What makes you buy a book?

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.

Books

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

kristie911 said:

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!

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

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

maestrowork said:

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

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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.

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.

Jamesaritchie said:

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.

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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.

maestrowork said:

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

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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!!

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.

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.

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.

BlueTexas said:

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.

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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.

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.

I'm even worse...

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.