Surprising Survey Results

Saskatoonistan said:

-52% of people admit to judging a book by its cover.

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I'm surprised that this one isn't higher. When I go to a bookstore to buy a certain book...I could easily pick up 2 or 3 others just by judging them by the cover. I think the 77% in the first instance goes hand in hand with judging a book by its cover...for me, anyway. If I judge a book to be good--by its cover--it comes home with me. Cool survey.

I wonder if it's so much a matter of "judging" the book by its cover, or more simply being more likely to pick up a book with a striking cover, thus making it more likely that the book can win the reader over.

That said, the one and only book I ever bought based solely on the cover was one of my all-time favorites, A.S. Byatt's Possession, so I can't knock the method!

I saw the cover of Boogaloo on 2nd Avenue while I was waiting in line. I didn't even read the flap...just bought it because the cover appealed to me. I wasn't disappointed.

But you're exactly right, Claudia...the judging a book by the cover is a way to pick it up--not really to actually buy it. I didn't think about it that way.

The only thing that surprises me is that 43% are actually willing to buy the hardcover. I never buy hardcovers unless I get them for gifts or find them remaindered for 75% off.

CaroGirl said:

The only thing that surprises me is that 43% are actually willing to buy the hardcover. I never buy hardcovers unless I get them for gifts or find them remaindered for 75% off.

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I think they look nicer on the bookshelves that are in main areas of the house. If I'm going to buy it...and it's one that I know I'll really like...I will buy the hardcover. Then it goes on either the family room shelf or the living room shelf. All my Michael Chabon are hardcover. (-; I can't wait that long!

Saskatoonistan said:

It also points to some flat-lining on the future of ebooks where over 80% don't plan to buy a reader... that should change if they come down in price though.

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I'll never buy a reader. I like to hold the book in my hand.

I find it dificult to believe that 100% of the people surveyed reponded to the survey. I mean, really...what are the odds?

quickWit said:

I find it dificult to believe that 100% of the people surveyed reponded to the survey. I mean, really...what are the odds?

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Now, now..witlessflit. This is not OP.

KTC said:

Now, now..witlessflit. This is not OP.

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It snot?

*looks around*

Damn. Forgot my medication again.

Well, uh, I'm not getting a reader either. I like to turn pages when I read. It gives me an inflated sense of accomplishment.

I like my books on a large computer monitor these days. But the stats don't surprise me all that much. I remember when I used to haunt bookstores.

Saskatoonistan said:

It also points to some flat-lining on the future of ebooks where over 80% don't plan to buy a reader... that should change if they come down in price though.

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Agreed. I drop a book in the tub I'm out a few bucks. Drop a Kindle....

The cover bit doesn't surprise me. Harry Potter is one of my favorite series, but I didn't pick it up until a friend recommended it because the covers looked so childish. Don't mistake me, Mary GrandPre is a wonderful artist, but the illustrations she did made them look like they were for very little kids, so I didn't think anything of it.

On the other hand, though I'll pick up a book because the cover is cool, that doesn't mean I'll buy it. I always make sure to read the first chapter. After all, I think some of the coolest covers I've ever seen come from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books. The few times I was really excited for a book, enough so to judge by cover or buy the hardback, I've almost always been disappointed. -_-

I wonder how much the survey respondents read? If they're experienced readers, or just pick up a book every once in awhile so they don't think anything of picking up the hardcover when they do. Didn't another study find that the average American read only a couple books a year, if that?

Saskatoonistan said:

It also points to some flat-lining on the future of ebooks where over 80% don't plan to buy a reader... that should change if they come down in price though.

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That report is dated May 2008, which means the surveys were conducted 1Q 2008 or even earlier. The Amazon Kindle 1 was only launched in Nov 2007 (and was backordered so heavily that they couldn't get shipments out until Mar/Apr 2008). The Sony ereader was released in 2006, but not widely adopted, though it's gaining in popularity this year.

I don't think you can draw any conclusions in regards to ebooks or readers from such a dated survey. They are starting to gain some momentum which may even begin to accelerate if Apple delivers the rumored iTablet and gets in the game.

quickWit said:

I find it dificult to believe that 100% of the people surveyed reponded to the survey. I mean, really...what are the odds?

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Where does the report say there was 100% response to the survey? It only says Zogby was 'commissioned... to conduct an online survey of 8218 adults.' They may have had to send the survey to 100k people to get that sampling, but the target audience is not discussed. Only the respondents.

RickN said:

Agreed. I drop a book in the tub I'm out a few bucks. Drop a Kindle....

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Ziplock bag. And you can still turn the pages. Problem solved and with minimal expense.

If it's a book by someone I really, really love, I'm not going to wait for the paperback to come out. (Stephen Donaldson and Armisted Maupin, for starters - I grabbed Michael Tolliver Lives so fast... )

As for indies - there really aren't any around here, save for one small used bookstore, and they mostly carry whatever's on the shelves in Stop & Shop at any given time - aka, just the bestsellers and that's it. And it's not even a case of the chain stores running indies out of business - even in the days before Waldenbooks, B&N and Borders, there was one lone Book & Record (another chain) and that was it. So for us, that huge B&N that opened eleven years ago was a gift from the Gods of Reading.

I'll admit those Kindles look awfully tempting - the thought of having all those books available at my fingertips, whenever I want, for just the price of a download. Maybe for Christmas....

CaroGirl said:

The only thing that surprises me is that 43% are actually willing to buy the hardcover. I never buy hardcovers unless I get them for gifts or find them remaindered for 75% off.

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Or unless they're really, REALLY special hardcovers...

Until Kindle offers me a way to underline, comment, and argue in margins, I'm sticking with my 'real' books .

(Which I almost always buy used at Half Price or through bookfinder.com).

Every time I go anywhere near a bookshop, or a charity shop or church sale for that matter, I always end up coming home with a bag full of books. It doesn't matter if it is a small quick-read paperback or a massive tome, I can't stop myself buying books.

There are some discoveries I wouldn't have made if I was being overly picky, and covers don't mean anything to me. A perfect example is some of the Philip José Farmer books, which at first glance would turn any casual reader off. Now I can't imagine my collection of books being complete without his work.

Maybe it's the OCD?

I judge books by their covers. If it's a book with different covers, I'll buy the more attractive one even if it costs a little extra.

But I tend to pick up only the book(s) I meant to buy. The last time I bought unexpectedly -- I was looking for Lolita and also bought A Happy Death (because I loved The Stranger) and Writing Tools (because I read it in the library before and enjoyed it) -- was months ago.

The covers often say a lot about the books, so the covers are definitely a factor. If the title, author, or cover catch my interest, I pick it up. The next test it has to pass is the back cover. If the book doesn't sound interesting enough to read, it goes back. If it sounds like my kind of thing, I open it to the first page and start reading. If it sucks me in right away and I want to know what happens next, I get it. If it doesn't, it goes back to the shelf. If it doesn't pass all three tests it doesn't come home, so cover is definitely only the initial piece of buying a book. It's funny how writers complain how unfair it is for a publisher or agent can put down their book after only reading the first few pages. Makes sense to me since as a reader I'm probably crueler than any agent or publisher when it comes to picking out what I'm going to read, though I'm a lot more lenient on books that are gifts. I'll give them ten or so pages.