What makes you decide to buy a book?

Question

As a small press publisher, we know that many readers DO judge a book by its cover. Sometimes people buy books just because of the cover, and never read them! But a lot goes into a book purchase, so we're interested in your thoughts on what it takes to get you to buy a book. How important are book reviews? How important is name power? Do you care if the book is on Oprah's list? How much of a factor is price? Share your thoughts.

And if you are interested, we are also holding a separate survey to discuss books, and you could win some free ones.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=3316379#post3316379

Answer 1

when i walk into a bookstore, i look at the best sellers sections just to see if anything pops out, and yes, i am subject to an interested or eye-catching cover and title, and if i find it intriguing, i then read the novels summary. if i can get though the whole summary i might read a few pages to see if it has the ability to hold my attention. if a book cannot grab my attention within the first few pages, its not likely im going to want to read more. i consider the language and tone of the passage i read and try to imagine where im going to read this book- is it something i'll want to read on a plane? at lunch? cozied up in bed? there in the bookstore? basically is it a book i'm not going to be able to put down- a lot to ask from a few pages, but i'm a very picky reader. i tend to keep to a general genre of books but i have no problem branching out if i believe this book is worth the read. I know when i read a book i want to be taken on an adventure- whether its through someone's life, a point in history, or a land far far away- if i cant get the sense of that from the summary and passage, no "book club" or discount is going to make me read the book. And i'll admit, price is a factor- if i'm on the fence about a book the price is definately going to be the ultimate decision- in fact, its a factor even if i like the book being on a budget. but if i'm really intrigued i'll spend the money.

Hope this has helped!

Answer 2

Well there are a few factors that I look into before I buy a book.

1. If I have borrowed books from the library by the same author and enjoyed the book, it gives me a rough idea of how I will feel about his/her new book.

2. I NEVER judge a book by it's cover. I'll read the back, and if the synopsis sounds interesting, I will read it.

3. If it is a bestseller and people I know have read it and recommend it to me.

4. Definitely if I hear or read good reviews about a book.

But I'm not much of a book buyer. I prefer to borrow them from the library. I have a very small personal library but I would like to expand it in the next several years. =)

Answer 3

I like buying classics especially if parts of the book are quoted frequently. For example the phrase Orwellian politics caused me to buy 1984.

I also buy books that can be used a reference materials, books that teach me to do something, and books that will take more than two weeks to read.

A huge portion of the books that I buy are recommended by conservative radio talk show host that I trust.

To my knowledge I have never bought or even read a book that Oprah recommend.

If it is a book I plan on keeping for years I like hardback books, if it is a book I will donate to someone after it's done I wait for the paperback edition.

I don't buy RPGs any more but I purchased The complete Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia (All seven of them)
And the Spellsinger series.

Most other books I get from the library.

BTW if you want woman to get interested in role playing try sponsoring a RPG with a famous name like the Lord of The Rings RPG. ISBN-10: 1582369674

Answer 4

Yes, I do indeed judge a book by its cover, unfortunately. If the cover were attractive especially with good looking people on it, I'd browse through it. Book reviews are extremely important; to me, an 8/10, cos I can't spend lavishly on book so the reviews are a critical factor that makes me decide whether or not to purchase it. Name power isn't that important to me -- if a book is good whoever the author is, I'll still buy it. I don't really care about Oprah book club selections simply because IMO a lot of her selections are obscure ones and that's her flavor, not mine. Price is the biggest factor of all: for instance, I wanted to get Anderson Cooper's memoir "Dispatches from the Edge" but since the book doesn't contain much personal stuff about him at all and the hardcover version is exorbitantly priced, I'm not gonna buy it till the paperback version is released. I prefer hardcovers for autobiographies/memoirs but I won't buy a novel in hardcover cos my preference is memoirs/autobiogrphies, but if the price is absurd for the amount of content like in the case above, I won't buy it in hardcover.

Answer 5

Price is a factor, but its related to how thick a book is, too. I won't mind spending more on a thick book that I can read longer. I have been put off by titles before. Especially with the current trend for really dumb, common, cliche titles. Or those ones they love to put of mystery books now that are suppose to be a play on words but are just annoying. I don't trust book reviews because too often you can tell that they're not true. Often a good companies simply want to push with find plenty of reviewers for it so there is only good press and the book isn't up to the standards. And if a book is pushed by Oprah, there is only one group of people who buy it. At work we call them the Oprah freaks. People who don't typically read and don't really care. Often I've seen people NOT buy a book because she recommended it. Hope my opinions help.

Answer 6

I buy a book when it's by my favorite author(s). I get a book from the library first if it's by someone I've never read before (or if it's nonfiction and expensive or if I'm just curious about a topic, but not sure if I'll love it). If I do love a book from the library, I usually end up eventually buying it. And I completely agree with the bookstore assessment. I love to hold the book and make sure the pages aren't all wrinkled and the cover's not bent. You're not weird.

Answer 7

I have very rarely bought a book based on it's cover. (The last was Sabriel by Garth Nix). I occasionally buy books by authors I love, who have consistently produced works I like -- Robin McKinley, David Wiesner, etc.) I usually get books from the library (free!) and buy a copy if I think I will re-read it, loan it to people, or teach with it (I teach children's lit).

Reviews are important to me for reading, not bying. Couldn't care less about Oprah's reading list -- we don't share the same taste. Price is important, but prices for new books are pretty consistent.

I buy books by the bagful at Thrift Stores, garage sales and used book shops where they are cheaper, but I only keep the ones I love -- space is finite in my house.

Answer 8

I read a lot....and I buy most of my books new. I would NEVER read a book from Oprahs list (most of her stuff is too touchy feely for me. For me its a mixture of things. When I go to the book store I look at all the new releases (in genres I'm interested in). I read the excerpt on the inside cover.....read the reviews on the back....and admire the cover. I like finding new authors such as Maria Snyder, Sharon Shinn. I have authors that I automatically buy their new releases.....Alan Dean Foster, Dennis McKiernan..... Paul O Wilson ...etc.
I hope this helps.

Answer 9

Depends...certain authors I'll always buy their books. For the others...just what the book is about. Book reviews are not important to me and I could care less about Oprah. Price is definitely a factor to me. I usually buy books on ebay actually so I don't have to have regular full price.

Answer 10

As for me I come to a book shop and choose. sometimes I buy a book that somebody adviced me. sometimes I buy a book written by a famous or favourite writer. A book cover is not important for me, but description written on the back of a book is very important. I don't care about Opra or anybody else and I read every book I buy