What's your decision process when considering books by authors unknown to you?

[Glisterspeck]

Why buy? I tried to find an existing post on this, but the search engine said my terms were very common, too long, or too short.

What's your process for taking in a book when you just come across it? What makes you buy it in the first place, if you don't know the author? Synopsis? Blurbs? The fact that some other author said something nice about it? The cover? Do you read a few pages, standing in the bookstore aisle? How's it work for you? Also, what changes with an e-book for you?

 

[Bick]

I always go by the recommendation of friends, this forum, or by browsing amazon reviews and other interweb sites. I don't buy anyone I don't know in a bookstore without a recommendation, so I don't ever go by the cover or the blurb. I don't ever read ebooks (nor will I), so I don't have to worry how my approach might differ with them

 

[J-Sun]

There may be more but my answer is mostly covered in these threads:
Don't judge a book by it's cover
So what are you really looking for in the books you buy?

I'd add that it's become a buying principle to flip the book open to the last page or look at the page count online and if it's higher than five or six hundred[1], I immediately lose interest. I still have books to read beyond that threshold that I'll read anyway and I know I'll miss some excellent stuff in the future by having it but I'll save myself a lot of time and avoid a lot of crap and be able to read a lot more shorter excellent stuff instead.

As an example, I came across a list of great books recently and Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces struck my interest because I'd long ago heard of it in some context before and know the title as a Swift line and the description of a comic Louisiana book drew my interest. I came across it in the used store recently and read, "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once." I laughed. I turned to the back: 415 pages. I bought. I probably won't read it for years and may not end up liking it, but all that was enough for me to pick it up.

[1] The five is for authors in general and the six is for authors or subjects or something extra special that I like. So unknown authors are basically restricted to five. -- Speaking of novels, here - I don't care how long anything else is but a single fictional prose story should have limits.

 

[Glisterspeck]

Thanks for the posts! The second is very much what I was looking for.

As to the massive tomes, I shy away from them myself. I also don't do series, unless they're finished, and I have it on good authority that they're worth reading. Or I'll see if the author has a stand alone story set in the world. That's how I found out Steven Brust's Dragaera stuff wasn't really for me, by reading Brokedown Palace. (I tried it out after reading To Reign in Hell, which I liked quite a bit.)

 

[Juliana]

I find its rare that I buy a book by an author completely unknown to me; usually I have at least heard recommendations (forums etc).

But, in any case, as I read on kindle I always check out the sample pages on Amazon before buying/downloading to see if the style appeals to me.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I use the library -- i know, shock! Ours isn't bad -- it was refurbished last year so they're investing in it-- and it rotates stock well. I got Anne Lyle's sequel there last time -- I ordered the first one in, so I reckon you're on their stock list now, Anne! I am more inclined to pick something on a whim there. I am also a second hand book lover and happily risk 50p! See, risk taker, me.

 

[Mangara]

1. Goodreads: I look at my reccomendations, and what my friends are reading.
2. The Library: I browse the shelf, look on goodreads, read the blurb and give it a page or so.
3. Amazon review: I do rely on other review sites but get a general idea from amazon.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Cover first - it has to have something that draws me to pick it out of the thousands on the shelf.

Title and genre are helps.

Then I'll read the blurb and if it seems my kind of thing check out the first page or two.

Doing that it is very rare I have picked a book I do not like. Nearly every book I have disliked has been picked for me by someone else - either sent or made to read for a class, book group etc.

I use the same criteria for self published and traditionally published stories.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I often use the feature on Amazon that shows what others who bought book X I liked also bought.

Then it's a mix of the description, reviews and, most importantly, the sample. I often download samples but probably buy 50% or less of books whose samples I've downloaded.

 

[Timba]

I use all of the methods listed above in one way or another. I have also recently started watching free book lists at Amazon. If it sounds interesting I try it out. Since it was free I have no problem simply deleting the book if I find it is something I do not like. I have been pleasantly surprised at how well this has gone. These are frequently the lead book in a series and if I like it the author will get some buys from me for the rest of the series.
I do not mind large books, I have a lot of time to read these days and if the story holds me I do not care if it is huge, that just lengthens the time of the "meal" as I consume it.

