tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post2847005523327217669..comments2024-03-07T19:11:21.715-06:00Comments on Sandra Ulbrich Almazan: Speculative Fiction Author: Discussion: Name Brands as DescriptionSandra Ulbrich Almazanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15365908651235829765noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-32101830824129996502010-10-24T19:52:54.818-05:002010-10-24T19:52:54.818-05:00I'm not one that usually gives the brand name....I'm not one that usually gives the brand name. Why wouldn't saying "The man was dressed in a chic, Italian suit" evoke the same image as "The man was dressed in an Armani suit"? I am, however, guilty of often putting my YA characters in Chuck Taylors for shoes, but for me it's not the brand but the style of the shoe. That's a far cry from being okay with a clickable link to the Converse website in an e-book. I'd find that far more distracting.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008393380426608631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-31616160422973024612010-10-19T10:37:15.725-05:002010-10-19T10:37:15.725-05:00No ads for me.
As for the brand names ... Misha ...No ads for me. <br /><br />As for the brand names ... Misha beat me to it. <br /><br />If your character would care, then yes you should use the brand name. I think the biggest part of this is just the name. The fact that you care that your suit is Chanel or Versace or Gucci or Armani says something about you. <br /><br />I do pay attention to fashion, but even I don't know everything and the brand name wouldn't add much, except to tell me that the character cares. I mean, I know that Chanel conveys a clear message. The other designers and names, I'm not sure they carry as much of a connotation.Basthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12561466241112288690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-28919007438854465762010-10-18T20:32:48.110-05:002010-10-18T20:32:48.110-05:00I don't usually think twice about the dropping...I don't usually think twice about the dropping of name brands, so I guess it's safe to say it doesn't bother me. Ads, however, would be a different story . . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-89215888618786006222010-10-18T20:07:45.150-05:002010-10-18T20:07:45.150-05:00Oh! I'd find it SO anoying. I would absolutely...Oh! I'd find it SO anoying. I would absolutely HATE to get ads while I was reading something.. and I love my eBooks. <br />It doesn't really bother me to read label name droppings, but I don't think it's necessary unless fashion is a major part of the story.PK HREZOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11650153097981426833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-36890273917165909392010-10-18T19:16:51.877-05:002010-10-18T19:16:51.877-05:00When I come across a description like that I know ...When I come across a description like that I know that one of two things is happening: (1) I'm not the market for the book, or (2) the described character is out of my league.<br /><br />I do read ebooks and would be annoyed with links in fiction works, especially if they led to a buy page. I'd be a bit more forgiving of a nonfiction work that linked to informational or product websites.Shannon Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07824123805925551656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-69877735274294762832010-10-18T15:31:42.067-05:002010-10-18T15:31:42.067-05:00Certain designer names, like Chanel, can show a pe...Certain designer names, like Chanel, can show a personality type. Chanel usually says classic elegance but can also infer a certain amount of snobbery - an elitist attitude.<br />Ads in a book I'm reading would be a real turnoff. I even hate those little cards in magazines and some paperbacks!Mary@GigglesandGunshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07350818228268801008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-36591654820415611892010-10-18T15:12:41.132-05:002010-10-18T15:12:41.132-05:00Misha, good point about POV. In the examples I cit...Misha, good point about POV. In the examples I cited, the characters seemed wealthy enough that they could afford more than one designer suit. It might seem more natural if they specified which particular suit they were wearing.<br /><br />Maria, I'm with you in not wanting ads in my fiction. Even if they were to support a charity, I wouldn't want them in the story itself; that would disrupt the flow. They might work in an Afterword from the author, though.Sandra Ulbrich Almazanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15365908651235829765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-91121070171233950482010-10-18T13:07:24.514-05:002010-10-18T13:07:24.514-05:00If someone dropped names I don't think I would...If someone dropped names I don't think I would even notice. Those things don't even register with me.<br /><br />As a reader I probably would be annoyed if someone were trying to sell me something. But then I don't have to click on the link. <br /><br />The only exceptions I would make is if it were for a charity or foundation.Maria Zanninihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604862636922299273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18714294.post-77832036082218284932010-10-18T13:02:02.161-05:002010-10-18T13:02:02.161-05:00I think it depends. For example a money-orientated...I think it depends. For example a money-orientated character will note exactly which lables she is wearing. <br /><br />If necessary, I say that something is designer without naming lables. In Doodways it was pretty important that Callan's dress is a hand-made designer when she gets kidnapped. It has to do with the world I created. So I make a point of mentioning the fact early on. But it hardly matters to her who made it. So the name doesn't appear. Although I think I know who the designer was... <br /><br />:-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.com