How Do You Choose?

So many books - so little time!
We are so lucky to have so many options when choosing what books to buy next and I’m curious about what makes a reader buy one book over another.   Is it the cover image that grabs your attention?  Book description?  Or first few pages?  How about reviews?  Or word of mouth from friends?

I recently spoke on a panel at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference where we discussed elements of a page-turner, and not necessarily just thrillers or suspense, but what keeps a reader turning the page and engaged in a story.  We all agreed that with so many choices these days, it’s important to grab the reader and keep her reading through to the very end. 

So let’s say you’re interest has been piqued by a great cover and you move onto the intriguing description.  What’s next?

Our job as authors is to draw in the reader as quickly as possible.  What are some thing things we use to do this?  Let’s see, conflict, sympathetic characters, emotionally charged situations and great dialogue are a few things that make a compelling read.

The Wife Project opens with dialogue.
I strive to create characters that the reader can connect with and root for.  That doesn’t mean they’re all likable, or good people necessarily, although generally speaking the hero must be.  For a reader to engage with the story she has to deeply care about something.  There’s nothing worse than being 25 pages into a book and realizing you’re not emotionally invested in any of the characters, especially the hero and heroine!  Ugh.  At that point one of many other distractions—Facebook, text messages, e-mail, Twitter—seem way more interesting than finishing the book,

Another important element of a compelling book is conflict.  Conflict is like the fuel that keeps your car running.  Good conflict can even grow and change throughout the course of the book, which really keeps things interesting.  But yes, in every scene there needs to be some kind of conflict or something at stake, to keep the reader engaged.

Then there’s fresh dialogue.  There’s nothing like a page or two of dialogue to really speed up a story.  Good dialogue needs few dialogue tags (said, uttered, asked) because the characters are so real you know who’s talking without the tags.  This is a true gift and it really keeps the reader engaged.

These are few of my personal favorites.  How do you choose your books and what keeps you reading?  Can you think of good examples of books with exceptional conflict or dialogue?  I’d like to add them to my reading list.

Thanks!

Pat White

7 comments:

  1. Great Topic, Pat. Of course the cover has to be pro. I have a few things that turn me off right away. I'm more drawn to a cover that says "Bestselling Author" or "New York Times..." I'm a snob sometimes. If the book is a national bestseller, the subject matter looks interesting and there are no typos or grammatical errors in the blurb, I'll move to a sample page. The thing that REALLY turns me off is price. I won't pay over $10 for an ebook, even my favorite authors.
    If I know and like the author, none of these needs to be in place except price. That one I stick to because I read two books a week sometimes.

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    1. Yeah, I agree with you on price point, Kim. Sometimes it's so frustrating when they price an E-book on the high end. I'm not sure what that's about. I mean, they don't have the cost of printing or distribution.

      Grammatical errors in the blurb? You've seen that? Sheesh. That's a bummer!

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  2. Excellent post. I'm drawn to the cover and title, first off. The blurb has to hook me too. I also read the excerpt before I buy. I don't understand people who review a book and wish they'd never bought it because the writing was sophomoric, and they couldn't get into it, etc. You should be able to tell that much from the sample. And, if you can't get into the sample, don't buy the book! I'm with Kim. I won't pay more than $10 for an ebook. There is no reason to price them that high. Thanks for a great post!

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    1. I totally agree! You have plenty of time to read the first few pages and get a feel for if you click with the writer or if the writing is sophomoric. I take that opportunity to get a feel for the writer's voice. I addressed that in my workshop as well -- voice. One of those things that the reader either connects with or doesn't.

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  3. Word of mouth recommendations, esp. from authors who write what I like to read. Then the blurb and cover. I'm turned off by amateurish covers. Lastly, I'll check "Look Inside" and read the beginning. If I'm hooked, I'll buy it. Like Alicia, I won't pay $10 for an ebook, even if it's from one of my favorite authors. Thanks for the great post.

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    1. What do you think makes an eye-catching cover? I just saw a cool post about what makes a good romance cover. Found it very helpful. Check it out:
      http://bit.ly/UqtQil

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  4. The blurb and first few pages are everything to me. I can tell long before the end of the sample whether or not I like the writing. I don't pay attention to the Best Selling Author tagline that much, anymore. With the flood of books from indie publishers, it's more difficult these days to hit that list. Some of the best books I've read are from non best selling authors. And some of the worst bombs, for me, anyway, are from huge best sellers.

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