Welcome to the Australasian Christian Writers Tuesday Book Chat, where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
What makes you buy or read a book from a new-to-you author?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation in a comment on this post or in a comment on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
This is a great question. Book recommendations by friends and trusted sources do influence my purchasing decisions. I always download the ebook samples of books by new-to-me authors. If the ebook is priced at US2.99 or less, I’m more likely to try a new author. If I don’t like the sample, a 99c or free ebook will not entice me to buy or download.
Before I owned a Kindle, I’d borrow library books to try out new authors. If I loved the book, I’d often buy the whole series and the author’s backlist that was still in print including the library book I’d already read, lol. I usually only buy print copies of books by authors I know and follow.
What do you think?
And don’t forget: if you’d like to participate in our weekly Book Chat by posting the question and your answer on your blog, drop us an email via our Contact page and we’ll send you the list of questions for 2019.
There are several reasons. One would be the blurb, another would be recommendation from other readers or authors. Also the publisher Like Love inspired books or if its in a series which could be either a series of one common theme by different authors or a series like the Love finds me in series which was set in different locations and not related at all. It could also just be the blurb and cover.
Hi Jenny, I have a friend who bought a book on sale because she’d noticed the cover art was similar (the same stock photo) to a book she’d enjoyed by another author. The books were in slightly different genres. My friend loved the book and she’s now a big fan of the new author’s books, all because the similarities in the book covers had initially caught her attention. 🙂
I think mine is most likely the initial attraction of the cover or blurb. Media hype or strong recommendations from others used to be higher on my list, but I’ve found that as often as not, they don’t live up to expectations, because we’re all so different in our tastes.
Hi Paula, Yes, I’ve learned to be discerning when it comes to ‘book buzz’. It’s disappointing when we read a book everyone is raving about and it just doesn’t live up to the hype. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I’ll try new authors when I’ve run out of new books from my favourite authors and don’t feel like re-reading their books again yet (there are some books I’ve read 5 times or more, but I like to space out re-reading them by a few years).
I’ll read the blurbs and look for ones by the same publisher as a favourite author. I’ll often read something like a ‘Love Inspired’ book first and then if I like them, try some of their other books.
I took a risk last year buying a whole series by an author that I had never read before – it paid off. I’m now hanging out for the next one in the series!
Hi Beth, I’m glad you took a chance on the new-to-you author and reaped the benefits by discovering a new favourite author. I hope you won’t have to wait too long for their next book in the series to be released. 🙂
Release is not the problem, having it available in Australia, now that’s a challenge!
There are so many books I would love to read but they aren’t available on the Australian sites. I’ve even had some that although I can find them on US sites, they won’t ship that particular book to Australia.
Beth, Have you looked at Amazon Australia recently? They’re starting to stock more and more print books at the AU site that are fulfilled by Amazon US. My other go-to place for books is The Book Depository. I’ve found the US sites either don’t ship to Australia or the shipping cost is more expensive than the actual book.
The cover and title are the first things that grab me. That usually makes me read the blurb. If it still sounds good and I’m in a bookstore looking at the physical book, I’ll read the first couple of pages to see if I like the style. If I’m looking online, I’ll often check a couple of reviews. If I’m looking on Amazon, I’ll also often look at the preview pages to see if I like the writing. I also will take note of friends’ recommendations, but usually only if I know they like similar types of books to me.
Hi Nola, I love browsing in book stores and reading the opening page. If I make it to page 2, I’m a step closer to buying the book. Reviews by trusted sources may sway me toward buying the book. I’ve also bought books after reading the 2* and 1* reviews because the story elements the reviewer disliked were elements that appealed to me.
It’s usually the cover and book description for me, then recommendations from other readers. I’ve picked up a lot of new books from the weekly First Line Friday meme I participate in.
Hi Iola, If the First Line Friday quotes I come across are interesting, I’ll often check out the book. The opening lines are now important as a marketing tool. 🙂