Friday, August 10, 2012

What attracts you in a book?

When we pick up a book in a bookshop or a library, what attracts us in a book? Is it the gorgeous cover (I am floored by the covers of many Young Adult books.)  Whenever I visit a library or a bookstore, I am attracted by books with beautiful covers, but I definitely don’t buy a book based on the cover. I pick up the book, turn it over and read the blurb and then make my decision.

Are we hooked by the titles (few titles like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Under the Never Sky, Hunger Games, Divergent) definitely intrigue the readers.  Again, it’s the blurb that is the deciding factor for me.

Do the blurbs nudge you in the direction of the book? I can say with conviction that the blurbs help me decide whether the book is up my alley or not. If the blurb does not interest me, than I never take the book home.

Is our book reading or book buying decision based on reviews?  I feel that most of us pick up books based on the reviews it has garnered. Bad reviews definitely have me shying away from books.

I have also picked up several books solely by word of mouth; writer friends recommend a book, they praise the story and writing, it makes me eager to read the book.

Here I must make a confession; once upon a time I was biased towards the publishing houses that published books. For me the big six publishers was equal to great books. Not anymore. I have read some wonderful books by smaller and relatively new publishers.

What is your book buying or book reading decision based on: cover images, titles, blurbs, reviews, friends’ suggestions, publishing house that brings out the book. How do you make your decision whether a book should be bought from the bookshop or borrowed from the library? Please share with us about what attracts you in a book?


22 comments:

  1. For me, the blurb is a deciding factor.
    Back in the day, I read books by my favourite authors and their contemporaries. I wasn't one to explore different reading genres. Since I've connected with the online writing community, I'm eager to try different books and genres.

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  2. Many books I bought are based on recommendations. But when I am into a book store without anything on mind then:
    1. Cover draws my hands to a book,
    2.Title gets me turning the pages,
    3.First Page helps me decide
    But
    4. The price tag has the final say.

    However, I make sure I buy all Bhutanese book, because I want to contribute towards encouraging the growth of our tiny literary world in Bhutan.

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  3. The synopsis, subject matter and reviews help in deciding what to buy, Rachna!!

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  4. I always read the first few paragraphs to see if it grabs me. I read the back to get a feel for the story and then the over--it's got to have great cover cause I want it from a good publishing house that cared enough to not do it cheap!

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  5. The cover art has to grab me first. If the synopsis sounds good, I'll buy it. Of course, most of my recent purchases have been books by my blogger buddies, so that is a priority for me.

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  6. I agree that the cover gets my attention but then I read the blurb before deciding. Or I choose books my recommendations, either friends, Entertainment Weekly or the newspaper and of course I read a lot of fellow bloggers books too :)

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  7. Do you read the blurb if the cover didn't catch your eye first, seducing your hand into picking it up?

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  8. Author's name and title of the book are the first things I look at. If I don't like the title, I usually go no further. Recommendations by writers I've heard of and read, usually on the back of the book, is another factor as to whether I go any further. Finally, I read a little of the blub and prose to see if it appeals to me.

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  9. I think for me it's a complicated combination of cover, blurb, author, review, and/or the first couple of paragraphs. Recommendations from friends are the biggest draw, however. There's less risk involved when someone you trust recommends it. :)

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  10. Title first, then cover art, then blurb, setting, genre...
    I'm with you, Rachna, I've been happily surprised by some of the more obscure publishers! Good writing keeps me coming back for more. :)

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  11. Good question Rachna.
    Blurbs definitely. The cover can sometimes dissuade me and I often read the first page to see if I can cope with the author's style.
    Word of mouth sometimes helps, though we all have different tastes.

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  12. Very intersting question. Reputation of a book has a lot to do with it I think. If I hear good things I'll pick it up and see if it seems to live up to what people are saying. I'm not really sure what the tipping point is though.

    mood

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  13. The cover gets my attention and then the blurb. Then I go on Goodreads to read the reviews, good and bad, to make a decision.

    If I see someone absolutely rave about a book, I usually go ahead and put it on my wish list. Word of mouth is a big factor, too.

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  14. Hi friends, thanks for dropping in. I am seeing that most of us go with books that gather wonderful reviews and we also love to support the books of our blog buddies.

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  15. To be honest, I don't have books that I want to read and instead I love to explore different authors and different genres I come across.

    Sometimes the cover of the book attracts me. There are authors who make their covers too fancy attracting the customers. So ya, one thing is cover and the TITLE.

    Another thing is, the Genre. I love Romance, Suspense and Thriller. :D

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  16. Thanks for nice post.

    कृपया मेरी नवीनतम पोस्ट पर पधारें , अपनी प्रतिक्रिया दें , आभारी होऊंगा .

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  17. I go by reader reviews. If I see enough really good ones on Amazon then I'll pay to download it. I also look for free downloads sometimes. This can be hit or miss but I do find some good reads this way.

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  18. word of mouth. I only buy books that I've either read reviews about or a friend has suggested!

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  19. When I'm browsing, I'll always pick up the books with the covers that attract me. The cover and title then usually tell me enough about the book, ie the genre and audience. I almost never read the back cover blurbs.

    When I'm buying books for my kindle I will always read the sample chapters first and judge for myself. Only sometimes will I read the reviews.

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  20. Great question. THe blurb definitely does it for me. If it's enticing in the first couple of pages, that's also enough to keep me going

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  21. There are many things that draw me to a book - the author, plot, cover, a good review, a friend's suggestion, etc. I don't care if the publisher is large or small, well known or not. There are so many good books out there! :)

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  22. The blurb is most important. The cover initially attracts me, and title is important, too. I'll also open it up and read a few parts to see if I connect.

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