What makes you pick a book?

[Kaje]

Just curious - How do you decide which book to read next? Do you browse covers? Award lists? Read blubs or Amazon new release lists?

For me it comes down to:

-favorite author
-reviews from a friend
-book of the month

I don't read blurbs and covers rarely matter to me, although I can be seduced by a pretty cover.

Do you read samples? What's the best thing a book does to catch your attention?

[K]

There is a difference for me in how I decide what to read next, and how I decide whether to buy a book.

I am afraid, I am one of those people who is a bit of a kleptomaniac when it comes to books - and if it's free or on special offer then even better (which is why my Kindle has close on 200 books sitting waiting to be read).

Picking what I read next - or re-read (I am a big fan of re-reading, particularly those books that reach my "favourites" list) is simply a case of seeing what I am in the mood for at the time.

On the other hand when it comes to buying books - I am a blurb browser, though I am not keen on reading chapter extracts or samples (particularly if the book isn't out yet as I have zero patience and if I really like it I will want it, like now).

Cover's don't really bother me - I see so many which have no bearing on the book itself I tend to just ignore them or look on them as separate art work.

If friends with similar tastes have read and liked it or if I've read the author before and liked their work then I am more likely to buy it - I try to stay away from reviews until after I've read the book because it's just to easy to stumble over a spoiler - that and I may read a review that will put me off, not realising that that particular reviewer and I have totally different tastes and appreciations.

The one time I am guaranteed to buy a book is if it's part of a series I've started and enjoyed .... the completest in me demands it - which is really why I must start picking shorter series than the ones I've been buying over the years.....

[Rainbowheart]

Cover can attract me right away, although I won't rule out a book if it has an unattractive cover. Honestly the first thing I look at is the publisher. If it's by a mainstream publisher, then I look at the blurb and decide if it's something I'd like to read. I don't normally read reviews beforehand, but if I notice a very low score on GR, I will look to see what people are complaining about.

[Cheryl]

I'm a sucker for cover and title, just to get my attention, but I always look at description and then friends' reviews. If the book is too new to have been reviewed by any of my friends or any of the people I follow, but it does look interesting, I put it on a shelf called 'new investigate later' - which is, to be honest, probably never going to get looked at again because there are so many older books I already know I want to read.

Btw, I almost never buy new books, and seldom even order from half.com. Thrift stores got a lot of business from me when I had a huge wishlist, but know I've found most of the books avl that way, so I read from my own shelves and from the library.

So, my only advice to authors that is relevant to readers like me - make your book so wonderful you can sell it to the library!

[Kaje]

I'm awful about needing to finish even bad books, so reading a sample can be a problem, because I want to buy it to find out what happens even if it's mediocre...

[Suki]

For me it comes down to many different things.
Mostly I'm drawn by the title and blurb, sometimes the cover. I always read a sample and if it doesn't suck me in immediately, or I don't like the style, I won't read.
Like you, Kaje, I used to have to finish what I started, but I've read so many books that did nothing for me but waste a few hours I now think life is too short :P

[Maddie Camille]

Honestly all it takes for me to pick up a book is an interesting plot. If it sounds good I'll read it, or at least if it fits my interests. There are some books I won't read just based on taste.

[Kaje]

Maddie wrote: "Honestly all it takes for me to pick up a book is an interesting plot. If it sounds good I'll read it, or at least if it fits my interests. There are some books I won't read just based on taste."

Do you look at blurbs for that? Or read reviews?

[Kaje]

I'm also generally curious if people go anywhere other than Goodreads for their YA reviews. Obviously, we have a list of YA review sites.

Are there any you check out? Do you look at Amazon reviews? Is there somewhere on Facebook that you go to, to see what other people are reading?

[Maddie Camille]

Kaje wrote: "Maddie wrote: "Honestly all it takes for me to pick up a book is an interesting plot. If it sounds good I'll read it, or at least if it fits my interests. There are some books I won't read just bas..."

I read the book summary. I tend to be swayed a little on how I may receive a book if I read reviews. Like if someone says a book is terrible I will go into expecting it to be terrible and it ruins my own feelings for a book.

