How do people get their books? How do they find them and what makes them buy them?
It's not like buying soap after all. Books are extremely personal.
I always start by analyzing myself, in this case, looking at the way I buy books. But that only goes so far. So I'm going to try something different and do a quick poll of my friends and family, especially those who read within my genre. I'll collect data and try to analyze it.
I've never done this before, so I guess it will be an experiment. :)
1. How many fiction books/ novellas do you read a year?
2. How do you find new books? Be as specific as possible and list websites, if any.
3. How does a book first catch your eye?
4. After getting your attention, what makes you decide to buy/ read a book?
5. Is feeling like you know the author important? If so, what ways do you get to know them?
6. List your top 10 favorite fiction books at this time and how you discovered them.
Thank you.
1. How many fiction books/ novellas do you read a year?
Sigh. I used to read more. Right now, I'm probably lucky to read 1 a month. So, 12. (Hangs head in shame.)
2. How do you find new books? Be as specific as possible and list websites, if any.
The Brea Library and used bookstore.
Barnes and Noble bookstore.
Amazon.com.
Recommendations and loans from friends.
If I'm browsing, the cover art and title are important. Same thing for Amazon, except I'm also paying attention to the star count. If someone is recommending a book to me, I listen to the summary (to see if it's something I'm interested in) and gauge the enthusiasm of the speaker.
4. After getting your attention, what "seals the deal" for you to decide to buy/ read a book?
I want to know what makes the story different or interesting. Once I bought a book that talked about the children of Lucifer and an angel and promised "an epic custody battle." On the other hand, if I come across too many cliches, I put the book back.
The author's prose is also important. I like to scan the first few pages. If the prose seems unprofessional, confusing, or dull, I won't read it.
If someone recommends a book, I want as many details about the story as possible. My mom actually gave away the ending to the Lord of the Rings and it only made me want to read it more.
Four-and-a-half star reviews on Amazon.
If I happen to be friends with an author or if hear them speak and find their premise intriguing, I'm willing to at least give the book a glance. But I'll usually only buy/ read it if it's something I'm interested in.
Other than that, I don't care. I get to know the author through their writing. A good story is the most important thing.
6. List your top 10 favorite fiction books at this time and how you discovered them.
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Recommended. My mother basically gave a (brief) summary of the novels during car rides. I dug it up at the library in 6th grade and was a fan ever since.
2. Watership Down by Richard Adams
Recommended. Again, this came from my mother. She told me about it. Later I found it in the library in junior high. Read it and loved it.
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Browsed. I found this book in the public library in high school. I liked the title and the cover art intrigued me somehow. The summary sounded iffy, but since it was just a library loan, I thought I'd give it a shot. Read it in 2 days.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Amazon. I think my Amazon account recommended it to me directly. I was living in Japan and desperate for English books. It sounded too much like Battle Royale, but the high star count persuaded me. Since then, I've personally gotten a cousin and an aunt hooked on the series.
Recommended. My friend in college told me the plot (which, surprisingly, was not a fusty tome about racism but a cute little romance) and loaned it to me.
6. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Amazon. In Japan, I browsed the fantasy section and I noticed this book kept coming up and that it had a high star count. The back cover says, "Once a hero arose to save the world. [...] He failed." That struck me as different and intentionally playing against fantasy stereotypes.
7. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Inherited. Found it among the books left behind by my predecessor in my apartment in Japan. I liked the title and cover art. A few pages in, and I was hooked.
Browsed. I was introduced to Agatha Christie by my aunt in 6th grade, but I found it too difficult for me at that time. Later, I started reading her again. I got on an Agatha Christie kick while in Japan. I bought several of her books, but this was my favorite.
9. The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Browsed. Found it in an English bookshelf in Japan. (Did a lot of reading there.) The cover art intrigued me. The snarky voice of the narrator on page 2 and the weird but wonderful footnotes sealed the deal.
10. Ella Enchanted by Rachel Carson Levine
YouTube. I randomly stumbled upon a YouTube video of a girl reading the first chapter. The whole thing was a cover of the book and a disembodied voice. But the prose was so lovely and the first chapter was so good, I got hooked. I had to buy the book for myself to see what happened.
After I get the results, I'll post it in one of my blogs.
By the way, if any of my readers want to participate, you can email me your answers to my poll at reddragonfly1285@yahoo.com. Or you can post in the comments, if you like. I'm especially interested in any out-of-the-ordinary methods, but any info is useful.
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