I’m muddling my way through a post on the power of word-of-mouth and as a writer of the hybrid variety (I get great gas mileage), I wonder:
What gets you to read a book?
We worry so much about marketing and promotion, about guest blog posts and book trailers and interviews and signings and readings and Q&As and panel talks and nude fireman calendars and beard-wrestling competitions and cupcake bake-offs — further, so much it is is expected, it is assumed that these things are What We Do and it’s maybe not often enough that people ask If They Work.
They may! They may, indeed.
But I want to know.
And while I don’t mind hearing from the writers on this as to what works for you I am more inclined to hear from the readers on what exactly gets you to pick up a book. An advertisement? A reading? A funny tweet? Free swag? A recommendation from a friend? A NUDE FIREMAN CALENDAR WITH ME, A BIG HOSE, AND A SLUMBERING DALMATION? (I hope the answer to that is “yes” because I just ordered like, 10,000 of these things.)
What works for you?
What gets you first to try a book?
Then to buy that book?
Sarah Z. says:
If it’s nonfiction, I usually have heard favorable things about it on NPR or from my father. He reads only nonfiction and his taste and mine are remarkably similar. Fiction is a little bit stickier. Sometimes my mother will toss a book my way, it’s usually a romance novel by Danielle Steel or Nora Roberts. Recommendations from friends are usually a flop for me, like Game of Thrones. I just couldn’t get into it. The things I have been reading lately are either written by or recommended strongly by people whose work I already enjoy. I have read a few books because you wrote them or you had the author here for 10 questions.
Past that, I like to wander around the bookstore, picking things up and reading the cover and then reading the first couple pages. If I like it, I take it to the register and it joins the overflowing shelves at home. On my Nook, I’m a bit pickier. I check the reviews religiously. I don’t mind a few typos or grammatical errors if the story is solid and keeps me entertained. I’m more likely to get ebooks that were self pubbed. The cover comes into play as well. If the cover art is well done and the sample looks like someone made some sort of editing on it, I’ll give it a chance.
May 13, 2013 — 8:28 AM
Lisa Parda says:
I visit bookstores religiously. My parents had Saturday date night when I was really young (which included me), I know, it defeats the purpose but anyhow, we would go for Chinese Food where I would giggle hysterically when the waiter said pork flied lice. After eating we would visit the bookstores in Harvard Sq. Camb for an entire late afternoon into evening. We would all sit in our various sections, browsing. We would stay until closing where we all brought our findings to the counter. They would buy whatever books I wanted at the end of the evening. That set my book buying process in motion and continues today.
When I hit the bookstore I have a book I am in the mood for, a specific genre, then I browse but title and cover, reading the backs then reading the first page. If I’m not interested by the first few pages I then put it down. When I found an author I like I will almost always read all of the books they’ve written, even when they switch genres. I follow reviews in magazines and such but it will hardly ever prompt me to buy a book, the reviews are always good so what is the point.
I have one uncle who has similar book tastes who I listen to for recommendations but I tend to be the person who is recommending, shoving books at people and demanding they read them.
While at the bookstore I will give the prize winning books a double look and when the popularity of a book has everyone talking about it I will try those as well. Sometimes it works, like Game of Thrones, phenomenal…. sometimes it doesn’t Fifty shades of gray, couldn’t make it past chapter two.
I found your blog inadvertently when trying to find out more about a new author. Since then I’ve been hooked on your blog which prompted me to buy your books.
I guess I should mention that I don’t watch tv so other than renting a movie now and then, all of my entertainment comes in book form so I am probably not the average person.
May 13, 2013 — 8:29 AM
Travis Cole says:
I am always on the prowl for something new I haven’t read before. (top new authors)SO I am trolling best x lists and award lists.(Stoker/Neb) I get a sample and if I like I buy. I like this site for that as well. Ads NEVER do it for me because I never see them.