 

[Nerds_feather]

There may be more but my answer is mostly covered in these threads:
Don't judge a book by it's cover

I've discovered some excellent books via judging covers. While a bad cover doesn't have to entail a bad book, I've found that thoughtfully designed covers often reflect, well, a level of thoughtfulness on the part of the author, publisher, etc. that often runs deeper than just the cover. Plus a good cover stands out at the bookstore, and attracts my attention. I'd even go so far as to say that the cover is one of the elements I consider when deciding on an unknown book by an unknown author.

That said, reviews from sources I consider reliable are the most important factor for me. I read a lot of book reviews, so when I see one that piques my curiosity, I note the name and either keep researching it or check it out at the shop.

The blurbs on the back of the book can also often make or break a choice for me. If I see something positive from The New York Times or analogous, it suggests a plausible assumption of quality. If a book only has author blurbs (usually from friends of the author or others on the same imprint) or no blurbs at all, it suggests the publisher couldn't really find anything worth printing on the back from media reviews (or in the case of hardcover new releases, that it refused to send out reviews far enough in advance of printing).

Other positive factors include personal recommendations from people whose tastes I share and staff recommendations at bookshops I go to for things like that.

 

[elvet]

I use Locus for news of new releases, and if something catches my fancy, I'll look at SF and fantasy sites for reviews. Then I check Goodreads for additional reviews and/or here (Chrons) for any buzz.
www.locusmag.com

 

[allmywires]

Since I buy all my books from Amazon these days (Kindle) I find a decent number of 5-star ratings is usually enough to tell me if something's any good. I don't tend to take many risks. I'll also be more likely to give it a go if the price is <£2. I'll also have a skim through the sample pages but sometimes that isn't completely representative of the book/style.

 

[Mouse]

I also go by covers, whether the title intrigues me, whether the blurb intrigues me, what the reviews (I usually take notice of the bad reviews) on Amazon say, whether it's popped up in the 'if you like this, you'll also like this' thing, and then I'll do a 'look inside' to see if I like the writing.

Also, lately, if amw's said it's good I'll go take a look cos we've got a similar taste.

Also, also, I prefer standalones though I am currently reading Anne Lyle's book.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Like springs, I try out a lot of books by new (to me) authors at the library. Sometimes I'll even try something by an author who has disappointed me before if the blurb sounds really good. If I love a library book, I'll make sure to buy something else written by that author.

Recommendations by people whose tastes sometimes match mine, but only if what they are saying about the book sounds like something I might like.

Recommendations from amazon based on books I've already bought, if the description sounds appealing. But if there is a Kindle version I will download the sample, after which, if I decide to buy the book, I'll probably buy it in paper-and-ink. Those Kindle samples make finding books I want to read so much easier.

In bookstores (what's a bookstore, precious?)* I used to buy books if the cover looked good, and the blurb looked good, and I opened it up and nothing on the first page put me off.

______
*About a year ago there were be two Borders and a B&N within five miles of where I live. All gone now. So no more impulse buys.

 

[nixie]

This site, there are a few here who when they mention an author I sit up and take notice.
Browsing bookshops, Amazon etc. Occasionally I'll buy a book blind, if I don't have anything to read on the way home I'll nip into Works as it is the only shop near hand and pick something up to keep me occupied.

 

[steve12553]

I end up following a trail from something I've come across that interests me to an author that wrote a book that a movie was based on to other books by the same author. I've branched out into mid-twentieth century crime novels lately. there's so many I've never read.

 

[Mouse]

*About a year ago there were be two Borders and a B&N within five miles of where I live. All gone now. So no more impulse buys.

The bookshop in my town is now a hairdressers. To go with the seven other hairdressers already in my (small) town. Because clearly, we're in desperate need of hairdressers.

 

[steve12553]

I'm more than an hours drive from the nearest bookstore to me. An impulse buy for me is finding the book on Amazon and ordering it without pondering.

 

[Kissmequick]

I never read reviews before I buy. (Sometimes afterwards, to see if other people felt the same)

I browse. I pick up on title/cover, I check the blurb. If it sounds interesting, I read the first page or two. If it looks good, I buy it. (I often browse on Amazon, but almost never buy there. I do maintain my wishlist -- mostly so my family know what to buy me for Christmas/birthdays!)

Sometimes I'll pick up a book that I've got reccs for, or I've seen mentioned around. Not often though, and I'll still check out blurb/pages.