So here's a question for all you readers (translation: everyone): what makes you decide to take a chance on a new author? Is it the book blurb? The cover? The phase of the moon? Some other intangible quality?
I generally pick up a book based on its cover, then read the blurb. If I'm still interested, I'll flip to a random page and read a paragraph. If I still want to read, I'll buy it.
This strategy works for physical books, but obviously with an e-book, I can't actually pick it up. I still look at the cover and read the description, but for some reason, I don't really worry about the excerpt. I think it's the allure of one-click buying that makes me skip my final step.
How do you decide?
I know the old cliche about book covers and all that, but it's definitely what first draws me in. Then if the blurb still holds my interest I'll buy it. I don't flick through the book in case it gives anything away, I really hate spoilers.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean--it's sad that I'll use the cover as an initial screen, since authors generally have nothing to do with their covers. Still, appearances do matter a little...
DeleteI rarely pick up a book I know nothing about. Generally I work off of reviews I've seen around the blogosphere, books of friends and books I've heard enough about that I think I have an idea of whether or not I may like it.
ReplyDeleteI'm always a little reluctant to read reviews first because I don't want to read spoilers :)
DeleteBook cover first, of course. I do most of my 'shopping' for books stumbling over them online. If it looks nasty I'll pass. I then click on the cover and look it over more closely. Hmmmm...
ReplyDeleteThen (Amazon, at least) I read through the excerpt, skip around, say 'Hmmmm...' and either give it a miss or else buy.
The cover might draw me in, but the content has to be good. I passed on a best-seller because I didn't like the stream-of-consciousness way the author wrote of medieval women.
I know what you mean--even the best cover won't get me to buy a book if I'm not interested in the story or the excerpt doesn't work for me.
DeleteReviews sometimes. Cover- eha. I tend not to judge a book by its cover. I know I'm strange. The back cover blurb or description. E-books the excerpt or inside the book.
ReplyDeleteBlurb is very important--sometimes I'll just buy the book if the blub looks good enough to me.
DeleteCover and blurb--absolutely. If the cover doesn't draw me to read the blurb...
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a bit of a quandry for me, too: the cover needs to draw the eye for me to read the blurb, but I don't want to 'punish' a book for having a bad cover...
DeleteI start with the title. Second comes the cover. Third the blurb. If I'm still interested, I'll choose a random page. The irony is that it is never the first page. If it can hold my attention for two minutes and IF it is not too expensive, I'll buy it.
ReplyDeleteTitle, eh? For some reason, the title generally doesn't factor in to my consideration. Isn't it funny how we all have our own little strategies? :)
DeleteSo far I think I've only gotten ebooks from authors I know or blogging/forum friends.
ReplyDeleteAs for real books... it's difficult to say. you know how you have a massive TBR pile and you finish your current crop of books and then you look at the TBR pile wondering what to read? I mean, these are all books *I* chose (except the gifts or prizes), surely I should be able to just pull the first one of the top and start? But it doesn't really work that way - some days you want a classic, some days you need a fast read, some days YA, some days a gloriously long tome, etc. I suppose choosing a book in a store is like that too... Such an interestingly complicated and fun exercise!
But it's been ages since I was "free" enough to just browse and find a book at random - nowadays I gravitate towards authors I know whose books I'm reading or writer friends or books recommended by writer friends that have piqued my interest or classics I never got around to or...
I know what you mean about having a huge TBR pile and 'nothing' to read--it always depends on my mood, and whether or not I feel like a series or stand-alone, and length, and genre, and... :)
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