May 13, 2013 — 8:29 AM
Wulfie says:
I treat buying books nowadays almost the same way I did back in the day when we had to actually go to a library or book store. (yes, they actually used to exist and I actually went to them) I go to the section housing the genres I like and browse. I always check out authors I’m already familiar with first then move on to what’s new. I could care less about covers; even back in the day they sucked. (Uh hello, The Shining) And today’s covers? Boo! Hiss! (I do like the covers to Black Birds & Mocking Bird. Loved the Polish ones too. But Double Dead is too comic book-y for me so I’d have had to base that choice on reading blurb and pages) Next I read the blurb to see if it pushes my interest button, if it does I read the first few pages to see if I like the writing style/voice and to make sure it’s not in first person present which I despise. Then I look at the number of pages. I don’t consider it a book unless it has good word count, the more pages the better. And I not fond of novellas which, to me, are long winded short stories or pre-mature births of a novel. (I DO read short stories but I only buy them in anthology form.) I don’t check out trailers. I will check out tweeted recommendations if it’s in my interest range. I used to base some decisions on reviews but discovered they’re not trustworthy. Swag and contests will entice me if I know the author’s stuff. A bundled deal by an author I know I like will also entice me. So for me it’s mostly: subject, #of pages, blurb, sample.
May 13, 2013 — 8:30 AM
Cat York says:
I have 4/5 people I keep in touch with online whose taste in books is like to mine (MG to YA fantasy). I trust their opinion. I read a book if they give a thumbs up. Though, I read a lot outside those categories. If I meet an author and I like her/him, I read their book. Usually, funny-cool-nice people produce funny/cool/readable work.
I also try to make sure I’m diving into the occasional classic.
May 13, 2013 — 8:40 AM
Matt Gomez says:
A few things honestly. Cover is a definite plus, and I do check out the blurbs, though less for what they saw and more for who quoted them. Nowadays seeing a book pushed on twitter will grab my attention as well, especially its an author I already follow.
I remember picking up SANDMAN SLIM by Richard Kadrey because part of the dedication was to Tom Waits… and my wife drew my attention to it.
I’ve also stolen a tactic from my wife. I’ll read the first page. If I’m not grabbed, well, that’s it, you’re done. Though that’s nicer than my wife. She gives a writer two sentences, a paragraph at most.
May 13, 2013 — 8:40 AM
Jessica says:
I browse bookshops, picking things up because the title and/or cover looks interesting. I’ll read the blurb, give the first page a try and if I’m still reading at the end of the first chapter, I go buy the book.
The other thing that gets me to buy a book is if it’s recommended by an author I read. I follow a few different author’s blogs and if one of them posts a positive review, it’s a good indicator that I’ll like the book as well.
May 13, 2013 — 9:08 AM
Eric H. says:
When browsing, an eye-catching cover or a good title help get me to pick it up cold.
In general, though, word of mouth or a really interesting description will do it. I’ll also almost always try a free e-book and have found several new authors I might never have heard of because of them.
Authors whose tweets or blog posts indicate a compatible sense of humor or realm of interest get higher priority when it comes to trying their books. This includes you, Mr. Wendig.
This sort of fits in word of mouth, but mention/endorsement from another author I already like. Less Scalzi’s “The Big Idea” (which is nice but not exactly an endorsement) and more “Author A mentions finishing ARC of Author B’s work and it gave them chills.”
May 13, 2013 — 9:12 AM
Kyoko says:
1) A non-stupid title catches my eye.
2) Decent cover gets me to pick it up.
3) A solid and/or funny synopsis and blurb will get me reading the first chapter, or if it’s on Amazon I’ll check customer reviews for their general opinion.
4) I typically give a book five chapters to impress me and if so, that warrants a buy. However, being broke does have a lot to do with it so the price tag often determines if I’ll buy it. That’s why I use Amazon 99% of the time. I buy used books because the normal retail price is almost always above my budget.
Not sure if I helped but that’s my two cents.
