On Buying Books

[aldersprig]

I've been thinking.

In the last, say, six years, I've bought books:

* Because a friend lent me the first book and I don't want to wait for them to finish the next in a series.

* Because a friend lent me the first few and I want to re-read the series.

* Because I met the author on livejournal and she was cool

* Because I met the author on Twitter and she was cool

* Because I met the author in person and she was cool

(The "she" in the last three examples is specific; they were all female).

* Because the cover intrigued me.

What about you?

Comments

[inventrix]

I am going to split this into two questions. >.> (you'll see why) So, in the past six years...

I've bought new novels because:
* A friend whose taste I understand and generally agree with loved it.
* I read it before and wanted to own a copy.
* I'd read and loved prior books in the series.
* I discovered the/an author via twitter and liked that author's work I'd read online a lot.
* In one case, I read a random blog post about how the author ended up throwing a random thing into her book idea which then defined the whole book and the concept and post's writing so engaged me that I got it unread and unreviewed.

I've bought used novels because:
* The title and first couple of pages seemed interesting.
* I'd heard of the author and the first couple pages seemed interesting.
* My mom thought I'd like it and grabbed it for me. (This usually happens with authors I've read before, or subjects she knows I like: Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes stories, Victorianesque mysteries)

[aldersprig]

Heh, I almost wrote it as two lists for myself, too.

[inventrix]

Did you notice that I specified novels, too? ;P (I buy non-fiction books due to entirely different criteria, but I get them about as often as new fiction.)

[aldersprig]

I didn't! I hadn't thought about buying non-fiction; I almost always buy those used or on clearance.

[inventrix]

Interesting side note I just noticed: you're more likely to have a book catch your attention due to the cover, while I'm more likely to notice an interesting title.

This observation intrigues me and I wish to study it.

[aldersprig]

Hrrrm. I once started reading a series because it had the same cover artist as a series I'd really enjoyed.

[inventrix]

Oooh, interesting! Kind of like how I've started watching an anime because the soundtrack music composer was someone I really liked.

(This works really well for me for Yuki Kajiura, as she tends to score series or games that are sort of dark often Gothic-ish fairy-tale fantasy types, which I loooooooove~)

On the note of covers, I have noticed that while the title is what catches my attention, I am more likely to actually pick it up and look inside if it has an interesting cover. Bonus points if it has some of the characters on it but is drawn or painted, not photo-manip.

I am also almost guaranteed to not pick it up if it has a typical female UF cover, however interesting the title. Been burned too many times by those, thanks.

[aldersprig]

I almost never buy UF; I borrow it from eseme

On the frustrating-covers note, I often turn back to the cover to figure out what the character looks like and then find myself disappointed.

[inventrix]

After pretty much all the interesting female-MC UF series/books I started turned into basically porn, I gave up on the genre. >.> I don't read them at all anymore, even if the premise and characters sound like something I'd like.

[aldersprig]

Ah, I just accept I'm reading them for porn.

[clare_dragonfly]

Hmm. I've hardly ever bought things because friends lent them to me. I have bought them because I borrowed them (or earlier books in the series) from the library and loved them.

Mostly I think I've bought books because I've heard good things (from multiple sources, generally, that mush together in my head) about the author or the specific book and I see it used or on sale (Borders). But it's hard to distinguish in my memory between library books and bought books.

[lynnoconnacht]

In the last six years or so I've bought books (for me!) because...

* I needed them for university classes.
* a friend raved about them/recommended them to me and I trust their judgment.
* the author is a friend
* I met the author (online or off) and they were, as you say, cool even though we're not friends/close
* the story sounded interesting
* the title caught my attention
* I've read previous books in the series and liked them
* I wanted to read more by the same author

Friends rarely lend me books, but I think it helps that they don't have an easy way to do it. (I, in contrast, am happy to bury them in books I don't mean to keep that I hope they'll enjoy.)

I also very rarely read samples and I'm not sure why. Probably because I never really had the option before and once upon a time I had a library that wasn't the residence of the suck-fairy and picking out books I didn't end up liking wasn't a massive issue. I'd just return them.

I've been paying a little more attention to covers than I used to too, but they're still not as important to me as the title or the back blurb. Sometimes I try to get a specific cover/edition for the eyecandy, but that's about it.

[aldersprig]

The library thing sounds very sad!

I have noted several times in the last year that, while I used to live in libraries, I haven't stepped foot in our local one since we moved.

Then again, I don't have the time to read that I used to, either.

[lynnoconnacht]

It is, but short of moving (in to a big city) there isn't anything much I can do. I do want to move, though, so one day I will have a proper library again. ^-^

Is it a bad thing that you don't have as much time to read? Sometimes I feel like having less time to read would aid me in getting things reads. I've noticed that I'm a lot more productive on school/university computers than my own purely because the time press is a more, well, pressing.

[aldersprig]

Hrrrm. Reading time is/used to be relaxing time for me. Right now, that's filled with chatting online and randomly browsing stuff, which isn't really as brain-engaging (well, the randomly browsing bits). On the other hand, new-old house. Lots of time there in the summer will be just working on that.

[lynnoconnacht]

Those certainly sound like nice reasons to have less reading time to me. ^-^ (Especially the house. That sounds all kinds of wonderful. Hard work, but so worth it in the end.)

[aldersprig]

*grin* That's the hope!!