[E]

Definitely an amazing cover/title can draw me in. But also genre, and amazon/goodreads reviews are something I look too. And of course, can't forget the little summary in the back! Those are probably the top things I look for

[Kaje]

It's interesting to see people mentioning titles - is something really unusual best? Something that fits the cover picture well? Is a long title like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe appealing, or hard to remember?

[J.S.]

If I like the cover, that's a definite plus. The genre has to count for a lot, too. I don't like romance and prefer action/adventure and S/F Fantasy (but if there's a little romance, okay) and then there's the blurb. If it captures my interest, then I'm more tempted to at least read through the first few pages online and then (maybe) get it. There has to be that connection, though. If there isn't, I don't care who the author is, then I won't buy it.

[blackbearry]

I'm a pretty easy target, especially since I can ride off my family's Amazon Prime (I'm shameless) but I usually start looking around in the recommendations or related works of a book/ author I like. Then it just needs to run the gauntlet of blurbs and samples before I decide it is worthy. The covers are more of a potential bonus and are rarely a deal breaker, but I'm more inclined to randomly click on/ pick up a book with an appealing cover.

[Kaje]

I'm always interested in the amount of weight readers give to covers. It's one of the things that makes self-publishing appealing, because with a publisher you don't get to pick your cover, although you might have some input. I remember reading Lois McMaster Bujold talking about how her first cover for The Warrior's Apprentice was a leftover picture from a Poul Anderson "Ensign Flandry" book that was never used, and they just added her MC (Miles) into the empty chair, leaving the other two characters who had really nothing to do with anyone in her story. I've had covers altered by the marketing folk, or had the pub's artist run out of assigned money to work on them.

And yet I hear over and over how important a good cover is. (Not that there's full consensus on what a good cover looks like, vis our thread Favorite YA LGBT Book Covers although people often agree about bad covers.)

[Janelle]

Before I query an agent, I read extensively from their list of recommendations. I read YA almost exclusively, although I will occasional slip in a middle grade book. The more YA I read the harder it is for me to read adult books. They are just so long and tedious! I can knock out a slimmer YA book in a weekend, which I love!

[Rainbowheart]

Kaje wrote: "I'm also generally curious if people go anywhere other than Goodreads for their YA reviews. Obviously, we have a list of YA review sites.

Are there any you check out? Do you look at Amazon reviews..."

Mostly just GR. Amazon used to be good for reviews, but not so much anymore. But I use Amazon to find books that haven't been released yet, since GR doesn't have a search engine that lets you sort by date. I don't check review sites to decide whether to read a book, but there are some blogs I check to find new LGBT titles.

[Rainbowheart]

Kaje wrote: "I'm always interested in the amount of weight readers give to covers. It's one of the things that makes self-publishing appealing, because with a publisher you don't get to pick your cover, althoug..."

But with self publishing, the covers don't seem to look professional? At least I've never seen one that I haven't been able to spot a mile off. With a traditional publisher, the cover is designed for you, which can be bad if the result isn't to your liking, but it's generally of high quality and a lot of thought is put into making it appeal to the target audience. Not that there aren't sometimes bad or inaccurate covers that way, but I would pick a professional looking cover over an amateur one.

As far as titles go, I like unusual titles! A title that catches my eye will make me look twice. I start to wonder what the book is about, so I will be more likely to click on it to find out. So yeah, titles, covers, blurbs, and publishers are all important in deciding whether or not I'll read a book.

[Kaje]

Rainbowheart wrote: "But with self publishing, the covers don't seem to look professional? At least I've never seen one that I haven't been able to spot a mile off. With a traditional publisher, the cover is designed for you, which can be bad if the result isn't to your liking, but it's generally of high quality ..."

I would say that hasn't been my experience - both pro and self-pub are a very mixed bag. There are some excellent cover artists working for self-pubbers, and some publishers with mediocre covers, at least in the adult books. At least with self-pub, the author has last word so if the cover isn't popular, it hasn't been foisted on you by the publisher.

[Rainbowheart]

Kaje, that's interesting! I don't think I've ever seen one that doesn't look self pubbed. If they show up in my feed, I can almost always tell from the tiny pic there without having to click on the link. What are some of your faves though? Maybe I'm missing some good ones?