May 13, 2013 — 9:14 AM
smithster says:
Several things play into my reading choice. I have some favorite authors, and I’ll buy and read their stuff just because their name is on it. My second method is recommendations, particularly recommendations by people who’s opinions I trust, ie people who like the same stuff I do and can express that like clearly (by which I mean to imply they have a good command of the English language and look for the same in books). I will buy an unknown author on the recommendation of other writers/readers/friends/reviewers I trust. When it comes to actually reading a book (the not putting it down after 1 page/chapter part), I need to like the writing style and the characters, and plausibility is a big factor – I don’t mean plausibility as in real-world, I’m a sci-fi/fantasy fan so meh, I mean plausibility as in “Oh yeah, he’d totally do that” and “No wai! That spaceship did NOT just arrive miraculously in time to save his ass for a fifth time!” Also, I’m not a fan of authors who are serial killers (eyes George RR).
May 13, 2013 — 9:15 AM
Wanderer says:
chuckled at the last line, although George RR has so many characters he HAS to kill off a few…dozen.
May 13, 2013 — 9:33 AM
Jody says:
I get most of my books electronically on my Kindle or Kindle app. I own hundreds of real books, but rarely buy them any more. That being said, I dont browse bookstores like I used to. I get a LOT of recommendations (with not near enoigh variety, if you ask me) from Amazon. I typically start my browsing from one of those levels of suggestions. If I liked a partucular book or author, I will search from there. I’m willing to try things I wouldn’t nornally consider if they are cheap & then go from there.
May 13, 2013 — 9:15 AM
Wanderer says:
Book recommendations from other people are always helpful, but since I’m one of the few fantasy readers among my friends and family, I usually go to them for recommendations in genres I don’t normally read. My attention will definitely be grabbed by a book cover but a “dull” or “bad” cover won’t dissuade me from purchasing it if I like the blurb. The only “random” books I have purchased have either been used or cheap e-books—purely based on price and the fact that the blurb was interesting. Recommendations by other authors I like is definitely a plus and I like when reviewers compare books to author’s with which I am already familiar. I think radio ads are tacky…I have only heard a few and the most recent one sounded like an advert for a really bad haunted house. I think TV commercials are the same.
May 13, 2013 — 9:32 AM
Beth L. says:
Usually it’s one of a few factors – a recommendation from somebody, an author I at least know of (your guest spots on this blog are great for finding new things to read and authors to follow, thanks), or getting drawn in by about the first chapter (in the middle of Gods & Monsters, by the way, and loving it!).
Things that don’t work – reviews, contests, too much self-promo.
Please no firefighter calendar. Step away from the hose.
May 13, 2013 — 9:34 AM
Belly Peterson says:
What gets me to buy:
-Goodwill generated by author’s earlier works (easily #1)
-Book cover
-Premise (this is key)
-Author endorsement (introductions especially)
-Trusted reviewer
-Word-of-mouth
What keeps me from buying:
-Shitty book covers
-A premise that doesn’t interest me
-Book trailers (no influence either way, really)
-Spam from authors/marketers
-Negative reader reviews where the reviewer picks on things I’d pick on, too
May 13, 2013 — 9:35 AM
Alan says:
1. I’ve read something by that author before (well, duh).
2. I hear about the book on author blogs or on Twitter in a positive way, sometimes in combination with it appearing on award ballots, but often not. It usually takes me long enough to get round to a book heard this way that it’s had time to become fairly well regarded.
3. I’ve encountered the author’s writing on blogs or Twitter and they’re smart/interesting/entertaining enough to check out their books (looking forward to reading yours, Chuck).
I pretty much never just pick something up in the store unless I’ve already heard about it.
May 13, 2013 — 9:35 AM
Belly Peterson says:
Author interviews often will convince me to give an author’s book a try, too.
May 13, 2013 — 9:36 AM
Justine Spencer says:
I may sound really shallow, but it is ALWAYS the cover that gets me to buy a book. Since I’m a girl: pink and lime greens together seem to shout at me the most for some reason. I can’t even be bothered to read what the book is about most times before I buy it (I do read the title at least).
That being said, 95% of the time I finish the book, and a good 75% of the time I actually really enjoy the book . . . so my method is working I suppose.
(On an unrelated note, by chapter five, I always flip to the back and read the last page).
May 13, 2013 — 9:41 AM
Betsy says:
Oh, also I’ll sometimes buy books that have won awards. Plus, I’m in a book club. Generally, I’ll go to the library for a book club book, but once in a while I’ll buy a copy if it looks really good. I also buy beach reads when I’m on vacation. These are paperbacks that I will leave in a vacation cottage, etc. for the next person. I have a Kindle, but I almost never use it. I still really like to hold a book in my hand, take it to the beach without worrying about it being stolen, etc.
