Finding a paperback or debut?

Same way I avoid picking up something 'bad' in a normal bookshop.

In fact, I was crazy enough to go shopping yesterday evening - a Friday!!! - and picked up a debut novel. The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett.

I picked it because occasionally I read crime thrillers and this one is set in England. Now I've nothing against American crime thrillers, I just like to read books set within Britain as those places will be more familiar to me, either through experience or the media.

What drew me in? The cover. What hooked me? The blurb on the back which made it clear the characters were English and it was set in England. Bear in mind I'm a Scot and ideally I'd like to read books set in my own country but apart from Ian Rankin's and Stuart MacBride's, I can't think of any crime novels set in Scotland. So England's the next best thing!

Also the fact it's a debut novel intrigued me. I like to be able to say, "I followed this author from book one," and see how their writing career progresses. Plus, still trying to break through myself it gives me an idea what sort of debut novels make it.

Though, in this author's case, he was knocked back by several agents and had to find a publisher himself. It was only when he had a publisher that he was able to attract a literary agent, so he went a bit backside-frontwards in his career but who cares? It works and he's published!

The last debut I bought had a blurb by Stephen King on the back cover. That's the sole reason I bought it (well, the cover was cool, too), and I gotta say, Mr. King was right. It was excellent.

Anybody who has ended up in a supermarket is probably not doing too badly -- supermarkets don't stock huge numbers of books, which means they tend to stick to stuff that already has a track record of sales.

As for my shopping experience, I see if the back cover grabs me -- but with paperbacks, I'm open to a little risk. Particularly if I'm in a used book store.

When I am looking at paperbacks in the supermarkets or service stations, firstly it's the title that gets my attention, then I read the back cover to see what the story is about. If I like the paragraph I've read on the back cover, then I buy the book.


Elodie

The books in supermarkets are seldom debuts. They're usually by authors with a significant backlist, the idea being that readers will pick up the latest book on a whim, and then go back and find the backlist. At least, that's the publisher's and author's plan. For the person placing the books in the bookstore, it's a matter of turn-over, and name-brand authors' books are going to turn over faster than unknowns.

JD

I go exclusively by flashy gold/silver lettering on the cover, guaranteed winner every time

JanDarby said:

The books in supermarkets are seldom debuts...

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Not true in the supermarkets I go to. There are plenty debut writers there.