[Myka]

I've seen some pretty great self-pubbed covers and some pretty horrible publisher ones. I make my own covers and think they are fairly decent at least.

[Kaje]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Kaje, that's interesting! I don't think I've ever seen one that doesn't look self pubbed. If they show up in my feed, I can almost always tell from the tiny pic there without having to click on the..."

I'm much more familiar with the adult books but maybe or or or or .

A lot of the same artists also freelance, for example Anne Cain does self-pubs and Dreamspinner and other presses.

[Kat]

I read blurbs and browse online book stores... and if a friend of mine marks a book that looks interesting as to-read and it pops up on my timeline I'll go and mark it as to-read too.

My downfall is that I just love to buy books and I tend to fall for beautiful covers... that's why I've 215 books sitting on my kindle waiting to be read. Although an ugly cover doesn't stop me from buying a book...

I've some authors that are auto-buy for me cause they're comfort reading and I love the writing style (Julie Bozza, Megan Derr, Kaje Harper :), Adam Fitzroy...) and I've some authors that feed my smut addiction and kinky side and I always buy their books.

I'm open to new authors and try to give them all a fair chance, I don't make a difference between self-pubbed and publisher...

I seldom read examples cause it annoys me that I don't know where in the book they belong... I'm a bit strange like that ;)

[Rainbowheart]

Thanks Kaje! I would say I could tell immediately those were self pubbed before clicking on them, except for Kamikaze Boys. But once I saw the larger size picture, that one was obvious too. Even some of the small presses look that way to me. For example, Bold Strokes Books and Dreamspinner, even if they get paperback or hardback releases, have a slightly less professional look to them. Something about the typography or the images on the cover. Of course this is a matter of personal taste! There's nothing wrong with self pubbed if people like the look of them. They just don't seem to attract me.

[Kaje]

Maybe there is a different look - I think you might be right that the typography is the most different, with smaller fonts on self-pub - But when I hear from mainstream authors about presses recycling unwanted pictures even if they're not a good fit to the story, or letting marketing pick covers, then looking pretty isn't everything, although perhaps it pulls in readers initially as you suggest.

If I were Patricia Briggs, I'd have hated the fact that they put a whole bunch of tattoos on the cover image of her main character (Mercy) who in the books only has one small paw-print, just because the marketing people think a tattooed woman character pulls in more readers for that genre. But they are lovely covers if you don't know the story, so there is that trade off. LM Bujold calls that recycled cover she got the "space babe in lingerie" cover - fitting for Anderson's James-Bondesque hero, but not hers.

I agree that some of the small pubs look as crude as half the self-pubs (try Siren books for example) and even among the pros the quality of covers varies, and the same story may have better and worse covers in different editions. At least with reading ebooks, if you don't like the cover you can never look at it again ;)

But clearly covers are a sales factor (right, Kat?) Opinions vary - especially with things like drawn covers which some readers love and some hate. And then some get overused and cliche (like the woman in the long gorgeous dress which pulled the eye at first and now is a recent YA cliche.)

[K]

To be honest I am not really that flapped about the cover.... but I am always amazed at some of the differences between countries with main stream publishers.

Take the Gone series as an example.. I can't stand the US covers - but really like the British ones
- US
- UK

[Kaje]

Do you think the US Covers tend to have people on them more often?

[K]

I couldn't say off the top of my head - I will now have to go and do some investigation

I know the Harry Potter series have different covers for the US/UK market (and even separate covers for "adults") ...

The Terry Pratchett books all have different covers - for example
- UK - US

(in fact I think his adult discworld books have wonderful artwork by Paul Kidby for the UK but not for the US .. - UK - US

(I've chosen the covers for nearest publication years on these)

[Kaje]

You have to wonder why, and whether there's some kind of market research behind it or a question of rights... you'd think that wouldn't be an issue with original artwork.

[Kat]

Kaje wrote: "But clearly covers are a sales factor (right, Kat?)

