What is most likely to draw you to a book?

[Michelle]

I was discussing a book cover with my daughter yesterday, and I have to admit that I'm often swayed by a good cover. So I was wondering what is most likely to draw you to a book?

 

I've allowed multiple options, as I know it's often a combination, but I'd like to know which are most important if you can.

[chesilbeach]

I've gone for:

 

The cover - An eyecatching picture or striking design will always make me pick up a book, and I have bought books based on cover alone, without even reading what the blurb is.  

 

Being on offer in a shop - I can't deny, I'm a cheapskate at times, as I read so many books, that a good bargain will often lure me towards  book, or a selection of books on sale.

 

Recommendation of someone you know - my friends know what books I like, so if one of them recommends a book, that's almost a guarantee that I will buy it.

 

A review or recommendation on BCF - oh my goodness, my bookshelves and my kindle are full of books I've seen reviewed and recommended by the members of BCF!  I've been exposed to so many books that I never would have read I hadn't become a member, so every review is read and books are often bought based on another member having recommended it.

[Karsa Orlong]

If I'm in a bookshop it's the cover that gets my attention first, then I'll read the blurb and see if it grabs me.  I tend to browse the genres I like on Amazon and if a book is getting good reviews I'll take a closer look.  I pick up recommendations from BCF, of course, and word of mouth on other forums, mainly SF/fantasy/history-specific ones 

[Sakura]

Another option might be the title.

 

I'm usually only interested in the covers when browsing.

German publishers tend to translate the titles badly, so that you often end up with something painfully generic. There are also a lot of books with the same or very similar titles. I don't know if that can be the case in English speaking countries, too,  but I've only really noticed it in Germany yet. The blurb is also often very generic and short.

 

So, covers often convey the content of a book better than blurb or title could. The strange thing is, when I buy the English original after having been swayed by the German cover,  the English cover usually would not have gotten me interested at all. Some examples of that are the Favia de Luce books or the Monstrumologist.

 

But most of my books I find through recommendations of friends or book forums.

[ian]

All of the above. In a bookshop, a good cover will catch my attention. Recommendation from friends and here at BCF is always a good way to find books. I was surprised to see that so far, no one has voted for "received a book award". 

[Kreader]

I'd say that the very first thing that catches my attention is the book's tittle. I won't necessarily bother too much with the cover of the book since it may not match the content. The next thing I'd notice is the author, if I've read some of their work before and I enjoyed it,I may be enticed to try another of their books. Then there's choosing by the genres and checking the blurbs if I have a hard time deciding.

[Vimes]

The first thing to catch my eye is a toss up between the title and the cover, depending on what I see first. Then it is all down to the first page. If it grabs me and I want to read more, I'm sold

[frankie]

A great idea for a poll and thread!

 

I go for cover, blurb, and recommendations.

 

If a cover of a book catches my eye, I will read the blurb and if I like the sound of the book, I will borrow/buy the book or make a note in my wishlist.

 

A lot of the time I go with what's been recommended by other people: friends in real life, or friends on here. Like chesilbeach, I've gotten such great many recommendations on here, it's amazing. There are so many books I never would've read if it wasn't for you guys!

 

Sakura made a great point: sometimes the name of a book will make me pick up the book, look at the cover and read the blurb. I like long, quirky titles Such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time etc.

Edited August 25, 2013 by frankie

[Librarylizzi]

It's naughty I know that judging a book by its cover, I've done a course on customer perceptions on choosing books, on presentation, display etc. I still choose books by their cover, if I choose chick lit I do turn it over, read the blurb and if they've got ridiculous names I don't choose it' simple. I like recommendations from friends who read the same genre as me. My book groups take me out of my comfort zone too in a good way?

[Talisman]

When I used to still buy paper books it was the cover that usually drew me, or sometimes when the books were lined up on the shelves with just their spines showing, the title. Of course now that I buy e-books the title has become much more important. I still read the blurb like I used to, but I use the look inside feature or download a sample rather than browsing through the book (I guess this is the same thing anyway). Usually I can tell within a few lines whether I will like the book or not. Generally speaking though, if the price is right then I will either buy it then and there or add it my ever expanding wish list.

[Michelle]

I didn't think about adding the title - I think it has to be something very unusual to catch my eye.

 

The other option I missed was the author - there are a few authors I'd always check out.

[pipread]

I often buy a book following a recommendation from a friend with similar reading tastes or after reading thoughts and reviews here on BCF,  I also read the blurb online and download if i like the sound of it. I do buy books just because I like a certain author or series of books as well.

Before I had a kindle I visited book shops a lot more and was more likely to impulse buy because I liked the cover. 

[Kylie]

I chose 'Being on offer in a shop' and 'BCF recommendations'. But I'm mostly drawn to books for a reason Michelle mentioned in her previous post - there are many authors that I 'follow', and I will read just about anything they write. This keeps me more than busy given the number of books they have published (PG Wodehouse, for example. Not only do I buy the books he has written, but I also have a couple of biographies and will soon have a collection of letters.)

[poppy]

Choose by authors I know and like, recommendations by friends or by blurb that sounds like me.

I chose 'Being on offer in a shop' and 'BCF recommendations'. But I'm mostly drawn to books for a reason Michelle mentioned in her previous post - there are many authors that I 'follow', and I will read just about anything they write. This keeps me more than busy given the number of books they have published (PG Wodehouse, for example. Not only do I buy the books he has written, but I also have a couple of biographies and will soon have a collection of letters.)

