What sells a book? What prompts a reader to choose one novel over another? Although there are clearly a number of factors to consider, I’m not certain anyone really knows for sure—because if there were a definitive answer, all books would be bestsellers. Since they’re not, I can only tell you my own perspective as a reader, what causes me to select a novel from the book racks and, ultimately, to purchase it.
First of all, it’s simply by browsing the book racks that I find most of the books I eventually buy. I enjoy wandering around, seeing what’s new, what’s been reissued, what’s on the bargain tables, etc. Now and then, a friend will recommend a novel to me, and I’ll take a look at it. One friend, especially, has suggested several books that turned out to be keepers for me. But mostly, I just roam around book racks, picking up whatever strikes my fancy.
Since I have eclectic taste, I never confine myself to any specific genre—although romance is usually the first section I browse—and I’m not bothered about whether a book’s out in hardcover, trade, or paperback, either.
Instead, like most readers, the first thing I notice about a book is its cover. I appreciate good covers, and one can certainly attract my attention. But I don’t have any particular preferences about covers. They can depict the hero and heroine, a scene from the book, a motif, etc. Any of these can be well done and catch my eye. Still (with all due apologies to fabulous art departments), even a good cover won’t sell me a book. To the contrary, many of the novels I’ve bought over the years have had what I thought were some of the most unattractive covers imaginable.
Why, among all the books in a book rack, would I reach for one with an unappealing cover? It’s invariably because the novel has a title that intrigues me. In fact, when it comes to authors with whose work I’m unfamiliar, good titles are far more likely to make me pick up their books than the cover art is. As with covers, what makes for a good title is a subjective determination, but here, I do have strong likes and dislikes. Still, no matter how interesting I might find a title, it won’t sell me a book, either.
So what happens if a title has grabbed my attention, causing me to take a novel from a book rack? Like most people, I read the cover copy. That, too, has to intrigue me (see Sharon’s RTB column on this). Otherwise, back into the book rack the novel goes. I like cover copy that, along with concrete information about the plot, gives me some idea of the time period and place setting. I don’t have many preferences or pet peeves about these. It’s just that I rarely pay any attention to the classification stamped on a book’s spine, because I know it’s sometimes misleading. So, often, I don’t know whether the title that has intrigued me has caused me to pick up a contemporary or a historical, etc., and at this point, I’d like to get a clue.
If the novel’s cover copy passes muster, I read the teaser inside, then, finally, the first few pages. Why do I read the opening pages? Because books I actually wouldn’t enjoy reading can still have packaging that initially attracts me. So reading the first few pages of a novel always gives me a good idea of how well the author writes, what kind of a voice s/he has, how his/her story is paced, etc. If I find that those opening pages capture my interest, making me want to read the entire book, then I buy it.
Are there any exceptions to this process for me? Yes—but only one: name recognition. If an author is one whose work I’ve read and enjoyed in the past, then I skip this whole process and buy his/her novel just because his/her name is on it. Nowadays, I tend to keep up with these authors by periodically checking online bookstores to see if they have anything new out I might have missed. They’re also the only authors whose work I will buy from an online bookstore.
Is my book-buying process a typical one? I don’t know; it’s just the way I’ve always done it from the time I was old enough to start buying books on my own. How do you choose the novels you purchase? The same way I do? Or do you have some other process that works for you?
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Rebecca, your process is exactly mine, with a small deviation. Though I have auto-buy authors, they have been cut down (time and money and some disappointment), so I definitely read the blurb to see if the book sounds interesting even with my favorite authors, with a few exceptions. I love browsing bookstores. I can spend hours there.
Rebecca, my process mirrors yours almost exactly. The only difference is, I don’t start with the romance section although at some point I usually end up there. Also, I used to stop short of reading the first couple pages, but have since learned that it’s important to at least read the first paragraph if I don’t know the author.
And it’s great to know that some writers still read. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a published writer lament that they don’t have time to read anymore, or they don’t read because they’re afraid of unintentionally taking on another writer’s voice. It would be great to be a published author, but not if it meant I had to give up reading!
About name recognition, I no longer buy based on this. I’ve been disappointed too many times. I’ll look forward to a release by an author I love, but if the blurb doesn’t do it for me, I don’t buy the book.
I’ve been pulled in by a really fantastic title but have put back the book once I read the blurb. But I have a peeve about non descript titles. I really like the title to say something about the book even though I realize the impossibility of this sometime. Generic, one size fits all titles drive me mad.
