Back in the good old days, last century, the library was my go-to place to discover new books. I knew the floor plan layout and had memorised the shelving systems via genre and book category. I’d gravitate to the shelves that held hidden treasures waiting to be explored.
I’d talk about books and pick up book recommendations from family and friends. My grandmother was a lifelong romance reader, and her personal library aka. stacks of boxes of books that had overflowed from her book shelves, was where I discovered my love for the romance genre.
I wasn’t a big reader of Christian fiction until my mid-to-late twenties. I was working in Chatswood in Sydney, Australia, and I visited a specialty romance book store during my lunch break. I chatted with the lady who worked there, and during our conversation discovered the Christian/inspirational contemporary romance genre. She showed me two books from a new Harlequin category romance line called Love Inspired. I bought the books: one by a romance author I’d already read, Diana Palmer, and the other by a new-to-me Canadian author, Carolyne Aarsen.
Reading those two Love Inspired books opened my eyes to a whole new world of contemporary inspirational romance reading. At the same time, it sparked my interest in the possibilities of writing contemporary inspirational romance books with a faith element in the story. A decade later, I met the lady from the romance book store at a romance writing conference. I’m very thankful for Malvina Yock who introduced me to the genre of inspirational/Christian romance. I bought those paperback books based on her personal recommendation.
Fast forward twenty plus years, and specialty romance book stores in the suburbs no longer exist. Christian book store numbers are shrinking. For environmental reasons, my local library system is transitioning away from paper to online and electronic book resources (ebook and audio). The old ways of discovering books no longer exist.
I still rely on personal recommendations from friends. I discovered Carla Laureano when Andrea Grigg read ‘Five Days in Skye’ and told me I’d love reading the book. I recently discovered Penny Zeller’s historical romances from Jenny Blake’s recommendations on this blog.
This year I’ve sadly DNF’d (did not finish) more books than ever before. The supply of potential books is huge and my Kindle TBR list is long. I like rereading books, but there’s still a part of me that loves broadening my horizons and discovering new-to-me books and authors. How can I find these elusive gems?
Many authors offer an ebook free gift to readers who subscribe to their newsletter mailing list. It’s an opportunity to sample their writing for free, and buy future books if I like their free book. A fun way to discover new-to-me authors, and learn more about the authors and their books. Lisa Renee, in her Marketing workshop at Omega Writers Conference last weekend, talked about author newsletters and reader magnets. A ‘reader magnet’ is the author terminology for offering a free gift (usually an Ebook) to readers who join the author’s newsletter mailing list.
Did you know Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) now has a FREE BOOKS webpage? Our group of author bloggers have added their free ebook reader magnets to the web page. Readers can click on the links there to join the author’s newsletter list and download a free ebook that they might enjoy reading. The current lineup of ebooks is in the image below, and more information is available at the FREE BOOKS webpage.
Questions for you: How do you discover new-to-you books and authors? Has this discovery process changed over time? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
it has definitely changed over time. I read some when I was younger but then stopped reading and someone gave me a book for Christmas (before internet) I then bought more in the series. The local Christian bookshop had some and I discovered Koorong.
I was visiting Melbourne and made a trip to Blackburn and stocked up on some books (Its there I discovered Gilbert Morris). When I went to Perth I went to Koorong and they sent a box of books home for me. (plus someone elses order which they paid postage to return). I discovered the catalogues. Adelaide also had word. Koorong had the LI and another line on special, so I bought up.
Now its more from recommendations, blogs etc.
I did read Jen’s click magnet and can’t wait for her first book. Other authors have had a free book but I don’t often read them or take up the offer unless it looks like one I want to read. A few have put up the freebie later and not all authors offer it to readers already on their lists. But it is a great idea if people are wanting to test the waters. (I am just on way too many newsletters and am in the process of downsizing due to not reading the genre any more).
Hi Jenny, Those book catalogues we used to receive in the mail were so important before the internet existed. In 2011 when I bought my first Kindle, and convinced a family member to also buy a Kindle to save on the expensive shipping costs from USA, I’d download every free book I came across that I might read one day. Now, I’m way more selective in what I download, and I’ll pass on free ebooks all the time.
I don’t understand why an author wouldn’t offer their new and free reader magnet to existing subscribers. It doesn’t make sense to incentivise newsletter readers to unsubscribe and resubscribe, unless the reader magnet has already been available for free elsewhere. I have Seaside Christmas available to buy on Amazon, if a reader would prefer to do that and not subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Readers can follow authors at Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and also follow their author blog.
I started subscribing to more newsletters when the social media algorithms stopped showing a lot of author posts, and I’d miss seeing the book information I wanted to see. Thanks for commenting. 😊
This post brought back memories :o) As a young girl I’d scour the shelves of the school library (which wasn’t huge). Being a country town there was a travelling library that would come down from “town” (Hobart) – I think it was just a van – and I lived for those visits. Also remember those order forms we’d get at school with a list and pictures of books to purchase? I was allowed to buy two or three from memory. I received an Enid Blyton book for Christmas one year and there was a list of her books on the back cover so I begged for more, and that’s how I fell in love with her books.
Anyway, back to the present … :o) … I always have the 15 book limit on hold at the library (borrow one, put another on hold). I find a lot of them in lists of books that have won prizes in various competitions, then I may find an author I like and borrow more. That leads me to Goodreads and from there I go down multiple rabbit holes of similar authors and genres … I even have a wait list on my computer of books to go onto the 15-book library hold list! (I do purchase the books I love, but I don’t usually purchase until I’ve read them. I don’t have that much shelf space.)
