Last week, I did a big reader survey. Thank you to everyone who filled it out! I’ll be sharing the results with other Mm authors as well (no worries, they’re all anonymous…). This helps us get to know you, our readers, better.
This week, we’re back with a regular poll, and our topic is to DNF or not to DNF. DNF stands for Do Not Finish. I used to finish every book I started reading, but a few years ago, I changed my strategy. Now I stop reading if it doesn’t hold my attention after, like, two chapters or if the editing is so bad I can’t see past it. That made me curious how you all feel about this.
So, the question is: Do you ever DNF a book, and if so, why?
If a book is dnf to me, I will sometimes just skip to the end and read last pages. It has to be really unreadable to just stop.
I do that too sometimes, actually most of the time. Because I want to see the ending regardless of whether I have read the middle.
I have done that as well, just skip the middle and read the ending. If I don’t even care enough to read the ending, that’s a sign of a book that really didn’t hold my attention…
I chose rarely DNF, and it’s usually due to one of two things:
1. Grammar/formatting that I can’t get past (has to be really bad) or makes it impossible to decipher who’s saying/thinking what.
2. The story isn’t even close to the synopsis (I rely heavily on the synopsis when exploring new authors). I’m game for plot twists, but total rewrites rarely end up as pleasant surprises.
One of my pet peeves (and it’s one you can’t always tell from the blurb) is fake conflict. Like, the Big Misunderstanding where all they need to do to work it out is have a five minute conversation. Ugh, that’s such lazy plotting…
Oh, yes, this so much.
I had one where the editing was so bad, the names were wrong! I had to go back and reread and then just gave up.
Oy. Yeah, that’s too much frustration to keep reading.
Life’s too short to read a book that doesn’t captivate me, or that annoys me. I value my time too much, and since there are so many good books out there, I can always choose another from my never-ending TBR pile!
Yes, this. I couldn’t agree more.
It’s rare, but I’ll DNF a book if the writing voice is flat, if the characters seem unrealistic, if the editing is horrible (I’ll forgive a lot), or if there’s something in it that’s a hard line I won’t cross that wasn’t mentioned in the blurb.
That last one is a good one. I’m big on trigger warnings, and I’ve stopped reading books where something happened that wasn’t mentioned in the blurb or the trigger warnings, like an on-page rape. That pisses me off. I’m not saying don’t write it, but at least warn people, you know?
Exactly, there are things I’ll read sometimes but not all the time. Then, there are things in my no list. Not all are triggers, just things not for me. I just want to know what I’m getting into.
There are too many books out there to waste time on a book that takes more than a chapter to interest me. And even if I am interested, if I come across enough misused homonyms, sentences with subjects and verbs that don’t match, and character names that are not consistent. Lack of editing can make me DNF even the best books. Can someone explain why some authors don’t even have someone proofread their stories?
Editing costs money. A good editor for a full size book is easily $400 and up. For lesser known authors, that’s a lot of money to invest when you don’t know if it will pay off. But yeah, some authors are also simply lazy because I’ve seen issues that writingsoftware or even Word spelling check would have picked up on.
I just finished a book I should’ve DNF’d. It was a giveaway so the mini-blurb didn’t say it was the first of a trilogy. Had editing issues and on the last page was like, “e-mail me if there’s errors and if I agree with you I might fix it but know that four sets of eyes have already looked at this”. Total turn off. Not going to finish the series (there were other issues) and unlikely to give the new-to-me author another shot. It felt like they wanted readers to help edit but weren’t actually open to feedback. Can’t have it both ways.
That’s a rather unfortunate way to word it, I agree. That would put me off as well.
Oh yes it just happened yesterday! I started a book, the flow seemed to be off and then I started finding typos and I was outta there. I just can’t bring myself to read something I am not completely enjoying!
Same. Life’s too short for that! Especially when my TBR pile is overflowing with books I know I will love…
In some books I’ve enjoyed the characters but hated the story so I stopped reading it. And I almost always skip to the end first. I’m too impatient to find out how it ends.
I’ve had the opposite happen as well, that the story was okay but the characters were just not likable…
I can forgive a few typos but if the characters fail to engage me I lose interest. Also get bored with too much angst. There are too many good books out there to read instead.
I can take angst unless it’s fake or forced. Like, the conflict has to make sense.
I’ve found so many amazing authors and stories that it’s hard for me to continue a book that either frustrates me, doesn’t hold my attention, or has terrible editing issues. I always read the first two or three chapters before I give up though. There have been a few I’ve made it over half way before stopping. Sometimes long drawn out descriptions or a lot of internal monologue/angst will make me stop reading too.
You just perfectly summarized how I feel. I don’t want to waste my precious reading time with reading bad books when there are so many amazing books out there!
ummm…I DNF’d 2 ARC’s I received in the past 2 weeks….one was for content the other was for editing
I’ve done that with ARCs. There’s no reason for me to finish if the book is that bad. I also don’t review if it’s that bad. I simply tell the author or the ARC organizer that the book wasn’t for me.
I dnf sometimes, but usually try to go back later and try again to finish. Sometimes I feel it’s not the book’s fault, but something going on in my life that makes the timing not right to read that particular book.
I agree. I’ve stopped reading as well because I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of read.
When I’m in pain and the book is complicated, like mysteries, that requires me to think a lot I can’t concentrate. I need fluffy those days.
Oh, I have times where I need all the fluff…and then my mood switches and I want to author to stomp on my heart, haha.
The main reason I would DNF a book is if the story isn’t grabbing my attention and I feel no connection to either of the main characters. Doesn’t happen that often.
I agree, those two are the most important reasons for me. It happens regularly to me, but that’s also because I like trying out new authors.
I just had to DNF a book, pushed through to 20% just couldn’t read any more, I tried but the story and the characters just didn’t grab me at all.
Bad writing and editing will also make me DNF. I’ve read books where it is obvious there was no editor, some errors I can overlook (if the characters have grabbed me) but other times I have to put the book down and walk away.
The story matters most to me. I’ve stopped reading books that were objectively well written and edited but had unlikable characters or a dragging story… If nothing happens in the first two chapters, I’m out.
I hate to not finish, I will only do that if reading a book seriously ruins my mood. Sometimes I can even enjoy being annoyed by a book, listing all it’s flaws in my head and planning a scathing review (which might make me a bad person. I know it’s hard to receive a review like that.)
But honestly I mostly don’t count it as a dnf if I’ve only read the first chapter, because I’ll often do that when I can’t decide what I want to read next or if a book doesn’t fit my current mood. I often pick a book like that back up at some later point.
Exception only if the editing is really horrible.
It happens to me a lot as well that I find I’m simply not in the mood for a book…though I will admit it takes a long time for me usually to pick it back up in that case.
If the writing is bad I’ll stop reading. There’s definitely an art to erotica and not everyone is as talented as you, Nora!
Aw, thank you! I can take bad writing up to a certain point as long as the story captivates me, but I have my limits…
I very rarely DNF, but sometimes I’ll skip to the end just to see what happens. The times I have just stopped reading, it’s been because I hate at least one of the MCs.
Yes. It’s hard for me to keep reading if I really dislike one of the MCs. I just don’t care enough to keep reading, haha.