My special guest today is debut author Kaily Hart. Her book Picture This came out at Ellora’s Cave on 29 June. Today Kaily is asking what makes a reader choose a book by a new author. I hope you’ll participate because I’m interested in your answers too.
Shelley, thanks so much for having me here today. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be able to share the same cyber space with you!
Being one (a new author that is), I’m particularly interested in this question. Especially the answers!! Honestly, we all know it’s an investment to buy a new author, essentially an unknown, unproven entity. It can be a risk, right? Personally, I have my own criteria when it comes to new authors and it usually involves something compelling. Something has to grab me, whether it’s the authors style or voice, something unique in the premise of the story, a favored story element or it could be as simple as a description or a line of dialogue that tugs at me from the blurb or excerpt.
I’ve never thought I was that influenced by reviews (because people have different tastes), but I’ve never bought a book on a bad review, either. I don’t think the title makes that much of a difference, although something ‘hoakey’ might give me pause. I have noticed the character names occasionally make me think, especially if I’ve known someone with the same name and the experience wasn’t a pleasant one. If there’s a perceived challenge to being able to relate to the character for some reason (name, occupation, situation or choices), I might really think hard about it because it might prevent me from being invested in that character.
Rightly or wrongly, I know I’m influenced by the book’s cover. It’ll catch my eye such that I might take the time to look at it further when otherwise I might have just skimmed over it. I try not to let a cover sway me though. I know that an author often doesn’t have a lot of say in the cover’s end result. Many times I’ll skim the blurb, but read the excerpt because it will give me a feel for the authors writing and style. Can I really read a whole book of this? I’ve also been known to flip through a book in the bookstore to about a third of the way through and just read a couple of pages. I also like to know that in the event I do buy the book and like the author, there’ll be more books! I’ll check out their website or blog to get a sense of that. Really, there are many factors that influence the book buying decision, especially for a new author, and it can be a very individual thing. Of course, I’m hoping Picture This has that something special to draw readers to this new author!
So… what makes YOU buy a new author?
BLURB:
Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the ass. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career, she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.
Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A fantasy that has ruined his once satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her exact likeness works in his building—for him—things get…interesting.
EXCERPT:
It’d been sold, again, three months earlier. Private auction, anonymous bidder and there was no way for her to find out who’d bought it. All she knew for sure was that it’d been a man. It figured. Damn, she’d been close this time. Not that she would have been able to afford to make even one bid herself. It had opened at fifteen thousand and after some fast and furious bidding had finally gone for a cool seventy-five thousand—dollars. Jeez, she’d probably be paying off her student loans for another twenty years and some guy had dropped seventy-five grand on a picture?
Jillian sighed. She wasn’t even sure what she’d do if she could uncover the identity of the new owner. She’d kept telling herself she’d be able to buy it one day once she got established. She’d planned on it, she’d counted on it. It was why she’d tried her damndest to keep track of it for the past ten years. Her only hope now was that it would sit in some private collection, gathering dust and never see the light of day. Yeah, right. She’d never, ever been that lucky. All those years ago, who would have thought? Deep down though she’d known and it had plagued her ever since. When she least expected it, it was going to come back and bite her on the ass. She just knew it.
Purchase Picture This
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CONTEST:
I’m giving one person a chance to win a copy of Kaily’s debut release, Picture This. All you need to do is answer Kaily’s question and I’ll pick one comment at random to win. I’ll post the winner’s name on Friday. Good luck!
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July 14th, 2010 at 2:05 am · Link
Oh, how I wi8sh I knew the universal answer to this!
But I guess there are nearly as many answers as there are people who buy new authors.
On the internet, I’m pretty sure name recognition is at the top of my list. Even though the book I’m looking at is a debut title, I will almost certainly have seen the author around and about in various online communities. Once past that stage, I make my decision to buy on the blurb and excerpt.
In a bookshop, A title and cover will attract my attention, and my decision will be based on reading the back cover and the first few pages.
Good luck with Picture This, Kaily!
July 14th, 2010 at 4:28 am · Link
For me it’s the blurb and, I’ll admit, the cover. But mostly the blurb. Reviews, not so much. I’ve bought books I’ve loved that have only gotten a 3 out of 5 rating from RT.
July 14th, 2010 at 6:09 am · Link
Shelley, thanks again for having me today. I’m looking forward to hearing those comments on what makes readers take a chance on a new author!
David, yeah, especially for ebooks, I’ll also go on presence out on the web. What did we used to do before Google? I also think authors need to make an immediate impression with the first few pages. I always try to make sure they pack a punch.
NJ, I try not to be too influenced by a cover, but an intestesting (or hot & sexy) one, can sure grab my attention!
July 14th, 2010 at 6:24 am · Link
For me its the story, experts published in the yahoo groups or on the website also helps. It seems to work best for me when the expert comes out before the story.
I am always willing to try new authors, fresh outlook on things is a very good thing :) Good luck!
July 14th, 2010 at 6:49 am · Link
I would say that the thing that makes me pick up a new author is the cover art. I know it’s ridiculous, there’s really no rhyme or reason to it, but I’m drawn to good art. I am usually repelled by the billowy shirts and long haired women with their bodices ripped… however, a good naughty cover will often catch my eye. Or on the other hand, an artful, tasteful cover will do the same. What makes me take the book HOME is if the blurb on the back makes it interesting enough.
Superficial, I know, but I’m one of those people that makes snap decisions.
July 14th, 2010 at 8:01 am · Link
I’ve never been hesitant to try a new author. When I’m shopping online, I open the page to the genre I’m looking for and browse titles. A catchy title and the cover are the sparklies that initially attract my attention, but it’s the blurb that sells me on the book.
