Keep Your Horse Out of the Bookstore

No one likes to feel tricked. When considering the original mythos behind the Trojan Horse and the subsequent usage of the terminology in the media ever since, it is no surprise as to why the term is usually followed by a bad taste in one’s mouth. The whole idea behind it is essentially expecting one thing and getting another. If what the person is receiving isn’t what they expected or doesn’t exceed those expectations, the consumer is bound to feel disappointed. Disappointment is going to be the crux of the problem. It is better to be honest and to gain consumers who want what you are selling because it fills a desire for them as opposed to coming in search of one thing only to be given something that they did not want. There is a reason that marketing is constantly facing a negative stigma that it is a business of deceitful and corrupt individuals. Someone should always be honest and own up to what their objective is. 

For example, romance author Colleen Hoover’s books recently blew up on social media, specifically her “It Ends With Us” series. Some readers may pick this book up due to its rising popularity, expecting a romance that hits certain marks like

1. Enjoyable romance

2. Compelling dialogue

3. Swoon-worthy dynamics

Only for them to receive a story that follows, and arguably, romanticizes the realities of domestic violence. Readers inevitably will read this book and end up disappointed if they were not forewarned about the type of content they were going to be consuming. People like knowing what they are going to get, especially if they are taking the time to complete a book. Reading isn’t easy, it is time consuming and when a book has disappointed you, it hurts. Now, some may consider that as long as someone has paid for their book, it is already a win and it doesn’t matter if they liked it. But isn’t an author’s goal that they will continue to read their next work? Trojan horse marketing would ensure that word of mouth does not happen and that next book may be met with more skepticism. It is better to accurately describe the contents in the book, even going as far as to include trigger warnings when applicable. 

Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us