Book grabbing survey results

Okay, so the results weren't THAT exciting. And I don't say that because I don't appreciate you voters out there... but I had another poll up at first, and for some reason it went all wonky on me and disappeared, so I think there were more votes than this is showing. Oh well. Thanks for voting, guys! (If this post comes out weird, I apologize. Copy and paste isn't always my friend.)

Here's the results to last week's poll (yes, I voted, too!) :

How many of you finish a book, even if it's not grabbing you?

I read it anyway.	4 votes
I skim through the pages to finish faster.	1 vote
I flip to the back to find out how it ends.	1 vote
I stop reading. Life is too short! Tah dah! And there's the results. Were you guys surprised?	7 votes

Do you give books a chance?

Last week I tweeted a question:

How many of you finish a book even if it's not "grabbing" you?

Now, I had two reasons for asking this.

1) Sometimes I start reading a book with (probably way too high of) expectations. These high expectations could be due to internet buzz, a good blurb by an author I like, a good review, or the fact that I've read other books by the author and am wanting to read another one just as great.

2) As a writer, I figured it would be nice to know how many people read on just to... read on.

I was surprised at how many people said they did not continue reading - if it didn't grab them, they were done - and thought it would be neat to see more responses.

So. I set a poll up on the sidebar last Thursday, and will be closing it at the end of this week. If you guys have time to vote, please do so. I think the results will be very interesting!

Happy Monday!

RESULTS for **Bookstore Poll**

First off, I wanted to thank the 18 of you who voted. I appreciate everyone taking the time to mosey over here and check off the little boxes. =)

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)

**BOOKSTORE POLL** When I walk into a bookstore I...

Everyone has their own specific agenda as they first walk into the store.  Let's use a grocery store, for example.  I usually hit the produce section first, and go by the frozen section on my way to the register.  (That way my ice cream isn't all melted by the time I go to check out.  Boy would THAT be a disaster.)

Some people hit up produce last, and head to the meat section first before anything else, while others make sure that the last thing they pick up are eggs or bread so there's a smaller chance of them being flattened in the grocery cart.

The same thing happens when one walks into a bookstore.  For me in many ways, a bookstore is a lot like my favorite discount store.  I love to go through each isle and look at everything - titles that have been reviewed recently in my favorite magazines, the newest books fortunate enough to have anointed the shelves; and then after all of that, I head for my favorite genre so I can pull out book after book and read each synopsis to see if that book would be something I would enjoy reading.

Bookstores have many different items which draw readers in, including shiny new covers, big sales signs, even a big media promotion.  (The movie New Moon come to mind, with the movie coming out in a few months, because the hype is already insane for even pre-purchases of calendars, sound tracks, ect.  I'm sure some of you just died a little inside when I mentioned that, but let me tell you - for Twilight fans, it doesn't take much to pull them into the store.)

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 please, take the poll located to the right top area of my blog, and then share the link to my blog with your friends.  It would be awesome to receive a decent amount of opinions on this... and I would really appreciate it.  (I think many of my fellow bloggers would appreciate the results as well.)

I will post the results next Saturday. (Blog ends on 8/8/09)

Always sharing my thoughts on the love of life, writing and coffee -

coffeelvnmom (Jessica)