What makes you buy a book? [Archive] - Absolute Write Water Cooler

Garpy

07-25-2005, 06:27 PM

I'm sort of curious about this. I was mooching in Ottakers t'other day and I found that most of the jackets I read left me utterly uninspired. It seems virtually every new release is a crimer thriller, and the blurb pretty much starts with '...when xxxxxx discovers the macabre remains of a body in xxxxxx...' Or if it's not a crime thriller it's a character piece, a cluster of characters based around a central 'interest point' like a book club, and their lives and tribulations.

Anyway...the point is, I find it's so hard to pick up a book with a blurb that excites my interest. So many concepts sound tired and done (crime, ChikLit) or sound just too oddball (Life of Pi) for my jaded eyes...and I just wondered whether people buy on the basis of the blurb, or maybe its the cover, the author's name? For me, it goes like this...

if the title on the spine intrigues, I'll pull it out. If the cover further arouses my curiosity I'll flip it over and read the blurb. If the blurb mamages to inspire...and that's usually when things fall apart....I'll open the book and try out the first two or three paragraphs. If they read okay, then it's very likely coming home with me. But like I say, the blurb is usually the fall-over point, and I wonder, given most blurbs seem to me to be utterly tedious, how books actually manage to sell?

Okay...this reads like a disorganised rant....but the general question/talking point still stands....what makes you buy a book you've never heard of?

Inspired

07-25-2005, 06:32 PM

The most recent adult novel I bought was purely because I saw Uncle Jim's name on the cover.

I tend to read more kids' books and non-fiction. Something on the cover has to catch my eye first. It could be the title, the picture, or the style (artwork or font.) Then, the blurbs have to really rope me in. I sometimes read the first page as well, but not always. I also sometimes read the chapter titles (especially for non-fiction.)

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes was one that caught my attention in Barnes and Noble once. It totally caught me. The cover picture and the back (a compelling bit of writing from a later chapter of the book) sucked me right in.

But, being a tightwad, I went to my library and checked it out.

Jamesaritchie

07-25-2005, 07:05 PM

If it's a book I never heard of I first look to see what genre it is. I love mysteries of all types. I do read the cover, but if I pick the book up, I'm going to read the first page. If the first page is good, I take the book.

But I find 90% of new writers either at libraries or used bookstores. Libraries are wonderful places, and you can take a chance on a new writer without shelling out the big bucks. Used bookstores let you do almost the same thing with paperbacks.

I also buy new writers because a trusted friend recommends them. I also swap books with reading friends, and often find new writers this way.

And sometimes I find a new writer by simply walking trhough bookstores and picking up whatever catches my eye. And if I pick it up, I will read a page or two. In the end, it always depends on the first page or two. If I like the way the person writes, I'll get the book. I don;t necessarily have to get ghooked on teh story in the first couple of pages, but I do have to enjoy reading them.

l.stormgaye

07-25-2005, 07:13 PM

The synopsis on the back, then the first paragraph, then the author.

James D. Macdonald

07-25-2005, 07:32 PM

Please note that bit about reading the first page.

Writers get all bent out of shape if editors reject their manuscript after reading the first page, but that's what readers do in their thousands and hundreds of thousands, all day every day.

Garpy

07-25-2005, 07:40 PM

Absolutely agree with you there. I might add that quite often your book has got to sell even BEFORE the 1st page...ie: the Title and tagline on the front cover has got to have pucker-power.

But then, I have noticed a lot of books out there that take til like, page 125 to get moving....and I'm oftened curious how books like these got off the slush pile and into print.

maestrowork

07-25-2005, 07:50 PM

How about word of mouth? We all hear how books are sold mainly through word of mouth. So, how many people here buy a book based on word of mouth, recommendation, reviews, etc.?

As for how I shop for books...

