What are some turn offs when reading a book?

Head-hopping, where there's a point of view character but all of a sudden we know the thoughts or memories of other characters, is a killer for me.

Over-description will make me reconsider. I don't want to know the details of the lady's dress or the meal being eaten unless they affect the plot or illuminate character.

Slow pacing. I need things to happen, and often.

Bad writing, which is, of course, a matter of opinion--but many, many self-published novels are utterly unreadable to me, from page 1. We all make typos and goofs, but we need to find and fix every one.

Mistakes in fact, anything from the rules of baseball to the cities you go by on the way from Chicago to Miami.

Insertion of the author's opinion or agenda on any subject. If you want to sway me, write an essay, not fiction. You can give a character your views, but don't stop to have him explain to himself why he's right.

Inadequate research on something I know about. You can get away with the intricacies of the CIA or the astronaut program, since I know almost nothing about them, but if you write about sex or sewing or scotch and make a ridiculous mistake, I'm done.

Individually speaking, you can't please everyone, so asking for "what to avoid" is pointless. Your book could have romance as an important part of the plot, which would make me put it down because I don't trust most romance novels not to be cliché. That doesn't mean you shouldn't write romance.

But if you want stuff in general, here's some pointers:

- Flesh out your characters. They are not just mysterious with a dark past. They are not just beautiful and intelligent. They are not just an awkward nerd. They have more to them than that. Archetypes are good as bases, not completed characters. Flaws are important, too, but remember that anything can be a flaw if you choose to portray it that way.

- Show, don't tell. This can sometimes get tricky, especially for a beginner, but you'll find your style eventually. Anyway, what I mean is, show that Character A is smart by having them study for an advanced class, take the tests, and/or explain a difficult concept to someone. Show that the explosion devastated people by going into their injuries, the death count, the mourning families and friends who might be injured themselves, the survivor's guilt. Show that the king is in power by taking authority when push comes to shove, not backing down (even if he is humbly surrendering, yes), and NOT responding humorously/stupidly in the face of conflict, so as a result his subjects listen to him. Show that. Simply stating that they are smart, a tragedy, or in power is not enough.

- Another tricky concept you'll figure out as you develop a style - too much or too little description of ANYTHING can upset the reader.

- Don't touch overdone clichés unless you can turn them around. Doesn't matter if you write romance or horror or sci-fy. We don't need to see the same-old same-old formula in everything. Even a small twist would be fine.

Desperate questions like this.

What most experienced readers/writers would tell you is quite similar- avoid the cliches. There are certain factors that recur in almost every book you'll read and, interestingly, these are most often the types of thing you should aim to avoid. For one thing, a love triangle is often ridiculously overdone and badly written. If it is necessary for your plot line- write it, and write it well. If not, don't throw it in there because, increasingly, it seems to feature in every book you'll pick up.
Write characters you believe. In real life, no one is a stereotype. Think of reasons why your characters are the way they are. And, most importantly, add a repulsive quality in your protagonist- one that isn't quite so pronounced that the reader becomes inclined to leave the book, but one that can make your protagonist at least somewhat unique. A mark of a brilliant writer is the ability to make unappealing things and people appealing, and vice versa. Hamlet was indecisive. Humbert Humbert was a pedophile. Harry Potter had an ugly temper. And yet, we come to love these characters, with their, in some cases, crippling flaws.
Don't make it too easy. If your book involves breaking into a prison- it's not going to be easy. If your book assassinates a king- it's not going to be easy. If your character falls in love with a severely depressed girl/boy, it's not going to be easy. As soon as it starts to feel like the characters are doing things far too quickly and easily, the story starts to fall apart.
And, perhaps the absolute worst thing I can find in a book, is a tendency to over describe, or employ "purple prose." For example, sentences like "When his smoldering dark eyes framed with miles of beautiful lashes flicked over my pearly smooth skin, I felt myself ignite with the temperature of a thousand stars, I was burning and no one could see, a million butterflies exploded out of me, I was alive for the first time"- this isn't good writing. It's not poetic. It's not enchanting. It's plain bad. Good writing is descriptive without being overbearing, touching without emotionally manipulating.
Which brings me to my final point! Emotional manipulation is the worst thing you can do as a writer, particularly if you're writing a contemporary book. As a reader, I must fall in love with your characters without you forcing their 'fabulousness' on me, without you forcing me to see their misery and empathize with them, without you dumping tragedy upon tragedy on them just to get a few tears out of a reader. The Fault in Our Stars is guilty of this particular technique. If you do want to write a book about a heavy topic, and do it well, I recommend picking up Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
This being said, these are general guidelines. Some cliches are fun to read, and often even executed well. Some writing is poetic and still wonderful (for example, The Prophet by Khalil Jibran). If you feel you can violate these guidelines and still write something original, and influential, by all means, do it.

