What Makes you Decide to Buy a Book?
What I want to know is if there is any particular promotion that might tickle your fancy enough to buy a book? I don't care if you buy it for your Kindle or Nook or other reading device, or a paper book.
In today's world so many people are writing books because it is no longer necessary to go through the agent/publisher process to get a book published. For no dollars you can publish on Kindle or Smashwords. If you have a good book, you can find a small press who will publish you in paper and electronically for not outlay of cash.
So what tickles your fancy enough to make you buy a book?
Is it the cover? The blurb on the back of the cover? What you've read about it on the Internet? Reviews? What people are saying about it?
Have you ever bought a book because of what you read on a blog? Or followed an author on a blog tour promoting a book?
What about Facebook, has that ever influenced you to buy a book? Or any other social media?
Today we're told over and over if you want someone to buy your book you have to tell him/her about it. A reader won't find you unless you're promoting yourself everywhere possible.
What I want to know is if you've bought a book because of any of these things? I'd like to know I'm not wasting my time with all the promotion that I do.
Answer whatever questions appeal to you. I'd sure like to know where to concentrate my efforts and what to forget about.
In today's world so many people are writing books because it is no longer necessary to go through the agent/publisher process to get a book published. For no dollars you can publish on Kindle or Smashwords. If you have a good book, you can find a small press who will publish you in paper and electronically for not outlay of cash.
So what tickles your fancy enough to make you buy a book?
Is it the cover? The blurb on the back of the cover? What you've read about it on the Internet? Reviews? What people are saying about it?
Have you ever bought a book because of what you read on a blog? Or followed an author on a blog tour promoting a book?
What about Facebook, has that ever influenced you to buy a book? Or any other social media?
Today we're told over and over if you want someone to buy your book you have to tell him/her about it. A reader won't find you unless you're promoting yourself everywhere possible.
What I want to know is if you've bought a book because of any of these things? I'd like to know I'm not wasting my time with all the promotion that I do.
Answer whatever questions appeal to you. I'd sure like to know where to concentrate my efforts and what to forget about.
Comments
A good cover will help a good book, and a bad cover will turn readers away.
The blurb must truly capture the essence of the story and remain intriguing enough to tempt the reader to actually buy the book.
Another reason today might be the trailer. It also has to capture the story in a way that makes a reader want to spend the money and time to invest in it.
The other challenge is all the free books on Kindle. I have nearly 100 on mine and plan to get around to them eventually. If I like one, I'll write a review of it. If I don't, I just archive it.
Let us know what the consensus is, because we're all facing the same challenges.
I also will buy a book if I see a particularly intriguing or clever book trailer. That's the newest way to attract readers.
The cover will also attract me if I see it at a bookstore. Pastels don't jump off the shelf.
Grab me and you have me.
Gayle Bartos-Pool
www.gbpool.com
I also will buy a book if I see a particularly intriguing or clever book trailer. That's the newest way to attract readers.
The cover will also attract me if I see it at a bookstore. Pastels don't jump off the shelf.
Grab me and you have me.
Gayle Bartos-Pool
www.gbpool.com
I'd also like to add a question: when reading reviews/review blurbs are you more persuaded by big name endorsers than lesser known or even unknown names?
Just askin'!
Billie Johnson
Oak Tree Press
Great question, Marilyn.
What about an Amazon recommendation? I confess, I have bought a couple of their recommendations. I was caught up with the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy because everyone talked about it.
Reviews, of course, can be a factor. But less so these days because there are SO MANY sources for reviews that it seems you can always find a rave review of something as well as a pan, often on the same blog or discussion board.
I hate to admit it, but the last few books I bought on Kindle were because of their price. Of course, the plot had to be something I was interested in, but I find it hard to pass on a $.99 book.
I also buy books when I see one similar to my own, especially if the book involves a female prosecutor who shares any of the same traits as my protagonist. I also buy mysteries that are set in New Orleans like my own, because I really like to compare them to my novels. It may sound narcissistic, but I want to know what my immediate competition is like.
I don't buy books based strictly on reviews, but I will say that if a reviewer has said the book is poorly edited, full of typos, or something like that, it will dissuade me from buying a book that I am interested in.
If a reviewer complains about the characters or the plot, I don't pay too much attention because that kind of thing seems to be more about personal taste. If someone else has commented on errors in grammar, punctuation, changing names through a story or things of that nature, I see that as a red flag and ordinarily won't buy the novel.
Holli Castillo
Madeline
buy romance novel online
Experion Institute, Inc.