1. I wander around the sections in which I'm most interested (I rarely wander around Romance, for example)

2. If I see a book by an author I know or admire, or a title I've heard of somewhere (word of mouth), I'll probably pick it up; or if a cover gets my attention

3. I read the blurb. Now, it doesn't have to be super-intriging, but it has to at least interest me

4. I read the first page, then somewhere in the middle. I know that a lot of books (at least the ones I'm interested in) tend to start slow. So I don't expect to be WOWed by the first few pages. But somewhere in the middle, it'd better be good. I tend to look for styles that agree with me. Some writers, no matter how well they tell a story, just don't excite me because of their writing styles. For example, I don't ramblers. If an author tend to ramble and go off on a tangent, I'd most likely pass...

5. I also consider the length of the book. I shy away from anything longer than 400 pages. I have a short attention span. The only way I can finish a book longer than 400 pages is that it has to be REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good, so good that I just can't put the book down (and that would mean I'd have to shut myself out from the rest of the world for a few days... and without sleep...) It doesn't happen a lot.

kristie911

07-25-2005, 08:01 PM

I am very, very stuck on certain authors. I will always read their new books and usually buy them; i.e. Stephen King, Kathy Reichs, Nora Roberts, Jeffery Deaver, Sue Grafton, Karen Robards. If I'm out of books to read, I will send my husband into Barnes and Noble and tell him to pick out a book for me. He doesn't read books but will pick them out for me according to genre, then title, then blurb on back cover.

Nothing on earth can get me to buy an author I've never read...I don't know why either. I wish I could!

maestrowork

07-25-2005, 08:08 PM

James D. Macdonald

07-25-2005, 08:09 PM

The books that start slow are often later books by authors you've heard of.

They earned the right to a slow start by putting a dynamite climax in their previous book.

The number one reason anyone buys a book is still "read and enjoyed another book by the same author."

AdamH

07-25-2005, 08:12 PM

If it's an author I've read and enjoyed before. I'll pick it up no matter what.

For someone I've never read before, it's a little more lengthy:

1. Some visual queue to attract me to the book. Like a catchy title, or a unique cover. It's got to differentiate itself from the rest of the landscape of trade fiction.

2. I read the back. It it's interesting then...

3. I flip quickly through the book and look at the font. (it sounds weird but I don't like getting distracted by a font that looks like the publisher wanted to fit as many words as possible into the page.)

4. Then I read the first couple pages. If it flows well, I'm sold. :)

But, the library is a great place to experiment with new authors. I'm more likely to read someone new instead of just buying it out right.

Also, "word of mouth" is invaluable. I've tried authors I would've never considered on the opinions of friends and found some great gems.

Tirjasdyn

07-25-2005, 08:20 PM

I buy new books all the time. My decisions are based purely on "what kind of story do I feel like now".

So I go to the (grocery store, book store, drug store, amazon etc)...I browse the ilse, which I end up in depends on the type of story I'm looking for...I don't go to scifi for sweeping family dramas nor do I go to uncatergorized fiction for space opera. First I look for titles that catch my eye (you can actually tell a lot by a title, Ive never been suprised by going this route). Then I look at the cover, usually an easy pass, I don't care what a cover looks like. Then I flip it over.

Books without blurbs, and I mean real blurbs, not quotes or comments, almost always get put back. I'll check the inside cover and try to read the first few paragraphs but If I can't figure out what it is about from that then back it goes. I could care less if it was a "rollicking tale", I'd rather know boy finds dragon and trys to sell him. (Star trek books used to do good with this with their little one sentance on the front cover).

Then I check the author and unless it falls in to my "I will never pay to read this author again catergory" I buy it. Usually an easy pass since that catergory only includes Stephen King, VC Andrews and Poul Anderson.

Poul Anderson is sneaky though, I've almost bought his books thousands of times...good marketing.

Now as you might imagine this gets me lots of 3rd book in the series. I don't mind though. I read the Kushiel's trilogy 2, 3, 1, because of this but it was still great. Same with Ice and fire, 3 1 2 .

I just want the story.

I didn't begin reading Harry Potter till after the first movie came out, because when you talked to a fan, the story seemed to be about this boy, who's perfect, gets to be a wizard.

I had no desire to read that story. I got assigned it in a class a took. So I read, and I was really glad that I was wrong about the story. Still I had no desire to read any more after the first. When the second movie came out my mother had bought me the set (2-3 at the time) So I read it and was hooked.