My process is much like yours, Rebecca. I will say that reading the first page (maybe two) is key for me. The packaging is important, but it’s the author’s voice that makes the sale (or not).
I buy books based on word of mouth. If a friend or colleague recommends a book–highly–then I’m apt to buy it. I don’t buy based on name recognition (unless it’s an author I’m interested enough in to buy her second book), excerpts, cover or blurbs. I will buy just to try out a new author, but it is usually a book recommended by someone else. I think word of mouth is the most important way for a book to sell and what takes it to the next level.
I intially pick up a book based on the cover, also sometimes the title may catch my eye. I’ll then read the blurb, and if it sounds interesting enough, I’ll read the first couple of pages, and if it hooks me in, my credit card comes out! This happens everytime, unless it’s an author I love, then I just buy without even looking at the blurb etc.
Since more books are ’spine out’ than cover out, I am also attracted by titles. I pick up a lot of books based on word-of-mouth or friend recommendations, ads or review copy in RT, etc. On front tables, a cover or recognized name will grab my attention, but, like others, the back blurb or fly leaf copy really has to interest me, too. I have several authors that are “auto-buys” as well.
With romance novels, I have to make an effort to visit Borders in Birmingham or Murder One in London as romance novels aren’t readily available in high street bookshops. So it’s mostly online shopping for me. A great cover gets my attention, every time, butwhat does get me to buy a copy is a story summary. If it sounds the kind that appeals for me, I buy it, regardless of the cover, author and readers’ feedback.
I do buy books based on recommendations and word of mouth, but I’m slowly stopping doing this because it no longer works for me.
All that said, I have been known to buy books on basis of covers alone, even though I know I’ll never read some of those books. Of course I only do that when I have money to burn, which isn’t a regular occasion, unfortunately.
What prompts me to buy a book? A nice cover will get me to read the summary. I usually will stick to my favorites. There are readers whose taste I depend on but I’m all for trying new authors in mystery/suspense, but am hesitant about this with romance novels. Not sure why but I have been burned **too** many times on that score. My passion is historical fiction so a nice cover on one of those and I usually will buy it.
I will buy based on the cover, title, or an author I know and like. I may be unusual in that I do NOT like to read blurbs or jacket copy because they give too much of the plot away. I will glance at the blurb to get an overall feel for it, but I try not to read it. If there is an excerpt at the front of a romance, I will look at that because it gives a feel for the story without giving too much away.
I am a sucker for a pretty cover, and an intriguing title is what really gets me. I like titles that are evocative and mysterious, not blatantly descriptive.
Allison…I haven’t cut down on my auto-buy authors, but they’ve always constituted a very small list for me. Like you, I can spend hours wandering around a bookstore!
Cindy…yes, I still read. The difference is that I don’t read nearly as many new books as I used to. I think everyone’s pressed for time these days!
Sharon…I don’t like nondescript titles, either—and romances with similar titles sometimes make it hard to remember if you’ve read a particular book or not.
Beth…yes, it’s the author’s voice that ultimately makes the sale for me, also.
Cheyenne…I think word of mouth is very important, as well. I have a couple of friends whose recommendations usually do carry a lot of weight with me.
KarenS and Mary Stella…sounds like we pretty much buy books the same way!
Maili…every time I’ve ever been to Great Britain, I’ve always been amazed by how few romance sections there are in the bookstores, and most of the ones I have seen tend to be chock full of British authors. Maybe you could do a column on the British market…? I’d love to hear more about it!
Keishon…historical fiction is one of my passions, also.
Fair…I find evocative titles, mysterious titles, poetic titles, and/or exotic titles intriguing, too.
I buy exclusively on-line, and the packaging has no effect on me whatsoever. The first time I see the cover is when I open the box containing my new books, and I pay no attention to titles or the cover copy because I’ve been burnt too often by buying stuff that has no relation to what is described on the back cover or suggested by the title.
I decide whether to buy a book based mostly on online reviews and word of mouth, though I do have a few auto-buy authors. Mostly, it’s reviews. I have a couple of sites which I know work well for me, and I try to at least skim every review, not only the ones which got high grades. As much as I trust the reviewers there, they don’t necessarily have the same tastes as me, but they always give enough info for me to decide whether I might enjoy what they didn’t.
There are also a few people who I know have tastes similar to mine, so I tend to follow their recs.
Before I started buying on-line, I used to buy stuff by browsing the shelves, but I think what I do now works much, much better for me. I enjoy a higher proportion of the books I buy now, and I find myself buying more new authors and books that are different.
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