Polls? We’ve Got Polls

Here’s one of the more unusual survey questions I’ve seen lately: “You are reading a suspense novel, and you come upon a scene where the protagonist’s dog is killed gruesomely. How would this affect your desire to buy and/or read the book?” It’s part of an online poll being conducted by Tony Burton, editor of the Crime and Suspense e-zine and owner of Wolfmont Publishing. Clearly, there’s a marketing motivation here: to learn just how far a writer can go in depicting violence, and who can be involved, without sending readers scurrying for another source of entertainment. But the questions are interesting, because they make clear that while crime knows no boundaries in real life (sadly), its depiction in fiction must necessarily be more circumscribed.

Take the survey here. Burton says that it will “remain open until I receive 100 responses (my limit with a free account) or until August 10th, whichever comes first.”