May 13, 2013 — 9:47 AM
Freddy says:
My favorite books end up being those recommended — genuinely, not in some promotional cover blurb — by other writers. If a writer I love recommends a book, I’ll probably buy it. Other than that, I have a couple friends whose opinions I trust. I’ll take chances on fiction once in a while. When I do, it’s the title that grabs me first, then description; then it’s the prose of the first couple of pages, a bit of prose from somewhere nearer to the middle. If I like the way the author writes, I’ll probably like the book.
May 13, 2013 — 9:49 AM
kyraninse says:
Nowadays, to be honest, Pixel of Ink is the cause of 95% of my book purchases.
I browse through, pick blurbs that sound interesting, get a sample, and usually end up hitting buy.
Once an author’s hooked me for free, I usually go back and buy up their entire backlist. I can burn through a trilogy a day, so my habits are probably not what anyone should base anything on. I ended up buying Anne Stuarts entire back list of 40 plus books because I got one free read from her.
What else usually grabs me: snippets. I’ll read teases and hooks and usually end up clicking buy. Give me a chapter and if I like it, you’ll get my money.
I won’t buy books on recommendations anymore because I’ve realised that even though I love certain authors, their reading taste is not my taste (I don’t know why) and I should not buy books based on their say-so.
May 13, 2013 — 9:51 AM
Lillian says:
I read books that win contests. Sometimes I wonder if I read them just so I can say it wasn’t that good. Or perhaps it is just that I have so little free time I need someone else to tell me a book is worth the time investment before I am willing to pony up the time. I don’t read books that people tell me the loved. I find I rarely like the same books most of my non-writer friends like. I do download the free books from amazon and sometimes I get around to reading them. However, usually I just read the first few pages and if I don’t like it I don’t read any further. Its rare I read them all the way through. That’s my two cents. I hope its of value to someone.
May 13, 2013 — 9:53 AM
partlowspool says:
I’m a genre slut and will read anything. I have ONE friend who is allowed to hand me a book and say “Read this and tell me what you think” and I do. My book club keeps me reading things (fic and nonfic) that I otherwise never would have picked up. But when it comes to e-only books, I never look at the titles and I always look at the reviews. In the heated flush of new Kindle ownership, I got bitten more than once by an interesting premise only to find a book so riddled with grammatical errors that it was rendered unreadable. For ebooks, I couldn’t care less about a cover. Our library district puts out newsletters periodically, sorted by genre, and I get a lot of good recommendations there. Also a big plus, if I’ve read the author previously and liked them. Last but not least, if a writer friend says “you should read this,” I’ll usually give it a try. That’s how a Wendig book ended up in my hands.
May 13, 2013 — 9:56 AM
Craig Soffer says:
I’m going to go with place, character, and voice, seamlessly blended into a transportive experience. Also, I will read if I see a big guy with a beard holding a gun to my head. Place (time, location, atmosphere) is critical to the reading experience. The more salient question is how do I find books to read: The New York Times book review has led me to some great books. Recommendations from friends are key. Bloggers I trust and respect. I have yet to read a book because someone tweeted about it. Writers following other writers and all just tweeting adds for their books fills up the twitterverse with the equivalent of cosmic space poop.
May 13, 2013 — 9:57 AM
A. S says:
Recommendations from some trusted Booktubers. And a damn good first page.
I use Amazon quite a lot to scope out new books as well. And occasionally just type a genre into google and see what new authors I can hunt down myself. Found some real gems that way.
(And indeed, that is how I found yourself sir!)
May 13, 2013 — 9:57 AM
Anthony Laffan says:
A friends recommendation is the biggest thing for me.
Beyond that, usually the cover image will get me to pick up a book off the book shelf and read the back blurb. If that seems interesting, I’ll go forward from there. If the cover image doesn’t do it, a good title could do that.
