TipO'Day #403 - How to Pick a Book

Guest blogger Ellen Grogan on “So Many Books, So Little Time.”

With a collection of close to 4,000 books, the second question friends and neighbors always ask is, “How do you choose which book to read?”

“Well, that depends,” I respond.

When it comes to sampling books by authors who are new to me, cover design counts big time. If an author doesn’t care enough to invest the time and/or money in a professionally-designed cover, well, how much care could have been invested in the writing and editing of that manuscript? You see, we’re not in school any longer. We are offering a valuable work product (hopefully) in exchange for someone’s money and the time to read it. Value is expected in return! After that, all I want is to know what the story is about. If the description on the jacket of the book peaks my interest, I will read the first page of a sample. That’s it – one page. And price is always a consideration.

My first picks, however, are always from among the authors whom I consider to be some of the greatest living writers of our generation: Margaret George, Anne Rice, Stephanie Cowell, Michael Connelly, Ken Follett, Stephen Leather, James Patterson. Not only are they wonderful storytellers, but also there is much to be learned from the way they craft their stories.

I like true crime by Anne Rule if I want a really good scare. Nothing like a serial killer story to get my blood pumping. I like interesting detective stories: Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly; Alex Cross by James Patterson; Samuel Tay by Jake Needham; Inspector Zhang by Stephen Leather. I like everything non-vampire by Anne Rice. Her writing makes me feel like a little child curled up with a cup of hot chocolate listening to her as she tells me another magnificent story. (Of course I hear voices, silly – I’m a writer!) And Stephanie Cowell, well, all of her writing is so beautifully vivid that it just breaks my heart.

I must admit that I have not yet read any of the Dan “Spider” Shepherd novels by Stephen Leather but, those aside, I have never been disappointed by anything this amazing storyteller has written. Dreamer’s Cat and the Jack Nightingale series are beyond magnificent in story and in craftsmanship.

Oh, yes, and about that other question my friends and neighbors always ask me first: “Where do you find the time to do all this?”

Easy – I don’t do housework.

Tip O'Day #335 - Writers are Readers, Too

Guest blogger Ann Swann on what she looks for in a book.

First, I have my favorites like Stephen and Tabitha King, John Grisham, and Anne Tyler. Then there's my daughter, Sara Barnard. She's a new, soon-to-be-published Romance author, and I'm always reading her latest.

I also have my online author friends. I've got about sixteen of their books on my Kindle right now. I'm constantly downloading to my Kindle. Biographies are one of my weaknesses. Then there are my fellow Cool Well Authors. I'm such a nosy-Nancy. I want to read everything they write, but that doesn't leave me any time for my own work.

Finally, I am a real sucker for a colorful cover. I recently saw a Young Adult book, After the Snow Falls, and the beautiful snowy-blue cover caught my eye right away. The same way with the Twilight books, that red on black was really eye-catching. A book from a few years ago, The Body Finder, had a gorgeous cover. Of course the blurb is important, too. But that's a whole other topic!

Ann Swann is author of The Phantom Pilot, book one of The Phantom Series (The next book, The Phantom Student, will be out in October.) Learn more here or on this link to the book trailer.

Tip O'Day #330 - How Readers Pick What to Read, Part 4

I asked some writer/reader friends on FB what factors help them choose a book to read, and their answers have been appearing this week.

Ramona DeFelice Long - I have favorite authors I like to support, but the blurb and first page are deciding factors for me. Even if I love the blurb and am interested, the first page needs to be a winner if I'm going to lay down cash.

Ellie Mack - First genre; second title, then blurb. Author reputation does play a part if it's one of the authors I've read and like their work. I will buy books of my favorite authors - even if they are stinkers.

Dixon Rice – I used to mostly read favorite authors. Liked James Michener until his books seemed to be written by a committee of grad students. Loved John Grisham until the sloppily written The Chamber. What happened to the hit man subplot, which vanished two-thirds through? Admired Tom Clancy until he got so big he wouldn’t let anyone edit him, and now most of his books beg to shed a couple hundred pages. So I read reviews, listen to recommendations, and take a chance on online friends when I see them helping others within the writing community.

Thanks for your help, folks, and all the good insights. Let's do this again sometime.

Tip O'Day #329 - How Readers Pick What to Read, Part 3

I asked some writer/reader friends on FB what factors help them choose a book to read, and their answers appear this week.

Malika Gandhi - I go by the cover, as well as what is written on the blurb. The cover tells a lot about the book itself. It should be appealing and inviting at the same time. This is vital but a cover must complement the blurb. Writing a blurb is hard and to get it right is even harder. You have to go through many revisions before the final piece. Recently, I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s a brilliant book in itself; the blurb is fantastic but so is the cover which nicely ties together the whole package.

Keith Gouveia - I read a random selection of pages. If they grab me, I take it home.

Judith Anne Horner - I have favorite authors. I also read reviews on various websites. If I think the book is one I would like to read, I either download it to my Nook or reserve it at the library.

Tip O'Day #327 - How Readers Pick What to Read, Part 1

I asked some writer/reader friends on FB what factors help them choose a book to read, and their answers appear this week.

Claire Atherton - I have favourite authors but although I pick up their books, like any other book it is the blurb that pulls me in and peaks my interest. If it excites my reading senses, then I am sure to get it. For someone who I haven't read before, it’s the front cover and lettering that will draw me in first, and then the blurb.

Randy Bekkedahl - Tips from friends. I have such a wide reading group of friends, I get lots of recommendations.

B. Chris Bell - Authors. I've always read anthologies to find them. If I like what I see, I’ll read one of their books. Guess I'm not real trendy.