3 Things That Make Me Buy Books (from a new-to-me author)
1. Word of mouth.
Not just ANY word of mouth ... but words from mouths I trust. I know the people who think like me and like the same kinds of stories I like. If one of them says, “OMG, you HAVE to read this story! It was the best thing I’ve read in months and I just can’t stop thinking about it.” I’m not going to think twice, I’m going to hie my butt over to the nearest bookstore and get my copy. This is a reason why GoodReads, when used as it was intended to be used, is such an amazing tool.
2. Reviews.
Not just ANY reviews. The reviews that sell me on a book are the ones that really get deep into the “whys” not just a synopsis: why they liked the story, why they didn’t like some parts of it, why they recommend it and to whom – realistically. I saw one review that said something like: “If you like stories about one-legged vampire cowboys named Egbert who dress up like Santa every Thursday and shout “YEE HAW” when they see a good-looking woman, you’ll love this story.” I couldn’t help but wonder how many people actually sat around saying, “MAN, I wish I could find a story about a one-legged vampire cowboy named Egbert.” let alone the rest of that ridiculousness.
3. Reputation.
Authors build reputations, and the writing world is small. Think about how the excitement built with the Harry Potter books or the Twilight series. Actually, that’s sort of a combination of the other things I talked about, above: word of mouth and reviews. And, each subsequent book in those series was more popular because of the love folks had for the previous release.
What about you? What will make you buy a book by a new-to-you author?
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Great post, M! I'm the other way around, I never buy books because of word of mouth. I read Harry Potter, Twilight, and The DeVinci Code because EVERYONE was talking about those books. Although all of them were entertaining, I don't see what all the hype was about. I learned to only buy books that catch my eye. My big selling point is book covers. If I really like the cover, I will buy the book without even reading the blurb. I know, I know, I'm breaking a rule here. they say never to judge a book by it's cover, but I can't help myself.
ReplyDeleteActually... I've been known to buy a book based on its cover, too (and NOT buy one because I find the cover so awful). That's a shame since an author seldom has control over her covers...
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
I buy a book if I've read reviews that were interesting or word of mouth, like you stated. However, I go so far as to check out the authors website and if they keep it updated, have excerpts and the website's personlaity is what I feel the same as the book I'm looking at and I like it? THEN I may buy the book.
ReplyDeleteI've been know to read the negative reviews and exclaim: "SOLD!"
ReplyDeleteBut once I decide I'm going to read something or I'm in the middle of reading it, I don't look at anything review related until I'm done.
Brandy, it's true: an author can sell me on something by the kind of person she appears to be (and the reverse is true ... in fact, one of my "auto buy" authors is one no longer because of behavior I witnessed on her blog).
ReplyDeleteCharity, you contrary girl, you. LOL.. why doesn't that surprise me? And when I say "reviews" I suppose I should say "reviews from people or websites I trust".