Reader Friday: A Question About Discoverability

Morning cup of coffee with river background at sunrise.How did you discover the most recent book you read or purchased? Was your choice guided by a review? Word of mouth? Or something else?

35 thoughts on “Reader Friday: A Question About Discoverability

  1. Being a baseball fan, I’ve always been interested the old school Hall of Famers ~ Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb – the latter especially, though parts of his story didn’t sit right with me.

    I found an article on line about “everything you thought you knew about Ty Cobb is probably wrong”, by the author of a new biography. The article was intriguing enough that I got the book – _TY COBB -A Terrible Beauty_ and it wasn’t disappointing. Besides setting the scene(s) for the 1900’s “deadball” game, and the different team names (and locations) and players), Charles Leerhsen set the record straight (or straighter), about Cobb’s alleged racism, spike sharpening, and where these, and other “myths” came from for the first inductee into Cooperstown, who got more votes than either Ruth or Gehrig (and without it being as dry as academia).

    Granted, Cobb wasn’t perfect (duh), but he wasn’t as depicted by Shoeless Joe Jackson to Kevin Costner in Field Of Dreams, either~

  2. I find I have to do a bit of research and use a systematic approach to find something I really want to read. Part of that is due to the sheer numbers of books currently on the market, and part is due to the numbers of badly written books. I start with fiction or non-fiction, then genre, then I look at authors and blurbs. Finally, if possible, I open them up and read a few pages. If I don’t do this, it’s all too easy to end up with something I don’t want. I have also found that award winners and award nominees are frequently disappointing. So it’s down to a bit of a slog, but it usually works well.

      • Kathryn, how many indie authors have you found on NPR? Along with others in media, they are still following the decade old pub biz that if one of the so-called Big Five doesn’t have an imprint on it, it must not exist. And you, dear lady, know that only too well.
        Walter

        • Very true, Walter, that there are probably nada many indie authors profiled on NPR! Love the books I’ve found that way, however!

  3. I have several writers that I read every time they come out with something new. Otherwise, I usually go with recommendations from friends or here at TKZ.

    • Which gives me an idea for next week’s Reader Friday–asking everyone what great books they’re reading and recommend to the rest of us! Thanks, Dave!

  4. The cover drew me in. Before even reading the description I bought the book. The cover was that good. Just started it yesterday so I can’t tell you if the story is as good as the cover, but so far I am enjoying it.

  5. I’m speaking for non-fiction here b/c I simply don’t read much fiction. With NF, I’m often reading an article, or another book, that sets me off on a chase to find another book it mentions. I’m reading 3-4 right now that fall into that category.

    I also get NF referrals here at TKZ. Usually they are with regard to writer’s reference books but not always.

    • I’m like you, BK–I mostly read nonfiction. I am mostly guided by topics that interest me, then I look for authors that have won awards, acclaim, or have otherwise withstood the test of time. Right now I’m reading Tacitus, The Histories Volume I and II, because I want to read about the decline of the Roman Empire from a source who witnessed it firsthand. The parallels between the decline of Rome’s political system and our current political turmoil is striking–and scary.

  6. Blogs, mostly referrals from TKZers for both fiction and nonfiction. If I read a post that’s particularly interesting or helpful, I often buy the book as a “thank you” to the author. Recommendations from TKZ are more dependable than GoodReads or Bookbub.

    I hear from a lot of marketing experts that the blog is dead and FB or Twitter are now the most effective ways to sell books. Not for me. Blogs are the electronic equivalent of old-fashioned hand-selling in a brick-and-mortar store.

    Amazon’s “Look Inside” sells me most often. If I can’t read an excerpt, I don’t buy the book.

    • Ditto me with the Kindle sample download, Debbie. I sometimes binge download samples, tearing through them until I find something I want to keep reading.

  7. I just finished Steel Kiss by Jeffrey Deaver and I picked it when I was looking for a book because it was a recent release and I like the Lincoln Rhyme series. I was very impressed with the writing in that book as I was kept guessing for most of it. It was the best I’ve read in a long time.