Christine N.

07-25-2005, 08:46 PM

I picked up my first Tamora Pierce novel on a whim. I was actually on my way out of the library after going to storytime with the Munchkin and the picture on the front cover got me. I flipped it over, loved the blurb, and it came home with me.

She's now one of my favorite authors. I've since collected seven more of her books, and plan on more.

I almost never make a decision based on the review blurbs. The fact that Kirkus liked it makes no nevermind to me.

Jamesaritchie

07-25-2005, 08:55 PM

[QUOTE=Tirjasdyn] Stephen King, VC Andrews and Poul Anderson.

Poul Anderson is sneaky though, I've almost bought his books thousands of times...good marketing.

QUOTE]

Matter of taste. I think Poul Anderson is one of the five or six best SF writers of all time. I'd buy a phone book with his name on the cover. I feel even stronger about Stephen King. One of the very best there is in any type of writing, in my opinion.

Zolah

07-25-2005, 08:55 PM

Let's see...well, the number one reason I buy books is because of recommendations from my circle of bibliophile friends. I do the vast majority of this buying online, new and second hand.

But there's a certain thrill to wandering into a bookshop with twenty quid in your pocket and just picking off the shelves. Titles and names sell me - a new book by a beloved author will leap straight into my hands without a glance at cover or blurb on the way, and a really beautiful, intriguing title will influence me far more than the beauty or otherwise of the cover. Having said that, I did recently buy Meg Rosoff's 'How I Live Now' almost purely on the basis of its lush cover art - and contrary to that proverb about books and their covers, it was a wonderful book.

This weekend I was a bit off colour and very bored and my WIP was going nowhere fast, so I plumped for my ultimate 'cheer-up' and went into town to my favourite brick and mortar bookstop, Ottakars. I bought four books - three of them on a 3for2 offer and the other because it was a book edited by the lady I hope will soon be my American editor.

These books were: 'Princess Academy', (can't remember author) which I bought despite the twee title and vile cover because the blurb was unexpected and the first page intriguing; 'The Star of Kazan' by Eva Ibbotson despite unpromising cover art and generic title because I know Eva Ibbotson of old and had a vague memory of a positive review; 'The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things' by Carolyn Mackler - a delicious title, boring cover; and 'The Valley of Secrets' (can't remember the author) because I needed to get a third book and again, I vaguely remembered reading a review.

My verdicts on these books: 'The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things' was a hilarious and genuinely moving book that was slightly spoiled for me by a cop-out on a serious topic it explored. 'Princess Academy' was competantly written and the second half really sang - shame about the leaden first half. 'The Star of Kazan' had the quality one expects from Eva Ibbotson and was well worth the money, and 'The Valley of Secrets' was so dire I couldn't read more than about ten pages in.

Jamesaritchie

07-25-2005, 09:14 PM

But how did you get to read King, Roberts, Deaver... in the first place? ;)

I read these writers, and I can tell you how I started reading all of them. I started reading Stephen King because I'd already seen a couple of his short stories and loved his writing. When "Carrie" came out I couldn;t wait to buy it.

I started reading Roberts because I friend handed me four books and said, "Read these." I started reading Deaver because I found a copy of one of his novels at a yard sale for a buck.

There are many ways to find new writers, but when all is said and one it's the writing that counts. I think it's a wonderful idea to go to the library, check out ten or twelve books by new writers, and take them home. Yoou don't have to pay for them, and you don't have to read them. If a book bores you halfway through, stop reading. It didn't cost anything, after all.

Unfortunately, far too many people go to libraries only to get books by writers they already enjoy reading. Go to the library for new writers, and buy books by writers you already enjoy. Everyone gets helped this way.

AndreaGS

07-25-2005, 09:36 PM

I tend to browse amazon, and when I find something interesting, I read the first few pages. If it looks like something I'll like, I run down to the bookstore and pick it up (I'm too impatient to wait for a book to come in the mail, especially if I've read the first few pages and I liked it).