Beyond those, there are some author names I’ll pick up just because of the author (Chuck Wendig, Neil Gaiman, etc) and some series I’m more inclined to try over others (Star Wars, Animorphs, etc)
I really am, when left to my own devices, a lazy reader. This has been changing lately with me trying to read more. But I’m less likely to come across a review or blurb on something than I am to just stumble across the book or see a compelling image.
May 13, 2013 — 10:01 AM
EK Johnson says:
Cover. Title. Synopsis. First page. In that order. Interestingly, my late interest in eBooks has taken “Cover” off the list, since even if I switch to thumbnails, they appear as tiny, unattractive, gray images which mean very little to me.
Sometimes recommendations come into play, but I often forget vital information like “author” and “title”, so that I never actually reach the right shelf. I also used to get a lot of books as gifts, which I then feel compelled to read (except for when they come from my aunt and contain steamy, poorly written prose about paranatural romance). Finally, sometimes after picking up a book with an eye-catching cover or clever title, I notice that one of my favorite authors has also read this book and taken the time to rave about it, at which point my purchase of said book is non-negotiable.
My mother, on the other hand, opens every book up to its inside cover before purchasing it. There she looks for awards, nominations, reviews and the like. I’ve tried this, but lack of quantified prestige doesn’t deter me nearly as often as it does my mother. If, however, I only have money for two books and I have three books to choose from, I usually drop the unknown.
(Recently, Brandon Sanderson offered a free audiobook version of his novella/short story “Legion”. After enjoying the free goody, I went online and bought the ebook version of the same. I began browsing his other titles and spent money on still more of his books. So yeah, that was effective.)
May 13, 2013 — 10:01 AM
danzierlea says:
You’re not gonna like this…
I read whatever I can get my grubby mitts on. I don’t go to bookstores without money, so I almost never go. This makes me sad. I have trouble returning books to libraries. Seriously, hundred-dollar fines are not uncommon when I visit libraries anywhere. So… I almost never go. This also makes me sad. I go to yard sales and tag sales and garage sales and buy books by the boxful. I check genre first, and avoid the romances and westerns (Mom will give me those anyway).
If I’m at a bookstore, I read the title, then the back cover, then three random selections in the text. Never the first page–everyone overworks their first page, but who’s going to put page 67 through that? If I can’t stand the voice, back it goes. If I’m catching typos on two out of three random pages, back it goes. If the back cover promised space opera and I’m getting murder mystery (or super gore or descriptive bedroom) in my random spots, back it goes.
*If even one of the three random spots hooks me into the story, I will buy that book.* Just to find out what happens. I can’t justify standing in the aisle reading the thing (writers GET PAID to write), so if I catch myself doing so, I’ve just spent money.
This is why I’m no good at buying books on the internet. I can’t flip through them to random spots, usually. I’m predisposed to think they’ve been over-polished in visible spots and under-polished everywhere else, and I distrust the “Look Inside!” button. This does not bode well for my budding desire to be a hybrid author.
May 13, 2013 — 10:01 AM
Aspen Gainer says:
Picking books, in my opinion, is kind of like picking people out of a crowd I want to talk to. I’d like to think it has nothing to do with outward appearance, but that’s naive. When I come across random books, the first thing that grabs me is the cover. I like covers that have a specific look to them, usually a photo of some sort of landscape but one that looks a little dreamy. from there, if the title interests me, I usually read the description in the back. If it looks interesting, I’ll flip through it and randomly read bits and see if they interest me.
If I purposely go to a bookstore, I generally browse the same way, or find authors I like and see if they have new books out.
I was at a library book sale last week where they were selling off thousands of books, and most of them were jammed into boxes, spine out , so then it was title and author name that caught my eye . But overall, definitely cover is very important.
May 13, 2013 — 10:02 AM
shannon says:
First I refuse to read reviews on a book. Mostly because there are a lot of books I LOVE that haven’t gotten the best reviews, and other I HATED that are in the top ten. So reviews are OUT. period.
What gets me to read the summary on the back. The title. Gotta good title I’ll actually read the summary. The it goes to the first paragraph of the first page. Does it grab me, if it does you get a second shot to impress me when I open the book at random and read what’s there. If I am still interested, into the cart it goes.
