Selecting and Rejecting Books
Inside my local bookstore, I take for granted walls and interior shelves brimming with books. One day, with an eagle’s focused viewpoint, I was awestruck by the vast number of books lining one single wall. And 2,000 new books published every day! With so many choices, how does a person choose a single book to read?
I surveyed reader friends to find out what attracts them to books and what turns them off.
My study shows that seeking out FAVORITE AUTHORS is the most frequent route to choosing a book. Second best-trod path follows BOOK REVIEWS from major newspapers and magazines and READER REVIEWS on Goodreads and Amazon. Sometimes recommendations from FRIENDS are good ways to find books.
Libraries figure importantly in helping readers select books: New arrivals on display, newsletter reviews, and suggestions from librarians. Many readers don’t have unlimited space to store books, so they check out books from the library rather than buying them.
BOOK COVERS? Books facing outward on shelves attract more attention. One reader mentioned that eye-catching, mysterious, or colorful covers will cause her to check out the title, then peruse the book. Another reader likes covers picturing a dog or cat.
TITLES? One person noted that short or extra-long titles pique interest.
AWARD WINNERS? One reader looks for Pulitzer or Nobel Prize winners.
WRITING STYLE? One person said she investigates the inside of a book for good writing, great dialog, and especially for good description. A reader of mostly nonfiction looks at writing style. He notes that histories written after WWII tend to have a more engaging writing style and more updated information. He also looks for objectivity rather than “proving a point” in nonfiction.
COVER BLURBS? Recommendations and teasers on front and back book covers are assumed by authors to be vitally important to readers. Two responders mentioned blurbs.
REJECTION: What do readers avoid in selecting books? Individuals’ responses follow:
TITLES: Anything with “Girl” or “Wife” or “Daughter” in the title.
COVERS: Those that copy the woman’s silhouette style featured on the cover of Chris Cleave’s popular novel “Little Bee”; romance novels showing “heaving breasts.”
REVIEWS: A book that “everyone is reading” or “good for you” or “should read.” I personally avoid most books on the best-seller lists.
TOPICS: Subject matter that is painfully close to home; stories involved with exotic cultures. I am steering clear of heartbreaking WWII novels for a while (after reading many excellent ones.)
AUTHORS: To be kind and fair, I won’t mention names of authors that I and some of my friends avoid. I mention three that have fans as well as detractors: John Grisham, Barbara Kingsolver, and James Patterson.
OTHER: Any book over 500 pages; any book that hasn’t spiked interest in the first 50 pages.
SERENDIPITY: Sometimes a favorite book is one discovered while looking for something else, or a book that is loaned or gifted by another reader.
Happy reading to all!
I surveyed reader friends to find out what attracts them to books and what turns them off.
My study shows that seeking out FAVORITE AUTHORS is the most frequent route to choosing a book. Second best-trod path follows BOOK REVIEWS from major newspapers and magazines and READER REVIEWS on Goodreads and Amazon. Sometimes recommendations from FRIENDS are good ways to find books.
Libraries figure importantly in helping readers select books: New arrivals on display, newsletter reviews, and suggestions from librarians. Many readers don’t have unlimited space to store books, so they check out books from the library rather than buying them.
BOOK COVERS? Books facing outward on shelves attract more attention. One reader mentioned that eye-catching, mysterious, or colorful covers will cause her to check out the title, then peruse the book. Another reader likes covers picturing a dog or cat.
TITLES? One person noted that short or extra-long titles pique interest.
AWARD WINNERS? One reader looks for Pulitzer or Nobel Prize winners.
WRITING STYLE? One person said she investigates the inside of a book for good writing, great dialog, and especially for good description. A reader of mostly nonfiction looks at writing style. He notes that histories written after WWII tend to have a more engaging writing style and more updated information. He also looks for objectivity rather than “proving a point” in nonfiction.
COVER BLURBS? Recommendations and teasers on front and back book covers are assumed by authors to be vitally important to readers. Two responders mentioned blurbs.
REJECTION: What do readers avoid in selecting books? Individuals’ responses follow:
TITLES: Anything with “Girl” or “Wife” or “Daughter” in the title.
COVERS: Those that copy the woman’s silhouette style featured on the cover of Chris Cleave’s popular novel “Little Bee”; romance novels showing “heaving breasts.”
REVIEWS: A book that “everyone is reading” or “good for you” or “should read.” I personally avoid most books on the best-seller lists.
TOPICS: Subject matter that is painfully close to home; stories involved with exotic cultures. I am steering clear of heartbreaking WWII novels for a while (after reading many excellent ones.)
AUTHORS: To be kind and fair, I won’t mention names of authors that I and some of my friends avoid. I mention three that have fans as well as detractors: John Grisham, Barbara Kingsolver, and James Patterson.
OTHER: Any book over 500 pages; any book that hasn’t spiked interest in the first 50 pages.
SERENDIPITY: Sometimes a favorite book is one discovered while looking for something else, or a book that is loaned or gifted by another reader.
Happy reading to all!
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Very nice. Preparing for last week's critique group had me standing in the library staring and wondering again, how do I choose a book.
I've just discovered Tara French's Dublin Murder squad series. Am 2/3 of the way through the first book. Her writing is marvelous, the characters are really likable, and the mystery/suspense is perfect. A friend who works at the local library recommended them (she's an alumna of Trinity College, I believe).