Does page count, reviews matter?

[Christopher A. Gray]

I'm wondering how these things affect the purchase decision of the average reader. Obviously we each have our preferences, but if a science fiction novel falls below say, 300 pages, will you pass it by?

Assuming the cover art draws you to pick up the book, how much importance do you give endorsements printed inside or on the back cover?

 

[J-Sun]

The opposite - I no longer buy any novel (collections and non-fiction are another matter) over 500 pages - if I was interested anyway, I'd snap up a 300 page book with a great deal of extra joy. 192 pages is actually the ideal.

Every seventeen issues or so, Asimov gathered his columns together, added a short introduction, and handed the result over to his friends at Doubleday and Company to publish as a book. Why seventeen? It seems that when he was working on his first book, Pebble in the Sky, he asked his editor at Doubleday how long to make it. “Oh, about 70,000 words,” was the answer, and from that point on, 70,000 words was the “ideal” length for a book so far as Asimov was concerned. 17 columns at 4,000 words each works out to 68,000 words, so add a 2,000 word introduction, and you’re there.

(source: Jenkins' Spoiler-laden Blog on Isaac Asimov)

Cover art can rarely draw me to pick up a book because they're usually shelved spine-out. As far as the blurbs, I pay attention somewhat to who's saying them more than what and I read "what" sort of backwards - reading between the lines to see if anything makes me think I don't want it.

If you look around, there are a lot of threads on this topic already, where you might find some interesting posts.

 

[Boneman]

I admit to liking my money's worth, so I do gravitate towards the larger books on he shelf. Cover art does very little for me, reading the first few pages is what sells or rejects the book. If there's a review by someone I really like, then I'll persevere to reading the first chapter if I'm not immediately drawn in.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Page count doesn't bother me - I'm an inveterate re-reader anyway, so I get my money's worth out of most books anyway. Liking the characters, premise and, mostly, the writing does it for me.

 

[thaddeus6th]

That's a good question (on that point, iTunes and Amazon have wildly differing page estimates. My last book was estimated at 274 page on Amazon and 382 on Apple).

Personally, I don't mind smaller books if the price isn't too high (I dislike spending more than a few pounds on an e-book, and if the book's short that'd put me off more).

 

[Warren_Paul]

I lean towards larger books. Something around 192 pages would have to be really good for me to consider it, or cheaper than normal price. Can never understand books that are half the size of average novels yet cost the same if not more. But personally, I don't want a book that I can finish in 1 day.

The name of the book is what draws me to it first. If I take an interest in the name, I then pull it off the shelf, look at the coverart and read the blurb on the back. If I'm still interested after that, I will consider buying it.

I completely ignore endorsements. They aren't legitimate and shouldn't be relied upon.

 

[Chel]

I'd rather read a shorter book that interests me than something drawn out with a lot of needless fluff.

I'm starting to get annoyed at myself for thinking, even when I've liked a brick-sized book a lot, that it could have benefited from being 200 pages shorter. As an example, I really, really enjoyed Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. It was a joy to read, even when I started getting impatient to get to the end. His stand-alone novel Alloy of Law, though, 320-ish pages, had me savouring every word.
I know which of the books I will read again.

Edit: I read mostly Fantasy, and attempt to write it too. So for me, a sci-fi novel of about 250-300 pages would be perfect. I doubt I would even consider anything longer than that in a genre I'm not all that interested in.

People have different needs and wants when it comes to reading. An intriguing blurb will get me every time, regardless of genre - unless the title of the book gives the impression of a different genre. If I think I'm looking at a Fantasy book, but the blurb reveals it to be sci-fi, I'm not likely to read it.

 

[Brian G Turner]

So far as I'm aware, reviews matter a great deal - but only so long as they are trusted.

Advertising and promotions will raise awareness of a book, but many people will then seek recommendations from friends and trusted sites.

Personally, I always read the 3 star reviews on Amazon, because they are more likely to through up relevant criticisms that may affect my reading. I still end up buying duds sometimes, though.

 

[The Judge]

Have you posted this in General Writing Discussion for a reason, Christopher? As things stand this looks like a Book Discussion matter, so I'm thinking of moving it. If this is a disguised question about how long you think your own book should be, the usual way to approach it is in number of words, not number of pages -- and there are indeed a number of threads on this around.

 

[anthorn]

I only buy a novel over 500 pages if it's an author I've already read and enjoyed.
Although a higher page count means higher visibility upon the shelf it never means quality. I would say reviews count more than page count, but again it is subjective. One guy might think Twilight is AWESOME. Another might see it as the crap it is.