 

How many did Wodehouse write Kylie? And how many have you managed to acquire so far? (I'm very envious  ) I've got a Wodehouse biography on my Kindle waiting to be read PG Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master by David A Jasen.

Edited August 25, 2013 by poppy

[pontalba]

I checked the cover, receiving a book award...that depends on the award as well though, review from goodreads, or BCF.

 

And yes, Michelle, there are certain authors I automatically gravitate towards as well. 

 

A few times I've had a cover put me off of buying a book.  If it is grotesque, or (IMO) bizarre, I'll pass it up.  In fact, one occasion I can think of, The Sisters Brothers, I put off buying it on account of the two sculls on the cover.  Finally I overcame my distaste for the cover and bought it and loved the book.   But a few, I've never gone back to on account of the cover. 

[bookmonkey]

I chose blurb, but I'd also have to say author.  I have a few favourite authors, and I'll look for things by them first.  Then I'll look for other authors who write like them and read the blurb on those to choose.

 

I've yet to find an award winning book that I've liked.  That's put me off trying anymore

[Vimes]

Oddly I a the opposites, I only pay attention to Authors that I don't like and avoid. Nor do I choose books dased on what awards it got, in fact unless it sounds really great I tend not to by books that have won anything because they won. :-) I know marry marry quiet contrary but that just how I am!

[Sakura]

There seem to be so many awards for every possible niche, that they are pretty much pointless again. I don't really know any awards by name, so I have no idea what kind of jury they have, what criteria they use for the awards, and I don't really care to investigate that every time I just want to read a book.

I mean, I could give out awards for the most awesome fiction novel ever written, and it would be worth less than the paper it's printed on.

[chaliepud]

I certainly give little credence to professional reviews and awards, I have been disappointed too often.  If I'm browsing in a book shop covers do make a difference but online less so, with cartoon/quirky designs being the most likely to put me off.  The name says a lot to me though, I rarely read books with over long or quirky titles and I like a title that says what is in the tin and makes sense when I am reading the book.  The blurb is probably most important to me, along with the time/era and place where a book is set.  Recommendations are important too, particularly if they come from people who I know to have liked the same/similar books as me and I am easily put off if the rating for a book is particularly low on Amazon or Goodreads.

[pontalba]

There are certain awards I take note of, such as for mysteries.........The Silver Dagger (I think it's called), sort of I know them when I see them.   Gold dagger, Diamond Dagger, along those lines.  Also whenever the Booker lists come out, I'll investigate the titles.  They tend to make me notice books I probably would not have looked at otherwise.  Of course, not all of the books on those lists, but a few, enough over the years to bear fruit.  If certain authors I like recommend a book, I'll at least look at it to see if it's one I can get along with. 

 

None of the above selections are ironclad.  Just because a book has many of the requirements, or hooks that might attract me, it, in the end is the hard copy test.  I call it the first paragraph, and the page 69 test.  If the prose/story seems to hold up by/on page 69, there is an excellent chance it'll be a good one.

[Athena]

I voted for cover, blurb, being on offer in a shop, recommendations from someone you know and recommendations from BCF.

 

Like others, there are authors I'll generally buy anything from. In a shop or online the cover and the blurb are very important. If the book's on offer (paperback not hardcover) I'm extra tempted to get it. For Kindle, the cover matters a bit less though while I'm browsing the Kindle Store, they do matter somewhat. The blurb is very important to me, if it doesn't sound interesting I won't buy the book unless someone has recommended it to me. Sometimes I look at the ratings on GoodReads or Amazon but this is only when I'm buying online. When I'm in a shop coming across a book I don't know much about but that seems interesting, I don't go and look it up on those sites (3G costs me money, too). If a book's on offer and I like the blurb and cover I'm quite tempted to get it even if I don't know what its rating is (besides, ratings aren't that important, they can be changed based on what people post).

 

Interesting thread!

[UnderTheDome40]

I'm surprised it doesn't have Summary on the poll. That's how I get very easily manipulated into desperately wanting to try out a book, from reading the summary. Summary's always make novels sound great, i think they have their very own summary-designing experts who have it down to a science how to pull a reader in after viewing it.. lol. Also, in a few cases like "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" or "The Hunger Games" it was the film that made me fall hard for it and i'd have to go get the book afterward.

Edited August 29, 2013 by UnderTheDome40

[Michelle]

That often happens with polls, I'm afraid, you think of other options after. At least I always add 'other'.

[Vimes]

I have say that it is interesting seeing what draws people to certain books. I saw a scene in a movie once, (please don't ask what movie because I dunno ), where the two characters stop at a book sale and the girl looks at the last page of the book and when asked she said something like "if I like the ending thenvthe rest of the book is worth reading". So I have to ask, dose anyone here read the last page of a book to see if you want to read it? I know I have done it a few times!

[julie]

I voted for the cover and also if it has received an award . If it says that on the front, I'm convinced to read it .

The "Other" that I voted for is the Title. Sometimes if a book has a really unusual or catchy title, I'll also choose it for that .

 

* I may be in the minority ,but I sometimes will just buy a pile of books with no clue what they are about , until I bring them home and look at them. Kinda like surprising myself  --- sometimes it's a good surprise, others , not so much .

Edited August 29, 2013 by julie