Following up yesterday’s post, here is more of what readers look for.
Gerald Sessions: I read mostly fiction. (Not a writer.) Some books I buy because I like the author. Sometime the cover is the clincher; other times, the blurb telling about the story.
Jane Vogley - I go for the obscure, books that don't have mainstream appeal or marketing. As a screenwriter, sometimes I only have time to read when I'm working on an adaptation or doing research for a movie. For example, right now my dining room table is covered in every book known to man about Raoul Wallenberg, because I'm writing a script about him. I'm also working on a spec script based on a book called Swamplandia so I'll have to start reading that soon.
So what makes you pick up a book by an unknown author, and give it a try?
Many times, one of my friends will tell me that they just read this great book. I'll get it on the Kindle and give it a go. If it's good, I will get more books by that author. It also is nice that I can get sample chapters to read and then purchase the entire novel. I haven't been dissapointed yet.
ReplyDeleteAnthony I wholeheartedly agree that the sample chapters are amazing. Going into a bookstore and browsing the mystery section is satisfying when you can sit down and read for a few minutes. I also pick up books that friends have around the house to see what interests them.
ReplyDeleteIf I had not become a mentor and a writer myself, I do not know if I would have picked up a book by an unknown author.
ReplyDeleteI give a preview of all my books, because it is what I would want.