If the book drags on too long and nothing exciting happens for a while. Anticipation is also key, else it would be pretty boring for me. It needs description and can't go from one thing straight to the next.

The characters is another big thing too! Think about their personality; are they quirky? Funny? Hot - headed?

What will they look like; skinny, fat, muscular etc.

You need to involve the reader too, make it feel as if they're in the story with you. Following every word and sentence. Control their feelings! Make them feel what the character feels; sympathy, empathy, joy, sadness.

There needs to be a range of feeling too, I mean a book that's 'happy' all the time is hardly going to draw any attention. It needs terror, Love, adventure, shock etc.

It needs to be original.

If a novel doesn't grab me quickly, say within a few pages, then it doesn't get picked up again

When the main character is an absolute *****/asshole. Ignorant, rude, thinks they're better than everyone else, gets angry over pointless things, slaps people randomly.. You get the picture.

Major love triangles... I started a series where the main character had love interests with around 4 people at 1 time.. I mean, seriously!?!? *Cough* Zoey from the House of Night series *Cough*

Mary Sue's or Gary Stu's or self-inserts. Those absolutely perfect characters that no-one can hate. Poor grammar and spelling. If it's a series, saying one thing (She died by jumping off a cliff) in one book and a different thing (She died by being pushed off a cliff) in another. Personally, I will not read a book if I don't like the author's writing style. I've actually put books down before because they do this: 'She said....' as opposed to quotation marks ("She said..."). I know that's the norm in Europe but it annoys the ever loving crap out of me.

Poor grammar and lame writing. Now, writing I'd consider "lame" might be more appropriate for a young adult novel or an older children's book. No fault there. But lame writing in a book meant for readers over 18 years of age - not good at all.

Obvious preaching. I'm a Christian, yet I find most "Christian novels" a turn off. Either the main character is too sweet or the characters and plot are not realistic. Contrived, to shoehorn in the message. Atheists (such as in The Da Vinci Code) and other religious people do it too, shoehorning in their message where it's inappropriate. Too blatant, it's a turnoff. As for Christian fiction, Christians have bad days and crisis of faith. They get into trouble. They are not always thinking of God or salvation. They evacuate into the toilet or the bushes - not that you need to tell me that if it does not advance the plot.
Remember that every human character is like you and me, your reader. I know it's from the heart, but be subtle with the preaching.

Which leads me to another turnoff: writing that is not "from the heart". A romance novel -- even written to a formula like a Harlequin Romance line -- doesn't work if the author doesn't believe in the romance between her characters. The disinterest or contempt shows in the writing. I've read some romances where the woman or the man is a regal jerk to the so called "beloved". Don't write something just because it sells. Even if you have to write about something - you're commissioned - find something in your subject that appeals to you or appalls you.

Honestly, it can be about anything, BUT...I want to read a book which appears to have been written by someone who gave a damn enough to learn how to write. I like high style and sophistication, without haughtiness. Educate me and entertain me. That's really all I ask.

Predictability. When I know what is going to happen far too much in advance, I lose interest.

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Characters doing stupid things. Bad dialog. Bad sentence structure. Telling instead of showing. Cliché plot/character/anything. Everyone surviving an explosion. Nobody actually HURT if they get hurt, you can't run a mile if you are shot in the leg, for instance.

If it's a short novel, don't have a drawn out prologue or character description. Get to the story.

Depends entirely on the type of short novel you're penning. Literary? Mainstream? Young adult? It's critically important to know your genre, and the expectations of that genre's readers. This, however, doesn't mean you cannot thwart those expectations. You can. And in some genres, like innovative fiction, thwarting expectations remains the expectation. Perhaps it's best to ask yourself: "What are my turn-ONS when I read a book? What do I love?"

Poor grammar, poor spelling, characters that are not likeable, and situations/happenings that are totally unbelievable. As in eye-rolling unbelievable. Also, if you are not an excellent editor, hire someone who is; bad editing is a major gripe among those who read self-published works. Spending a few extra dollars is worth it.

Lots of words

In short sex, My aunt surprised me when she agreed w/ me that a certain best selling author; mystery drama, wrote to much sex w/ to much detail in it. Life is climatic enough w/o sex. Sex is only a euphonism.

If the book doesn't get me hooked in 50 pages, I put it down straight away. That's my only real turnoff when I read a book. The rest, like the length or the story, I can find a way to cope with.

When the prose is really thick. Like any Charles Dickens novel.. They were just tough to get through

Predictability.

Someone spoiled Mockingjay and I was so pissed yet I did read it. I mean if the book is tedious and dull that's a turnoff because no one wants to read a boring book. Also, if the plot is bad and characters don't really develop, it's boring but I always finish the books I start

Personally, I don't like books that confuse me with paragraphs of description... I just can't understand those.
Also, there has to be something interesting happening in the book! If it's just a big scene about characters talking and stuff, I don't like them. I like some action.

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