I also browse bookshops but am not usually as successful at finding what I want there, though it is fun.
Hi Suzie, I remember the Scholastic order forms, and I’d have a list of books, in order of priority, that I’d present to my parents. I’d ignore the maths involved in adding up the cost, lol. I also joined the Doubleday book club when I was in high school because it was the most affordable way to buy certain books.
Thankfully, many Enid Blyton books were already on my parents’ bookshelves. Plus, the entire Anne series, and it was a happy day when I worked this out, lol.
I used to keep a Word doc list of books I wanted to borrow from the library, and I’d request books from the library, too. Now, my Kindle account keeps track of what I’ve bought, and what I’ve read. I’d accidentally buy the same book twice if I wasn’t keeping track. Koorong book browsing in-store is always fun. Thanks for commenting. 😊
When I went to High School I somehow missed the explanation about how to use the library so I went in each day, took down a book and put it back on the shelf when the bell went. I can’t describe the emotions when another student explained that I could take the book home and bring it back when I had finished it. And I could borrow more than one! I was only at that school for a few months, but I made friends with the new school’s librarian. I can remember working my way alphabetically along the shelf. If I enjoyed the first book by an author, I read every other title. That’s where I fell in love with CS Lewis.
I also discovered it was possible to put a book back unfinished because there were more books in that school library than I could borrow. I remember returning War and Peace because it didn’t capture my heart. Our librarian had a policy of using student volunteers so I got to work in the library in exchange for extended borrowing privileges. I always had the maximum allowance out.
As an adult, I rarely visited bookshops, having to make do with rereading old favourites. Then I moved to a tiny seaside town where I needed to drive to the city once a month. My husband bought me a book by Stephen Lawhead from Koorong, and I went back for the sequel. I became a regular, building my little library and lending to the women in my Bible study group…
Fast forward to today: I’m collecting paperbacks from artists I meet at writer events. Koorong is no longer available without a two hour drive to a regional city. My non-Christian son passes me his favourites (he is a dedicated reader and collector) and he’s recently offered me Wings of Fire and a manga series 20th Century Boys. In return, he accepts my own writing.
I am trying to keep track of everything I read on Goodreads. Tricky now that I’ve discovered eBooks. I wait eagerly for new releases on this group, carefully reading reviews and blurbs, I sign up for newsletters and then follow my favourite authors recommendations… The virtual collection is multiplying.
Hi Chrissy, I rarely used to DNF books. If I paid for a book, I’d always grit my teeth and finish it, and remember not to buy any more books from the author. I might try their books again by borrowing from the library. My parents had CS Lewis’ Narnia series on their book shelves, and I reread the series multiple times.
It can be comforting to reread old favourites, knowing I won’t be disappointed by the story. My ebook accounts are overflowing, and I’m trying not to buy ebooks that I won’t be reading within the next few weeks. That said, I can’t resist a sale, and my ebook wish list relocates to my TBR list. I’ve concluded it’s a losing battle to try and shrink my TBR list, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I sometimes look into books from book reviews/recommendations by friends, new member release announcements, and award announcements, but only when the price is free, 99c, or I can ask my library to buy it. I have only signed up for a newsletter freebee twice. I don’t enjoy emails, not even from my favourite authors.
My go to for getting new authors is heading to Koorong once a year. I walk the aisles and collect all the books I think are interesting, focusing mostly on new to me authors. I end up with three stacks at the end. One list of books available at my library. One list of books significantly cheaper on kindle, and lastly is the stack of books I buy at Koorong.
I had Kindle Unlimited for a while. It was good for trying some new authors with little expense to me, but I didn’t keep my subscription going. It wasn’t as successful as Koorong for finding authors I’d want to try again. However, once I have a good-sized list of books I want to read on Kindle Unlimited, I might do that again.
Hi Dienece, I also use a list system, of sorts, for buying print books. I now avoid pale font with small print size paperbacks because I can’t read them when I’m prone to getting migraines. I know they are the ‘good’ environmental option, but it’s not an enjoyable reading experience. Browsing in-store means I can rule out those hard to read paperbacks with pale font. An advantage over buying paperbacks online.
Traditional publishers have trained me to either request an ARC from NetGalley (if the book fits within the scope of my author blog book recommendations) or wait for the ebook to go on sale within 18 months to 2 years of the release date at $2.99 Aussie or less. The books invariably show up in my Bookbub daily emails. Rarely will I pay big money for ebooks, and I will compare ebook and paperback prices. For general market books I usually look at what the library has first in either ebook or audio.
Interestingly, I’m more likely to pay more for indie ebooks than trad ebooks because I know the indie author will receive a larger share of the book income. The exception is small press trad books because I’m always happy to support small businesses. I will also buy ebooks direct from authors if they have a PayHip store, for example Christine Dillon, because I’d rather see the author receive more money than make a multinational richer.
A few years ago I tried Kindle Unlimited, but it wasn’t for me. I reread books, and that’s not always possible with KU because authors don’t necessarily keep their books in KU long term. I did the math, looked at how many books I wanted to read that weren’t in KU, and also how many books I was reading per month, and worked out it was more affordable for me to buy ebooks than pay a monthly subscription fee. Thanks for commenting. 😊