    Someone handed me a Victorian cozy written in 1999 and I’m thinking that this is likely a sub-genre not for me.

    I was a Sisters In Crime meeting and purchased a fellow author’s book and in reading it off and on for 6 months, the characters haven’t engaged me.

    Once you step outside authors you enjoyed in the past, it’s a crap shoot and it’s often about taste. I purchased an Edgar award winner two years ago and the book so bored me that I couldn’t get beyond the first 20 pages and I was stuck wondering about all the other brilliant books I’d read, not getting that award.

  8. I just finished reading “The Obsession” by Nora Roberts. I had not read her books in a few years, but my sister said it was a good read.
    Word of mouth. I also read reviews, clip interesting titles from my received publications. I haunt library sales and many different, sometimes weird titles end up in the trunk of my car.

  9. I am a reader/reviewer for Net Galley. I received a free copy in return for feedback and review of it. I am enjoying it very much. I also have the sequel. I have discovered many new authors there, and some on the A list.

    • Hadn’t heard of Net Galley, Rebecca, but will take a look. Thanks for visiting!

  10. I read a comment in a blog that stated that a certain book (A Terrible Beauty) is as good as another book I enjoyed (The Silence of the lambs) so I looked for more information. I read reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and liked what I found. Then, I looked on Masterton’s facebook (we’re fb friends) and read that the book has been re-released with a new title. Then I ordered a copy online. I devoured it. I may read more in the series featuring Katie Maguire. (She has a good name for a detective, it reminds me of quagmire.)

  11. It took me a while to remember the last novel series I read and that one I came to read based on word of mouth from someone’s blog.

    • My major go-to source for word of mouth is my critique group, BK. My colleagues usually bring the book to our meetings, in addition to recommending them, so it’s very persuasive!

  12. I usually only buy books from authors that I am familiar with and like, but this week I bought a book by an author whose novels I have not read – “A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald” by Natasha Lester. She writes a weekly blog that I really love and she made a short story available for free on line featuring the main character from her new book… all good marketing/PR. I think I can learn a lot from this author.

    • You’re describing an excellent example of Author branding and marketing, May–thanks for sharing that!

  13. I discovered my last bunch of books from various sources. One (Roses and Rot) is written by someone I follow of Twitter, so I was predisposed towards it, anyway, but then I read an essay by the author about writing it on a blog and that cemented the purchase. Another book (The Headmaster’s Wife) had come up as an also-bought on something I got a couple of weeks ago; it had looked interesting enough that I’d put it on my Next Order wishlist, and, well, Roses and Rot was my next order. Then I read a passing mention somewhere of the movie The Ninth Gate, which is based on the book The Club Dumas. I have that in paper, but I thought I’d see what the ebook cost while I was on Amazon anyway. Turns out it was too much so I didn’t get it, but one of its also-boughts was The Exorcist. I loved that and somehow lost my paper copy years ago, so I picked up the ebook. And then Amazon, curse their name, recommended The Sentinel and Rosemary’s Baby, and I was weak. I find that I am often weak on Amazon. Then, since I’d already entered Oh What the Hell territory, I decided to browse Amazon’s Occult Horror best sellers and picked out three others (The Haunting of Gillespie House and Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, because they looked interesting and the reviews were good, and Jilo, because it’s the 4th in a series I’m already reading).

    • Another example of the benefits of having a blog (and Twitter) presence, Karen. I am also like you, very vulnerable to impulse purchases on Amazon, especially in the Kindle and Amazon Video sections. ?

  14. The most recent books I purchased (five total): two written by a friend, one the new book from Julia Cameron mentioned by a friend, one reviewed on a blog I follow, and one “A Dog’s Purpose” I had given as a gift once and now wanted a copy for myself. And then there are the books I borrowed from the library because of promo I saw on television…

    • Interesting that many people get tips from blogs, Patricia. I’ve purchased some books based on discussions we’ve had here at TKZ, but have to admit that I don’t frequent many other blogs. (Note to self to ask everyone to list their go-to blog’s sometime in the near future).

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