Secondly, for those of you who missed the blog post explaining why I did this particular poll, here's a paragraph from that post-
Considering the fact that I am attempting to forge my way into this business, I have been trying to learn everything about it, not only from strictly the author's point of view, but also from the reader's. Obviously I know what I do when I first walk into a bookstore. But I would love to know what others do. It would help me understand what motivates people to choose the books they buy. (Which in turn, I would hope, will help me with my writing/design/ect.)
So, with that being said, here are the results. (Those who... followed by # of votes and then perentage. I apologize for the messiness of the results, my blog and I were not getting along.)
Go to the first book that catches their eye - 4 @ 22%
Peruse for the latest sales or deals - 2 @ 11%
Head for the genre they read most - 6 @ 33%
Look for specifically recommended books
and/or authors - 9 @ 50%
Don't set foot into a bookstore unless they
need something specific - 1 @ 5%
Try to find the newest releases - 5 @ 27%
Start on one side of the store and work
their way around to the other - 2 @ 11%
I was actually most curious about the book cover question, because it seems like a logical reason to gravitate toward a specific book. It is very nice to know that less people judge books by their covers than I had previously thought. (And I'll be honest - I do it sometimes as well - not judging it, per se - but there are covers that jump out and say "Check me out!" and others I am more likely to walk right past because they don't grab my attention.)
Half of those voted - nine out of eighteen people - look for recommended books and/or authors first. So the lesson I have learned is, work hard, get your name out there, make sure lots of people read it (and LOVE it) and then find a way to get on Oprah so she'll recommend the book. *ha ha* (Okay that's not exactly what I learned - but realizing most people tend to flock in the direction of "talked about" books is a good thing. Writers need to know - your novel's reputation is an important part of good book sales, and making sure to get good vibes/reviews is a very important step in the whole process.)
Second on the top was six out of eighteen - voting that they do, in fact, head to the genre in which they read most. (Also very good information, because it reiterates how important it is for us writers to stick to a specific "group" in order to appeal to that audience accordingly.)
The third highest, and last one I will mention, was those who look for new releases. The voting was only one less than the second highest, at five out of eighteen people. So the good news, to a certain extent, is that some people may just be more inclined to buy the novel on the mere fact that it is shiny and new. I think we can all manage that at first, right? *wink wink*
Add the new release factor in with a few good recommendations, and making sure we hit the perfect genre category, and I think many of us will be on our way to becoming successful authors. (We won't even go there about the many other things involved with making a novel successful - no "Debbie Downer" today, my friends.)
So. Are any of you surprised by the results? Did they end up being just you thought they would be?
Always sharing my thoughts on the love of life, writing and coffee -
coffeelvnmom (Jessica)
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