Right :)

Opinions vary - especially with things like drawn covers which some readers love and some hate. "

I love drawn covers... This is one of my favorites :)

[Amy]

What makes me pick a book? Well, if the books is in the genre I'm looking for then it is the name and also the cover. Often a book can be good, but if I don't like the cover I think about it twice, if not thrice.

I especially don't like covers where they show real people. I like to imagine the people in the book myself, and this is ruining it, giving me real people. I think giving fiction books covers with photos of real people is narrow minder.

And then what makes me pick a books is also the plot. If the description of the plot sounds interesting I take it. If I don't like even one thing about it I most likely not.

[Dennis]

That depends a lot on my mood... The story has to take me out of my world for some time, so normaly something that is not to closely connected to my evetyday life... so i read a lot of reviews before I choose!

[Kaje]

Dennis wrote: "That depends a lot on my mood... The story has to take me out of my world for some time, so normaly something that is not to closely connected to my evetyday life... so i read a lot of reviews befo..."

There are some good YA LGBT fantasy, a few Sci Fi and a few historicals. Those are good for not connecting with daily life :)

[Gene]

Title and cover are what first catch my attention when I'm browsing for a new read. After that, I read the blurb and a few paragraphs from the first chapter. If those paragraphs grab me, I'm sold. I also get a lot of great books as gifts. Recommendations from family/friends is another way I choose what to read. I seldom read reviews beforehand simply because they aren't helpful to me in making a selection. I've loved books that others have trashed, and I've been underwhelmed by books that others have praised.

[Liz]

Books come to me in a lot of different ways. Ebooks/digital editions I choose mostly based on author, content/genre, and recommendations from others. Other than GR, I check out what people are saying about books on tumblr.

I've found it's mostly about "why shouldn't I read this". I'm usually game, otherwise. I do try not to get trapped into only reading my "favorite" genre, because there are so many other books I love outside of it.

With physical books, I check for my favorite authors to find ones I haven't yet read. If I'm browsing, I head to a genre section and look until a cover or title stands out. I check the author, blurb, and if I'm still not sure I'll read the first few pages. I very rarely go for books without a HEA/HFN ending, so if I'm worried something horrible is going to happen I read the last pages, too.

It's actually a long, complicated, ritual when I get down to it, but it seems so easy when I'm actually ticking things off on my mental checklist. "Do I like this genre", "is this author a good person", things like that.

The biggest thing is that covers, titles, and blurbs won't deter me if they don't match the content, but they are the main way I'm drawn in to pick up the book in the first place.

[J.S.]

A lot of people will often read the "book du jour". When Divergent came out, it seemed everyone just had to get it. Not that it's a bad book. It isn't. I read it and liked it. But it seemed that a lot of other good books got tossed because everyone just had to read Divergent or The Hunger Games or whatever was being pushed. I may be an old fart--okay, I am :) --but in days gone by it seemed that there was a lot more independance over what to read and whose work to go over. Now it seems as though everyone is reading the same book at the same time.

/mini-rant

[Kaje]

Jesse wrote: "A lot of people will often read the "book du jour". When Divergent came out, it seemed everyone just had to get it. Not that it's a bad book. It isn't. I read it and liked it. But it seemed that a ..."

It may look that way, but Peyton Place sold something like 10 million copies in the 1950's, spawned a major TV show, and so on. I think there has always been a tendency for people to read "the next big thing". But I figure that's actually good. How many kids who had never read a long book picked up Harry Potter and loved it, and read the next, and the next... and then looked around and said, "I want more like that"? Anything that gets people reading and talking about books, not movies or YouTube or TV, is a plus for all authors IMO.

[Dennis]

I am often reading books, when there movies are going to be in cinema, but mostly because i haven't heard of them before...

[Annie]

Usually I decide to read a book in a few different ways:
I see loads of people online fangirling about it and get curious
I read the summary on goodreads and it sounds like my kind of thing
Some combination of the two above

However, sometimes I could just come across a book in the store and decide to read it but that's more rare for me recently.

[Kaje]

Sadly, real bookstore browsing is harder and harder to come by :(

[Rez]

Picking books is an occupational hazard for me. I see something come by the check-in desk or put on somebody else's hold and I read the blurb on the jacket. By the end of the week, I've usually added ten or more items to my To-Read list.