel title, eg

          • Ultraviolet Catastrophe: A Band Gap, Single Quantum Romance

          What about:

          • Hacker News: ???

Filligree 3 days ago

Chuck Tingle is a treasure. On the surface all the books are smut, though this is actually because they're smut, but once you dig a little you'll find a ton of other amusements.

  • wizzwizz4 3 days ago

    All of them are smut? I think you've forgotten Absolutely No Thoughts Of Pounding During My Fun Day With This Kind T-Rex Because I'm Aromantic And Asexual And That's A Wonderfully Valid Way Of Proving Love Is Real.

    • Filligree a day ago

      For a moment I doubted that was real, but then I faced reality.