I still do browse at bookstores once in a while. I tend to base my purchases on the blurb, whether or not I've heard about the author and their books (most of the time, I've heard something from a friend or a website about it), and the cover. I once bought a book based solely upon its cover, and although I did not enjoy the book, I still take it out once in a while to gaze fondly at its artwork.

Tirjasdyn

07-25-2005, 11:53 PM

Matter of taste. I think Poul Anderson is one of the five or six best SF writers of all time. I'd buy a phone book with his name on the cover. I feel even stronger about Stephen King. One of the very best there is in any type of writing, in my opinion.

Yes it is. I never said I wouldn't read those authors again, I just wont' pay to read them ever again. I just can't drop money on that kind of mental anguish.

kristie911

07-26-2005, 12:33 AM

But how did you get to read King, Roberts, Deaver... in the first place? ;)

Someone lent me their books and I enjoyed them. The original question was why do you BUY a book...correct? :)

A friend at work gave me BONES by Jan Burke a few years ago...I read it, loved it and currently own every one of her books. Same thing happened with John Sanford's Prey series...and that was a lot of books to buy since I didn't start the series until about four years ago!!

KTC

07-26-2005, 01:24 AM

There are a few things that get me...

1. I am a sucker for a good looking cover. I have bought books for their beauty in the past.

2. I need quirky. If I read quirky in the inside flap or back cover I want to read the book.

3. Word of mouth. I have learned to trust certain book reading friends that share my interest. My sister-in-law is my most compatible fellow reader. If I like a book she will like it and if she likes a book I will like it.

4. Literary books that are classics. There are so many that I will never read them all...but it is my goal to try.

5. If I find a book I love I read everything from that author until I have drained their every word into my noggin.

6. I go to page 40 if a book interests me. I read the entire page. If I get hooked on that page I buy the book. Page 40 should be able to grab you. The page 40 test is one I do on books I'm not quite sure about. If that page is a hit the rest of the book is bound to be too.

hpoppink

07-26-2005, 08:55 AM

My method in deciding what book to buy:

1. Browse by author. The first thing I do in a bookstore is walk to the sections where I can find books by authors I already like. I check to see if they have anything new. If not, I glance at the entire bookshelf where their books are located, looking for new authors whose last names happen to begin with the same letter. (Lucky them.)

2. Title. I look for titles that imply some kind of epic adventure, preferably the beginning of one. I love finding a new series. That way, if I really like what I read, there is more for me to devour. (I am also more likely to see the author as writing quality if s/he has more than one book on the shelves; however, this is obviously not a hard and fast rule.)

3. Once I see a good title, I pull the book off the shelf and look at the back. I read the blurb. If the story is unique, I'll stay interested. If it's too similar to something I've read recently, I will put the book back.

4. Cover illustration. If the main image is a man and woman embracing one another, I will put the book down. Most everything else is acceptable.

5. Page 1+. I almost always read several pages into a book before I will buy it. If the book doesn't demand that I keep turning pages, it's not worth my money.

6. Random page. Someone said page 40, but I'm not that consistent. I usually flip until I hit a page with lots of dialogue. If the author can make me laugh, think deeply, or tremble by what is written on that page, I take it to the cashier.

BlueTexas

07-26-2005, 10:38 AM

aruna

07-26-2005, 12:36 PM

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this...I'm a sucker for setting. I'll read any new author if their book is set somewhere I've lived.

I guess I like to see my world through someone else's eyes. I usually read the jacket first, then a random page or two.

I tend to ignore jacket blurbs. I've been suckered too many times that way.

And I'm the opposite: i like to read about settings I don't know about! I love to travel and live in differentplaces, and reading stories set in foreign countries is the next best thing. That way i've discovered Kenya, Burma, japan and lots of other countries, I also like to read novels in settings I have known in the past. Currently i'm reading A House for Mr Biswas, by V.S. Naipaul, and since I spent lots of chilhood years in Trinidad it's wonderful to wallow in memories of that lush world. (So in this, I am like you, Blue Texas). I am getting tired of books set in Britain or America; I do know and love India and have readjust about every book set there. Recently I picked up a book by a Canadian author called "the Secret World of Vikram Lall" becasue it sounded like the kind of book I like: epic, multicultural, big themes.