I have gotten away from reading what others have recommended. (last three have been 50 Shades/Twi/ and I really don’t remember the last one other than it was unrememberable…maybe I blocked it out of my concious thought). I will still basically read anything that’s put in front of me, but to spend my own money I put a little more time into it. Do I still buy stinkers….occasionally but not often.
May 13, 2013 — 10:14 AM
Karoline Kingley says:
Generally, word of mouth is more powerful than my own shopping. I totally judge books by their cover, and then I read the description. Usually though, it has to sound pretty gosh darn interesting for me to buy it without knowing anything about it. So generally, I listen to the recommendations of friends.
May 13, 2013 — 10:18 AM
Terri Herrington says:
This is easy – First would be in a book store – Front Cover, Back Cover, First Few Pages gotta grab me – Next would be recommendations from friends and lastly best seller lists in my favorite genres.
May 13, 2013 — 10:28 AM
Maya Prasad says:
I will buy books written by bloggers I like (if the description also appeals to me), but most of the time I tend to read books that I’ve heard good things about, whether through goodreads or otherwise. Sometimes I get attracted by a pretty cover, but I always check the goodreads reviews. I’m active on goodreads, and I trust the opinions of my friends/people I follow more than the general reviews. If no one I know has read it, I usually try reading the first couple of pages to see if it’s for me.
May 13, 2013 — 10:36 AM
Rola says:
As a librarian working with teens – definitely Cover. If I direct them to a good book that has a cover that even remotely looks juvenile, in their eyes, I have asked them to pick up a used Kleenex. If I have to shelve a book with only the spine facing out, it will suffer from poor circulation. Also, I had one student tell me that she found certain fonts to be patronizing…
May 13, 2013 — 10:41 AM
Molly Dugger Brennan says:
My book-buying purchase decision process follows a typical path. In this order: (1) a recommendation from a friend, (2) a recommendation from NPR, Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart, (3) I have some sort of connection, no matter how tenuous, to the author, i.e., a mercy purchase, or (4) an intriguing cover and/or title that makes me say “Damn, I wish I’d thought of that.”
May 13, 2013 — 10:43 AM
Laith Shriam says:
I usually look into books I’ve already read on amazon and look into the other customers also looked at page. Sometimes I just wander around a bookstore whether it be real or online and look for interesting looking covers and names. After that a quick flip through or first chapter download and if I like it then I might get it. I also search for authors I have read before I look for new ones.
May 13, 2013 — 10:51 AM
Anne says:
This has changed since I got a Kindle. I rarely go to bookstores anymore. I pretty much shop exclusively on Amazon. Because I read so quickly and compulsively, I have to be careful about how much I spend — which means I try to make sure I’m going to get books I really like. Covers draw me, as superficial as that can be. Next I read reviews — particularly the 4/5 star ones and the 1 star ones. I avoid any review that starts out as a plot summary. That’s not a review. Reading the 1 stars helps me see if the things people don’t like are similar to what I don’t like. For example — many 1 stars of Blackbirds are from people who don’t like dark, foul-mouthed, heroines. But I do, so cool.
I definitely check out samples these days, and if the sample doesn’t catch me, it’s pretty much a sinker for buying the book.
If books are recommended by friends, I don’t necessarily bother with reading reviews or samples – I just get the book. Unless I know that friend’s tastes are incompatible with mine. For example, my uncle likes plodding, highly descriptive, war fiction. Not my thing.
And finally, since I’ve joined twitter, I find I’m more likely to check out an author’s book if I find them personable in their twitter feed. And I probably won’t check out a book if the author does nothing in their feed but plug their book. In fact, I stop following those authors.
That is a complete and exhaustive description of how I make my decisions as a reader. While I am also a writer, I only use my writer-side to choose a book if I feel like I need to read something for research purposes.
May 13, 2013 — 10:52 AM
Sara Rose says:
Recommendations usually, either from people I know who read the same stuff I like or from authors I enjoy. If I’m browsing a bookstore I’ll look through the reviews at the beginning of the book, and if one of my favorite authors praises it or someone mentions it being “like so-and-so”, then I’ll buy it. I’ve found a lot of great books this way.
