How do you choose a book? 5 factors readers consider

Have you ever stopped to think why you choose to read the books you do? Are you a fan of a specific author? A specific genre? A specific format (ebook, audio, paperback, hardback – the physical feel of the book in your hands, the turning of pages, the smell of the paper)? Selecting a book to read is a very personal decision, which can be affected by many factors, both conscious and unconscious. Here are my top five:

1) Title – conventional wisdom would suggest that readers like short, snappy titles which make it really clear to a potential reader what they’re about. But then there are always exceptions to the rule (for example – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time). Whether long or short, they need to be intriguing and pique the reader’s interest.

2) Cover – many modern covers have bold sans serif fonts and strong images, while specific genres will have their own accepted style conventions. In physical bookstores, there are hundreds of extremely beautiful hardcover books vying for the reader’s attention, many of which include embossing, or decorative edges to the pages. But if you read on your Kindle or other device you may only see the cover as a thumbnail at purchase. The human brain processes images much more quickly than text, so you may be influenced by a cover illustration without even being aware of the fact.

3) Blurb – I’m always disappointed when a book (or author) is so famous that the blurb isn’t a blurb at all, it’s just a compilation of rave reviews from the big name newspapers. Just as disappointing is a blurb which gives a distorted impression of the actual book. Or one which gives away something fundamental, so that for the first third of the book you’re thinking “yes, but I already know the man is an imposter” or whatever it is. Writing the blurb is tricky, but a good one will make the difference between a reader purchasing or simply scrolling by.

4) Reviews – these are always tricky. As readers we like to make up our own minds about a book, so to what extent should you allow yourself to be influenced by the reviews of others? If you look at almost any book on Amazon or Goodreads, you’ll find someone who loved it, and someone else who loathed it. A single bad review might be more of a reflection on the person who wrote the review rather than the book itself (perhaps the book wasn’t for them but their criticisms make you realise it’s something which would appeal to you – e.g. maybe they love pacey, plot-driven stories, while you prefer to read something which is deep and character-driven). If the majority found it disappointing, there’s a strong chance you will too. But by the same token, just because a famous book gets rave reviews doesn’t guarantee it won’t be a disappointment – sometimes it’s hard for a book to live up to all the hype.

5) Reading the first line or two to get a feel for the author’s style (you can often do this online via the “look inside” feature). Do you prefer first or third person narration? Do you like a quirky narrative voice? I love to see the world through one person’s eyes for the duration of the story, so point-of-view (POV) switches are an anathema to me (particularly when they are sporadic and random) – but when they are handled well, they can be great. For instance, Beth O’Leary’s The Flat Share, is told from the POV of two main characters in alternate chapters. Each character has a rich narrative voice, distinctive and different from the other, and the interplay between the two really makes the book.

I’m fascinated to hear how you select books – what attracts or repels you? What’s your favourite cover design? Have you ever been disappointed by a book everyone else raved about? Or do you love a book that other people don’t seem to get on with? Let us know in the comments… 😊