gp101

07-26-2005, 02:25 PM

I'm usually in a rush when it comes to buying books. The bookstore happens to be nearby in the middle of my errands so I pop in, or the bookshelf at the supermarket beckons. My first criteria: am I going hardback or paperback? If it's hardback, I usually look for my favorite authors considering I want a "sure-thing" at that price. But if I'm in the mood for someone new, usually I browse my favorite genres, pick out the titles that grab my attention, then check out the one-page synopsis inside the jacket. I don't like blurbs from reviews. Publishers are only going to pick the ones that suit them anyway, and a lot of times they're from obscure reviewers to begin with (that usually sends up the reddest of flags).

If I'm at the airport or supermarket looking for paperbacks, the process is even quicker. This is where I feel most adventurous trying new writers. Usually the best title wins. I'd say I've had a 25% success rate(or failure rate, depending how you look at it) finding paperbacks I like. Maybe half of those I liked were enjoyable enough to merit buying another book from the same author.

Damn, I hope people aren't this difficult when it comes to buying my book when I finally get published. Karma, I guess.

britwrit

07-27-2005, 03:52 PM

If it's "literary" fiction - which I mostly read - it's the title and the first paragraph. Does it draw me in and does the author know how to write? Usually, for me, it's about fifteen seconds between pulling the book off the shelf and putting it back, to be forgotten forever. Pretty sad.

Nonfiction, history and current affairs, I learn about on the internet. I'm easier with those. Sometimes I'll buy them unread (though used) if the subject sounds interesting enough. I also cut the authors more slack on the quality of their writing. I'm reading a book now on Stanford White where the paragraphs trudge grimly along but since he led such a fascinating life, I'm sticking with it.

brinkett

07-27-2005, 04:17 PM

DragonHeart

07-27-2005, 04:18 PM

Title, cover art, first page. If I like the writing I'll check to see if the book is part of a series, or if the author has more than one book on the shelf. If so, I'll usually pick up a second book by them.

I generally buy books in fours. Two will almost always be authors I've read before, but I also try to get two from authors I've never read (whose names I may or may not recognize). So far I've only been disappointed by a few, definitely less than five, while my library stands at about 70 books. I also go by recommendations and sometimes I'll browse Amazon with the intent of finding a new author to read.

~DragonHeart~

Jamesaritchie

07-27-2005, 07:15 PM

I believe a study showed that most readers take about thirty seconds to decide whether to buy a book. That's why the cover and blurb have to be compelling.

I'd say it takes me less than thirty seconds to decide not to buy a book, but it often takes several minutes to decide I am going to buy it.

Button

07-28-2005, 07:26 AM

I'm loyal to authors I like. If I spy a new book out, I'll go pick it up, no question.

If I'm at the book store, and the cover catches my eye (it always starts with the front cover, sorry, I don't give books a chance unless the cover is inviting to me) then I'll read the back. If the subject matter sounds interesting I'll browse the chapters and stand there debating about it. If I'm in a dilema about two good looking books, I'll pick the one that either has a series, or the author that has the most other books out.

I like long term commitments. I like series first of all. If there is an author's style that I particularly like, I'll look for more from that author too.

At the library, I'll take more of a chance on books. If I super duper like it, I'll go buy it even if I read it at the library. I'm a book hog. :p

What I hate is waiting inbetween my favorite series authors. If I'm reading a series and I have to wait to pick up the next edition, I'm on pins and needles. Hubby won't pick up a series set without the whole series being completed and I don't blame him. He saw how I was about the new Harry Potter. He won't read those until book seven comes out.

:p So I guess everyone is different about the way they pick out books.

From the moment I step into the book store, I check my favorite author's shelves for new books, I then browse covers. From the cover stand point then it turns into if the book has a sequal or the author has more books. Then it's the genre and what the book is about. After that it's a judgement call on a couple different things, if I have a book already that I am reading at home or if the price of the book is a little too hefty. If it fits into all the above correctly, it's on my bookshelf.

I don't like buying a book from an author I love used. I want it new, fresh and unbended. The only creases are the ones I put in, if any at all. I like keeping my books so new. I only buy used if I can't find the book elsewhere for whatever reason.