Rarely have I bought a book strictly because of the cover or because of the blurb on the back, but it has happened on occasion. It has to seem unique enough though.
May 13, 2013 — 10:55 AM
Chrisv says:
1st: word of mouth. Although if it’s a book everyone and their dog is reading, I’ll probably be stubborn and not read it for a while just because. I’m weird that way. I have a daughter who volunteers at our local library, and she reads anything with a cover and words in between. She knows my tastes in books, and so if she says I’ll like it, I trust her and check it out. If I love, love, love it, I’ll purchase the book so I can re-read it to my hearts content. Everyone I know reads, and they all read different things. I’ve read every genre because various people have given me all kinds of suggestions. Sometimes I agree with them, sometimes I don’t, but it’s kind of fun to explore and try new things.
2nd: book cover. I have purchased books just because I love the artwork. Even if I don’t like the story so much (which has happened), I’ll buy good art.
3rd: Author interviews/readings. Blog posts usually don’t sell me on a book unless the cover art is also corresponding awesome. But hearing an author talk about the book, or just hearing the author talk, period, and I like their personality, I’ll check out the book based on that. I checked out The Maze Runner by James Dashner because I’d heard him on a podcast and was interested because he was funny and personable and I liked him, so I wanted to support him by reading his stuff.
4th: Author recommendations. When an author says, “Oh, the way so-n-so does dialogue in “book x” is a great example of how to do it right,” then I’ll probably read that book just to see what I can learn from it. I have a pretty big list of read-to-learn-from books because of this.
Lastly: Book Clubs. I have books I’d never have picked on my own because the children’s book of the month club or the sci-fi book club sent them to me. Or my local little book club chose it that month. (I never thought I’d read War and Peace, but some guy in my reading group wanted to read it, so we all read it.) The books I don’t like, I donate to the library. The ones I love have spots on my book shelves.
I have a hard time browsing in book stores and libraries because I want EVERYTHING and have a very hard time choosing.
May 13, 2013 — 11:00 AM
mmtz says:
In no particular order
* a good experience in the past with an author keeps me reading their books (uh-oh, I guess this is kind of a chicken and egg situation here)
* an interesting author interview will get my attention (a Sword&Laser interview of Paul Cornell got me to read his first novel, but this may be another chicken/egg conundrum–why read or watch a particular interview?)
* awards and best-of-the-year lists inspire interest (this is why I picked up Blackbirds)
* an interesting media tie-in (I went from watching Longmire on the tube to reading the novels by Craig Johnson that inspired the tv series)
* recommendation from someone with similar reading habits (but this may not be helpful finding something new and different)
* I wander the Sword&Laser forums at Goodreads looking for reviews and recommendations, so joining a book club physically or virtually can inspire interest in new authors
* I’ve also picked up books from authors encountered in the twitterverse, though it’s difficult to quantify why I’ve chosen to read any particular author/twitterer unless it’s that being expressive in 140 chars or less could translate to an interesting read in a longer format
May 13, 2013 — 11:03 AM
Lois Breedlove says:
I average a book a day — no tv — so I am always on the hunt. Fiction is almost always ebooks. I read by genre and often do searches by keyword on Amazon. If the premise interests me, I’ll read the bad reviews to make sure te negatives aren’t my “no gos”. Positive reviews don’t tell me much. If I find an author I’ll read everything s/he wrote. I pick up books that other authors recommend — picked up a few here. I like indie writers and tend to be tolerant, even though I teach journalism including copy editing. Voice is important, and if the blurb is clunky, I may try the sample before deciding.
May 13, 2013 — 11:05 AM
mmtz says:
Forgot to add one more reason:
* free ebooks–in the past couple of years free books have hooked me into buying an author’s other books, though I understand that can be a difficult choice for a writer to make
May 13, 2013 — 11:06 AM
Karen Klink says:
I will always check out a book by an author I know I like. If it’s no one I know, then:
Perusing a book shelf, if a cover or title grabs me, I look to see what it’s about, and of equal interest is . . .
