Book-buying Motivations? - Writers Forum

bobgelinas · 06-07-2005, 03:09 PM

Obviously everyone has their favorite authors and genres, but assuming there's nothing new of interest available by your favorites, when you're in the mood for a new book, what most inspires you to try something completely new, i.e. an author you've never heard of, or perhaps even a new category?

Cover art? Descriptions? Recommendations? Price? A combination of factors? Something else?

Thanks in advance for your honest feedback. Feel free to PM/email me if you'd care not to post publicly.

Best,

Nickie · 06-07-2005, 04:36 PM

What attract me to a book is the following: not the name of the author (most of the time, they're unknown to me), not the cover, etc.

I do read the first page, then a couple of pages in the middle, and finally the last page. When all this looks interesting, I buy the book.

This way, I've discovered many a good book/author. Like Michael Prescott - he's not yet translated in Belgium. Or Kathryn Caskie - I came across one of her romances while taking a ski trip in Fernie (BC, Canada).

Nickie

mammamaia · 06-09-2005, 09:46 AM

Quote:

what most inspires you to try something completely new, i.e. an author you've never heard of, or perhaps even a new category?

Cover art?

first

Quote:

Descriptions?

Recommendations?

only sometimes

Quote:

Price?

ultimately

Quote:

A combination of factors?

combo of all the above, as noted

Quote:

Something else?

occasionally, advertising, if it sounds like something i'd be interested in reading... but that sort of fits into the 'descriptions' and 'recommendations' categories...

valeca · 06-09-2005, 10:08 AM

I'm just gonna 'ditto' maia's post.

Those things, in that order.

mammamaia · 06-09-2005, 10:10 AM

glad i saved you some work, val... great minds?

pgoroncy · 06-09-2005, 10:41 AM

I too must ditto Maia's answers.

valeca · 06-09-2005, 10:43 AM

maia - that, or fools seldom differ

mammamaia · 06-09-2005, 10:45 AM

cut to the quick, val!!!

Talia_Brie · 06-09-2005, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobgelinas

Cover art? Descriptions? Recommendations? Price? A combination of factors? Something else?

Recommendations are a big one for me. I have people whose opinions I trust.

Ultimately it does come down to price. I tend to ignore the blurbs at the back because I read fantasy and let's face it, they all sound the same.

Attractive cover art will catch your eye, so it's important, but ordinary cover art won't turn me off if I have a strong recommendation (for those Australians out there I bought the first print run of Battleaxe, by Sara Douglas - almost the ugliest book ever printed). Consider though, that in some bookshops all you can see of the book is the spine.

Name recognition is also a strong factor for me, but that rides on the back of Recommendations.

Flatworld · 06-09-2005, 11:52 PM

I believe in the forces of random. I usuially just grab a book at the library first, if I like the author, I go to the bookstore and buy more of his/her stuff.

Recommendations of friends are usually read as well.

Vincent Gray · 06-20-2005, 12:36 AM

Recommendation by friends is the most important thing. But as a new authour you can't really get people to recommend your book if they don't pick it up and read it. When browsing books, I go by cover art and title. I disregard both of these if I get a book on recommendation, of course, but otherwise they're the most important thing. If a book has a good title or cover art, I'll probably pick it up off the shelf and look around the cover and first few pages for a plot summary blurb thing or whatever. Coming up with a good title is hard, as the same words won't have the same connotation with everyone. And, from what I've read, an author doesn't always have much choice in cover art, which sucks, because that's what a lot of people will judge your book by, and a lot of covers seem pretty bland. As an example, I thought Hard Eight's cover was pretty bad:

To me, the colours just don't work together. And there's too much lime green, it looks cheesy. It may be the perfect cover for the book, but I wouldn't know because I was repulsed by the cover.

I remember needing a book at a convenience store, and I thought this was the best of all the covers on the shelf. I gave the back a once-over, and bought it:

The title font has those cool slashes through it, and it is of course titles "The Killing Kind", both of which suggest violence. And the silhouette of the trees against a shimmering, holo-foil sky are just plain cool. To me, at least. It is simple, but not so simple as to be boring. If the cover featured, say, a car in a garage full of spider webs and a dead girl, which is what the book opens with, I wouldn't have bought it. Because the cover was honest enough, I got a book I would like. I did like the book, and have recommended the book to friends because of it. Also, with the title "The Killing Kind" and a slick cover, I'm more comfortable recommending that and reading it in public, whereas I wouldn't want anyone to know if I was reading "Zombie Lover" by Piers Anthony:

(cover here, linked because of size): http://sfbook.com/pics/bcl_anthony_zombielover.jpg

That's the kind of book that gets readers funny looks from people sitting across from them on the train and gets laughed at on the shelf and passed by. Also, books with scantily clad people on the cover are a bit embarassing to buy, and seem to suggest that the author is using sex to sell, rather than a good book. Of course, sex does sell, but you can imply it if it's in there instead of just having a half-naked chick looking seductive.

Oh, and price is definitely a factor. If I'm going for a new author, I won't spend thirty five bucks for a hardcover.

Hodge · 06-20-2005, 12:44 AM

Cover art... Pfft.

First, if it's an author I know and like, I'll probably buy it.

Second, the title.

Third, the synopsis on the back.

Fourth, what year it was written in.

Fifth, price. I get all my books from a used bookstore where all books are priced between 25¢ and $2.00, so price usually isn't that big a deal.

Verago · 06-23-2005, 03:10 PM

Not in any particular order.

The name. It has to at least -sound- interesting, so that when someone asks me what I'm reading, I don't have to lie.

The blurb on the back. If it's cliche, too high fantasy, or just plain stupid, I might not buy it.

How long it is. If they're spending five hundred pages describing something that could've been summed up properly in a few thousand words, I won't buy it.

Dan101 · 06-23-2005, 09:04 PM

For me its a combination of cover art and the description on the back.

Basically, the cover art is usually what initially catches my interest, then I turn my attention to the description on the back. If it further catches my attention, Ill read a portion of the first chapter, or the whole chapter, there (Im usually at Barnes and Noble, which provides chairs heheh). If Im even further interested, Ill purchase the book.

EmuJenkins · 06-24-2005, 01:08 AM

I hate to say it, bit I judge a book by it's cover. Generally the cover page will reflect the genre of the book to some degree and that will narrow it down. I will then read the back and see if anything catches my eye. If it's by an author I know I like, I'll likely purchase it. I buy all my books used so price is always a factor.