:)

Promoman

07-28-2005, 11:43 AM

I'm loyal to certain authors...Dean Koontz is my favorite, so I automatically get his latest, no matter what it's about. I also like some of Stephen King's books a lot, but I find I am not into the fantasy stuff he has done. I like some of Richard Laymon and some of Bentley Little's work, too. So I normally browse through the authors I know first.

Beyond that, my criteria go in this order:

1. Genre: I normally end up in the horror/suspense section.

2. Cover design: I look for one that catches my eye. I'm not sure what really qualifies as a good cover, but I know one when I see one.

3. Title: I browse the books on the shelf that are facing me first. If none of those covers catch my eye, I check out the ones with their spines facing me. If I see a title that sounds interesting, I'll pull it out and have a closer look.

4. The Blurb: If the story summary doesn't do anything for me, I don't even open the book. I shouldn't be so hard on a book's write-up, I guess, but I am.

5. First Page: I read the first page, or at least the first paragraphs to get a sense of what's there. If I like what I see so far, I have one last test...

6. Chapter Length: I have very little attention span, thanks to watching (and working in TV) all these years. If the chapters go on for miles, I'm going to have a harder time getting into those books. If the chapters are fairly short, it tells me that there's a good chance that the writing moves quickly (which will keep my interest) and that I'll have a better chance at trying to read bits and pieces in between other projects. (I hate stopping in the middle of a chapter.)

Tirjasdyn

07-28-2005, 06:18 PM

Jamesaritchie

07-28-2005, 11:34 PM

The thing with me is that I love finding new writers to read, but there are so many writers on my must buy list that it cuts down on just how many new writers I can afford to buy. I want to try new writers, but I know from experience that I've going to enjoy the books of these writers, so when a choice has to be made, I go with the proven.

But does anyone else have TBR problems? The biggest influence on me over the last few years has been that I already have so many books that I haven't read It takes a LOT for me to try a new writer. Unless the new writer is being raved abut all over, and I find the book absolutely iresistable, I have no sound, logical reason for buying it, or even for checking it out of the library.

When I try a "new" writer, that writers may be four or five years old, and the book will be pulled from my TBR pile.

Right now, my TBR pile has nearly 4,000 books in it, and under the best of circumstances, even allowing for the books that I will start and not finish because I don't like them, I still have enough unread books to last at least twelve years. This means when I buy a book now, it almost has to be by a proven writer I can't resist. Enough is enough, and I simply can't allow my TBR pile to get any larger.

I'm sure not everyone is foolish enough to have a TBR pile this large, but I suspect many who are avid readers do have a fairly sizable TBR pile, and this surely influences new buying to a degree?

Niesta

07-28-2005, 11:52 PM

I rarely buy anymore unless I have a really good recommendation from a friend. Otherwise, I get it at the library. The exceptions are a) Harry Potter, b) a few other writers I ALWAYS love, and c) nonfiction books that I can tell I will want to use repeatedly for research.

I worked at bookstores most of my adult life, and over time, my need to OWN books has diminished substantially.

Now if you're just wondering what makes me pick up and try a book, even at the library... again, I need to have heard something about it elsewhere, from a friend, a review, a librarian. It is very very rare for me to pick something up that I know nothing about, no matter how beautiful the cover or compelling the blurbs. The exception, again, is nonfiction. There, the subject matter is what prompts me to go searching for a book on X, Y, or Z. I choose one over another by looking up things that interest me in the index and seeing how much time is spent on them.

Akuma

07-29-2005, 12:34 AM

For me its the cover art that reels me in. I know, I am a consumer whore. But if it looks interesting I check the summary. And to my luck, most of the time the books I find are pretty dang good. Marketing is magical.

ANNIE

07-29-2005, 12:37 AM

If the blurb on the back or front cover catches my interest I open the book. If i find myself turning the page to find out what happens next, i amost always buy the book. The cover's not all that important to me.