 

[wulfsbane]

I guess I do tend to like thicker books. If it looks too thin, then I (for some reason, maybe it's slightly subconscious) think that it must be a younger book, or something I'm not interested in. Realistically, i'm willing to try 200-page books, but what I judge by at first sight is thickness. Anything under roughly an inch I start to dislike. And the perceived thickness can be affected by what size the pages are as well. Basically, if it looks thin, im less likely to buy it.

I don't really care much for reviews unless they're from an author I know and like.

Sometimes inside cover descriptions can affect me, the inside cover description of 'Name of the Wind' being a great example.

 

[Mouse]

I prefer shorter books. As Chel says, lots of fluff in the longer ones.

Like Warren, I ignore the endorsements. I do read reviews on Amazon, but only the one star ones (if there's any).

 

[TheDustyZebra]

There is only one book I've ever read that I could tell you the page count on -- Gone With the Wind, 1020 pages in the edition my library had when I was a teenager. I know it was important to me for some reason at that time, and that's why it sticks in my head. Other than that, I've never noticed page counts. Except when one of my kids asks, "what page are you on now?" and I say, "the same one I was on five minutes ago, because you won't stop asking me what page I'm on!"

Reviews, only to a certain degree. I read lots of them and sort out which ones are saying something that matters and seems to be a consensus, and then I decide whether to take a chance or not. That's how I buy most things. It's like scoring at the Olympics -- you throw out the high and the low scores, and average the rest. Then you decide if it's a sport you even care to watch, or an athlete who matters to you.

 

[Cathy M.]

As long as I can get past the writing style and find the first few pages interesting, I do not care about reviews, cover art, or word count.
I must admit that I am drawn to unique book covers though, but if I can not find the style of writing readable, or the first few pages interesting, I put the book back and move on.

 

[Parson]

When (and that's seldom now) I buy a book other than a e-book, size does make a difference. I like longer books. I generally assume that the longer a book is the more I will immersed in a wonderful world. When I buy an e-book I don't pay nearly as much attention to the size of the book, probably because it's quite a little cheaper (usually!).

Reviews to me are very important. I generally read some of the 5 stars, and some of the 3 stars. Usually a 1 star rating doesn't get much past "this was garbage" or something even less helpful. I used to put much more stock in the blurbs by other authors on a book, but now that I've been a part of this community for a while I understand a little better how that works, and find them less reliable than before.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I used to put much more stock in the blurbs by other authors on a book, but now that I've been a part of this community for a while I understand a little better how that works, and find them less reliable than before.

So the more you hang out with writers, the less you trust us? Hmm....

 

[J-Sun]

Just to be nitpicky, while the thread title says "reviews", the OP actually asked about "endorsements printed inside or on the back cover" (i.e. "blurbs") but several people have mentioned "N star reviews" meaning, I guess Amazon.

As far as that goes, if I'm on the fence, I'll read a comment or two from the 4-5, 3, and 1-2 areas to get a sense of the variety of responses and let the general impression serve as a kind of tiebreaker sometimes. (I agree with Brian that the 3-stars are often the most, well, balanced, and informative/useful.) But, like I say, I think the OP was talking about having a book in your hands in the store.

 

[ratsy]

To me reviews matter more on authors I don't know or haven't be recommended. If I was going to buy an Ebook of a self Pub I would buy based on reviews. I don't pay too much attention on review of authors I read all the time. I know what I am getting and don't really care if someone thought the plot was slow or characters were flat, because I know said authors does that but I still want to read them.

Size is an interesting one. I generally prefer to read long books, as long as they are good. I am happy to read Way of the Kings 1000 pages because I love what I am reading. What I usually do after reading a really long book is read a shorter one in my TBR pile. Right now I am reading Among Theives, (at 400 or so pages) it feels quite short and I will devour it quickly. It also helps that I am invested in the story.

 

[JoanDrake]

If I'm paying 8.99 for a book, it will be at least 400 pages or well over 250,000 words. If I'm paying a dollar for an ebook I don't care.

The only in-book endorsement I ever paid any attention to was the one NatLamp put on "Bored of the Rings": 'This edition, and no other, has been published solely for the purpose of making a few quick beans. Those who approve of courtesy to authors, living or dead, will not touch this gobbler with a ten foot battle lance'

 

[HareBrain]

The only in-book endorsement I ever paid any attention to was the one NatLamp put on "Bored of the Rings": 'This edition, and no other, has been published solely for the purpose of making a few quick beans. Those who approve of courtesy to authors, living or dead, will not touch this gobbler with a ten foot battle lance'

OT, sorry, but I've only just twigged (and I've read BOTR several times) -- is this a parody of a notice included in the official US paperback after the Ace "pirated" edition of LOTR?