July 14th, 2010 at 8:54 am · Link
Rasha, glad to hear you’re open. I think the excerpt is important too. You can get a great feel for the writing style.
Miranda, I don’t think we can help being influenced by the visual aspects of a book. I think a lot of these types of buying decisions are probably spur of the moment.
Cora, mmm blurb girl, huh? Glad to know you’re not hesitant to take the risk of a new author!
July 14th, 2010 at 9:14 am · Link
While the cover or title of a book may make me notice it, I base my buying decision on the blurb. If that doesn’t quite decide me, I’ll check out the excerpt. I love finding new adventures to read.
People have to be willing to try new authors or else there never would be any new authors and then where would us avid readers be, with no more new books.
July 14th, 2010 at 11:44 am · Link
I used to buy books based on the publisher (Harlequins usually) and then read the back blurbs. Covers didn’t have a lot to do with it, as I read some from the sixties to date (and those old covers left much to be desired).
Then I started to blog and everything changed. Because I have read 200-300 books every year since 1974 (give or take a year), I am more selective of how to spend my time. I read blogs to see what authors and readers are saying about the upcoming books. And I make lists. Lots of lists. And then I find those books on the list. Because I have such a long ongoing list, I rarely “run out of books” to buy.
I know that when I enjoy a book, I try to mention it in various blogs for others to read. However, sometimes I don’t enjoy someone’s book, even though that author could have over 30 books published so far. In those cases, I don’t say anything. I try to read at least two more books by that same author in case I enjoy different books instead. After all, I have read one author’s books and glow about how great I have found three of her books, but there were two of her books I really didn’t like at all. Go figure! It’s a hit and miss thing, I guess. Everyone has different tastes.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:49 pm · Link
I’m always trying new authors and it depends for me what frame of mind I’m in at the time I’m in the bookstore or shopping online. If I’m looking for paranormal I’ll keep an eye out for dark, spooky covers. Read the back cover and if it sounds good, I’ll read a page or so in the middle. Most times I won’t even look at who the author is unless I’m looking for a specific author or book.
I hardly ever listen to reviews before hand. I will sometimes read reviews after I have read the book. So I can disagree or agree.
I like to walk the isles in a book store and just pick books up and read the back…I’ve bought a lot of books doing that. So for me it’s the back cover blurb that does it for me.
July 14th, 2010 at 12:58 pm · Link
I’ve always chosen by blurb too. Sometimes a cover will seduce me, but if the blurb doesn’t appeal to me then I won’t buy the book. Reviews don’t make the slightest difference to me at all. I might read them, but they don’t come into my purchasing decision.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:06 pm · Link
Good point, Beth. Every author, even bestselling ones were new authors once!
Laney, wow I’m impressed, both by your reading volume and how you get the word out about good books! Good for you. Word of mouth certainly nets some good reads!
Mary, I like to make up my own mind too.
Shelley, the blurb has to do it for me as well. If that’s not there, a good cover or an excellent review won’t make any difference.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:09 pm · Link
For me it’s a combination of things- is the cover appealing (this is especially important with an ebook), is the blurb good and does the excerpt provided give me a feel for the author’s writting style. I think that it’s harder for the writers of ebooks because the buying public can’t pick up the book and read a couple of pages- they are at the mercy of whatever their publisher wants to put up on the site- which is why I think it’s really important to fight for the cover you want and that you feel relfects your work.
At a bookstore it’s a combination of cover, blurb and the first couple of pages. I will occassionally buy something based on a review. Will usually buy something if my sister recommends it too:)
July 14th, 2010 at 2:29 pm · Link
Congratulations on the book. It sounds eally good.
I pick up a book, look at the cover, read the blurb, and if it is something I would be interested in reading, I purchase the book. I often visit Amazon to see if anyone has posted a review and I read about the reviews at other websites. But it is like movie critics, the ones they highly recommend I usualy don’t like so hey, I read stories I like.
July 14th, 2010 at 4:00 pm · Link
For me it is the blurb andI but magazines with reviews. I love to read about new authors to see if there is something that I like.
lorettaC
lbcanton@verizon.net
July 14th, 2010 at 4:45 pm · Link
Hi, Kaily! Congrats on your debut–sounds like a great one! As for new-to-me authors, I tend to pick them up if I’ve had the chance to “meet” them on-line, either through a blog or a chat or if friends whose reading tastes I trust recommend them to me. :) And once I’m hooked, I tend to glom… Must be why my TBR is so big :D
July 14th, 2010 at 6:51 pm · Link
Wow, there’s a party going on over here :). Thanks for everyone to continue sharing their thoughts about trying new authors. I’m absorbing it all!
July 14th, 2010 at 7:07 pm · Link
Great post, Kaily. :) I used to be a much harder sell when it came to trying new authors, but nowadays a cover and a blurb reel me in, but if I like the excerpt, I buy. Excerpts really mean the most to me, because the best concept in the world is only as good as its execution.
Loving your tour!
July 14th, 2010 at 11:50 pm · Link
First don’t count me in the contest because I won this book on another contest. By the way I loved the book it was great.
If I’ve never heard of a author the cover will get my attention but it’s whether or not the blurb sounds good if I buy it or not. Sometimes I buy a book based on what my friends have to say about it.
July 15th, 2010 at 5:59 pm · Link
There are a few reasons I pick up a new author. Sometimes it is just reading the blurb, other times it is on the recommendation of someone else and other times just the cover of the book.
gigi