Katiba

07-29-2005, 01:09 AM

I almost always buy a book either because the author has a proven track record with me, or because I've heard about it, either through a friend's recommendation or reviews. In fact, I find a lot of new authors through reviews. I also use the 'people who bought this book also bought...' links at amazon to find new authors, although I still don't buy them unless it sounds like something I'd like. I almost never buy something - or even check it out of the library - based on cover or even on back blurbs. I've been burned way too many times by this. In fact, I spend much less time browsing in bookstores and libraries these days, and much more time browsing online, basically because the latter method has proven much more successful in helping me find books I like.

That said, like someone else posted, I have much less desire to own books these days. Most of the time, if my library has the book I get it there. I think my desire to buy more books has been weakened by the fact that I've moved the 25 boxes of books I already own 3 times in the last 5 years!

dawinsor

07-29-2005, 01:36 AM

maestrowork

07-29-2005, 02:08 AM

On one level, I know I buy books I know I'd enjoy, including proven authors (although some of them occasionally turn out garbage and I wish I hadn't bought them...) After all, it's my money and I want to enjoy what I buy... On the other hand, I think it's important that we support new authors (not blindly, however). It's hard enough for an author to get published, it's even harder to "make it" in the business. While I don't think you should support any new writers without discrimination... but I think it's important to set aside some quotas in your buying budget each year to support a new author or two.

Jamesaritchie

07-29-2005, 04:16 AM

I usually buy books only if I'm giving them as gifts or I'm going on a trip. If they're gifts, I usually buy a hardcover novel that's the latest in a series I know someone likes. The book is not out in paperback yet, so it makes a nice gift because the person gets it early. If I'm going on a trip, I want a paperback of something I won't reread, like a mystery. Then I leave it wherever I am when I finish it. Other than that, I get books for entertaining reading from the library. I just don't have space to store many more books than I already have.

My problem is that I read any good book over and over, including mysteries. I have a numebr of mysteries that I thought were better of the fifth read than on the first.

Space is a pain. I don't think there is a space large enough that I couldn't fill it with books.

azbikergirl

07-29-2005, 04:35 AM

I'm a buyer, rather than a borrower; my library card is long expired. Once I've read a novel, I generally trade it for something else at the used bookstore. The only books I hold onto are reference-type books, or novels that were especially meaningful to me. If it's an author I've never heard of, I buy at someone's recommendation. I look to award lists to find new authors to read, also. Rarely do I buy a book solely because of the blurb + cover art.

BlueTexas

07-29-2005, 05:36 AM

Right now, my TBR pile has nearly 4,000 books in it, and under the best of circumstances, even allowing for the books that I will start and not finish because I don't like them, I still have enough unread books to last at least twelve years. This means when I buy a book now, it almost has to be by a proven writer I can't resist. Enough is enough, and I simply can't allow my TBR pile to get any larger.

I'm sure not everyone is foolish enough to have a TBR pile this large, but I suspect many who are avid readers do have a fairly sizable TBR pile, and this surely influences new buying to a degree?

Now that's a TBR stack. I probably have 75 in my TBR pile, and 90% of that is fiction. I try to only buy non-fic until I can get through the pile, but I work across the street from a bookstore. I rarely succeed...if there's new novel out by a favorite author, or something that really catches my eye, it comes home.

I keep saying I own too many books and swear I won't buy anymore until I can get more bookshelves, but...it's impossible. My extended family uses my house as a library :) I can't resist a good library sale or a buy-3-get-1-free at Walden's. Thank God I don't work near a big bookstore...

In my own defense, the library here is quite small and has as many children's books as adult fiction, and at least 30% of the adult fiction is romance, probably 10% biography, neither of which I enjoy. And my personal library pet peeve...the classics are shelved with the Cliff's Notes dispersed among them...libraries should NOT own Cliff's Notes.

ANNIE

07-29-2005, 06:40 AM

Right now, my TBR pile has nearly 4,000 books in it,

Holy Moly James! I'm envious of your library!

ricaykw

07-29-2005, 06:47 AM

I usually only buy books that my friends have recommended to me. Occasionally I buy a book that has been given a lot of attention, for example I bought Prep a few months ago to see what all the fuss was about.