Reviews. Reviews by Kirkus, Times, etc. count more for me than by other authors. If it’s from Goodreads or Amazon, I look for the not-so-hot reviews to see why they didn’t like the story. This tells me more than all those glowing four and five star reviews.
May 13, 2013 — 11:21 AM
Leifthesailor says:
Good question.
For me, word of mouth is what gets me to open that first book by one author or another. If I like what I read I then check out other books by the author, I even pay for those books. The other way I discover authors is to pick up random books at the book store. Sometimes I go for certain colors that stand out to me, I shy away from pink and purple for some reason. I’m an Earth color kind of guy. Other times I just don’t even look, I don’t always judge a book by its color. Lately I have been checking out authors after I read an article or blog I like, this is new to me.
What doesn’t get me to pick up a book is random television ads or internet ads. I’ll check out the books at the store, but very rarely find myself wanting to buy something that is advertised to me.
Leif
May 13, 2013 — 11:24 AM
Anabelle says:
Books that I hear about on the radio, that people I know are talking about, or that get lots of recommendations on Twitter. I stay away from certain genres, but I’m generally a bibliomnivore: I’ll basically read anything and keep reading unless it’s terrible (but even then I might actually read through, because, hell, I’ve invested so much time in getting that far already).
Suggestions from blogs like Book Riot also work really well for me.
May 13, 2013 — 11:59 AM
Bill Parker says:
Every now and then I’ll stumble across one on Goodreads or the “people also bought” links on Amazon, but mostly it’s just recommendations from people I like and trust, and that’s all.
May 13, 2013 — 12:01 PM
Soy says:
I used to rely on face-to-face recommendations, from reader to fellow reader, but a lot of my reader friends have moved recently so I’ve turned to website word-of-mouth. When in physical bookstores, the first thing that gets my attention tends to be the title (I guess because it’s the first thing I see on the spines?), and if it’s something intriguing I pick it up. Then it’s down to the cover, then reading the back, then the first few pages. If it’s got me wanting to turn into one of those people who stands in the middle of the aisle reading the merchandise, I get it. If not, back to the shelf. When on websites, it’s all about guest posts from the authors (like the Ten Questions here).
I gotta say that there’s nothing quite like finding a gem entirely on my own, though. That’s how I discovered Vicki Pettersson and Richard Kadrey and I don’t know what happens, but my inner-fangirl just raves to the surface and vomits OMGs on anyone within ear’s reach.
May 13, 2013 — 12:02 PM
geekinacardigan says:
My to-read list is a wicked OCD spreadsheet (currently 494 items long), so I just wander the used bookstore looking for things I know are on the list. They usually get on the list via either suggestions from friends or mentions on all the writery blogs/podcasts I consume. I’m also trying to work my way through every book that’s ever won a Pulitzer. Just for giggles.
May 13, 2013 — 12:02 PM
Obsidian Dragon says:
Friend recs are definitely one, even though I’ve…had some freinds reccomend some books I think are terrible. …okay, so let’s revise that to “freinds with similar tastes tells me it’s awesome”.
Does it have dragons in it? I am kind of a sucker for books with dragons in it.
I have picked up an author’s books after reading an e-book offered for free. I like e-books offered for free. For the “cost” of one free book, one author in particular now has me scrambling to buy his books the second they come out, in hard cover even. For the record, it’s very hard to get me to buy books in hard cover! I also now shove the PDF at friends to get them addicted to the drug.
Sometimes I just browse and pick up whatever has the most awesome sounding blurb. “Don’t have a shitty title” probably also plays into this.
May 13, 2013 — 12:03 PM
susan says:
Believe it or not I have bought a number of books based on twitter recommends by well-known agents, authors, or other literary types. For example, I believe it was a tweet by Neil Gaiman that alerted me to G. Willow Wilson’s Alif the Unseen, which I loved.
May 13, 2013 — 12:05 PM
Beth says:
I browse bookstores. Cover is a big deal. If it looks like a book I hated, or a genre I ignore, I might ignore it. I read authors I love. I read other books that authors I love said they loved. I don’t think I will exhaust my to-be-read pile anytime soon, but those criteria keep me busy.
May 13, 2013 — 12:06 PM