Tirjasdyn

07-29-2005, 10:29 PM

I do. I stopped counting at 1552 that was 10 years ago. My collection (according to my have reads is 3000, figure twice that in TBR by the space it takes up)

I buy books constantly, trade, buy etc... I can remember the plot of each book I've read, so I rarely duplicate a buy, it has happend twice, once because I thought I lost the book and once a true double buy. I keep them in alphabetical by author. I read hundreds of books a year. At any one time I am reading 10-15 books.

After I read them I:

Reveiw them,
If I hated it or feel like I wouldn't read it again I either trade it or leave it at book crossing or at my favorite coffee shop.
If I loved it and will read it again, lend it to friend etc I catalog it and keep it.

I am a book addict.

Tips on reading multiple books:

Don't try it if you can remember multiple plots at once.
Place books in strategic locations: Bathrooms, head boards, purses, kitchen. Only read those books in those locations.
Don't worry about priority unless you have to. Example: Nov 2003 I started the Cornelius Cronicles. It was a book to slog through, I did not finish it until August 2004. I still read over a hundred other books during that time.
Read at least two pages per book a day.

And I still buy/trade all the time. Yesterday I finally got my newest accquistions shelved. There were 40 between the buys and trades.

T

I'm sure not everyone is foolish enough to have a TBR pile this large, but I suspect many who are avid readers do have a fairly sizable TBR pile, and this surely influences new buying to a degree?

Tirjasdyn

07-29-2005, 10:36 PM

crap...I wasn't counting non-fiction, or childrens books...I only have three shelves dedicated to non-fiction. Two for childrens books, but then a lot more CB's can fit on one shelf...

I did have a close it removed from my house to make room for book shelf place.

Oh and the cook books shelves and the dnd book shelves. ...and the tutorial book shelves (separate from other non-fiction)

I am crazy book whore.

I bought a house with lots of wall space for a reason...

dawinsor

07-29-2005, 10:41 PM

The only time I've ever run into problems reading multiple books was when I was reading one and listening to a different one by the same author on audio book in my car. That got confusing. (But my husband is capable of watching one TV show live, while watching a different episode of the same show on tape during the commercials. Now that's confusing.)

Jamesaritchie

07-30-2005, 12:07 AM

I try to write five hours per day, and I try to read four hours per day. It seems to work for me. Reading four hours per day means I read a lot of books, but I still can't read them as fast as I can buy them.

Multiple book buys is often the probelms. Twice now I've bought a hundred books at a time, and I'll frequenty buy anywhere from a dozen to twenty or thirty at a time. People also give me books for every conceivable holiday, and people send me books just because they think I'll like them, and now and then someone will shopw up at the door with a couple of hundred books for me to weed through.

I do try to make my book addiction pay for itself by buying and selling first additions and rare books, but in a way this only increases the problem. By making my addiction pay for itself, I've removed one of the main obstacles to buying so many books.

Coco82

07-30-2005, 08:54 PM

Well, if I know the author for one, but also if it has had good reviews or in the case of nonfiction if it is about a subject I'm interested in.

Four_Elements

08-02-2005, 10:43 AM

My attention span doesn't allow me to read anything besides commercial fiction. I look for beautiful, elegantly-designed cover art... it shows that the publisher also thought that the book would be a success.

Saanen

08-02-2005, 06:11 PM

I look at the title, then the cover, then the blurb, then read a page or two (if I get past the title, cover, and blurb, I mean). I have gotten to the point where I absolutely will not read any book that is part of a series and advertises it on the cover (not "a Shelly Parker mystery," I mean books that say "Book 2 of the Thornsword Trilogy" or something like that). But that's just me. And there are exceptions, notably the Harry Potter series.

I'm always disappointed when browsing the fantasy shelves at my local bookstore. Most of the books look identical. They can't all use the same artist, can they? Compare the fantasy section to the YA section, and the YA covers are there to really grab you, no matter what genre the actual book is. You don't find YA fantasies with generic covers showing a dragon, a castle/tower in the distance, and a person on horseback with a drawn sword. Moreover, now that I think about it, you don't find YA fantasies that are Tolkien clones. There may be a link.