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May. 14th, 2007 @ 06:06 pm How I Choose My Books
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I read recently (can't remember where) a blog in which a publisher wondered how readers find their books. Then today, The Knight Agency posted an entry about Simon & Schuster's plan to offer an online video channel, hoping to convince readers to buy books they publish.

It made me wonder exactly where I find the books I read. So I decided to do a little research. Fortunately, I keep lists of books read and to be read, including where I found them.

My Results: Books I've Read

Since May 2006, I have read 40 books (technically, I read 38 books since I bailed on two of them). Of them, 34 were fiction (including both I failed to finish). Three were memoirs. The other three were general nonfiction, history, and reference (yes, I did read it cover to cover). I discovered them in the following ways:
  • Read for research and/or critique purposes: 8
  • Had read and enjoyed the author before: 6
  • Heard author on a podcast: 4
  • Heard an NPR segment about book: 3
  • Seeing the movie created interest in book: 3
  • Recommended by a friend: 2
  • Met the author at a conference: 2
  • Mentioned on a website (not the author's): 2
  • Mentioned on a blog (not the author's): 2
  • Saw in the store: 2
  • Recommended by Amazon.com: 2
  • Book club choice: 1
  • Cannot remember: 3
Interesting Details About Books Read This Year:

The book club read (history, nonfiction) is a fluke. I briefly attended a book club, but my reading habits were just too different from those of the other women.

The six books by authors I had loved in the past included three crashing disappointments, including both books I put down unfinished.

I purchased and read 10 percent of the books because I heard the author on a podcast (usually Authors On Tour Live!, recordings of book talks given at The Tattered Cover, an independent bookstore in Denver, Colorado). More important to note, however: the books I heard about on the podcasts moved to my nightstand very quickly, unlike other books which have languished on my To Be Read shelf for many, many months (or even years).

I realized, however, that this list says more about my book buying habits a year ago than currently. So I did a similar study of the books currently on my To Be Read shelf.

My Results: Books To Be Read

I currently have 72 books on my "To Be Read" shelf, but I have included below only those I either bought recently or plan to read relatively soon ("plan" being the operative word!). That left 44 books: 31 fiction, five memoirs, two general information, two How-To, two history, and two collections of essays. I discovered them in the following ways:
  • Saw in the store: 12
  • Had read and enjoyed the author before: 8
  • Recommended by a friend: 6
  • Handsold (recommended by my local bookseller): 5
  • Mentioned on a blog (not the author's): 3
  • Saw on author's blog or website: 2
  • Heard an NPR segment about book: 1
  • Met the author at a conference: 1
  • Chosen for research purposes: 1
  • Recommended many, many places: 1
  • Heard author on a podcast: 1
  • Recommended by Amazon.com: 1
  • Cannot remember: 2
Interesting Details about Books To Be Read

Although "Podcasts" were the third most common place I found books I read last year, there is only one book on my TBR shelf that I found there. Conclusion: when I hear an author and become interested in the book, I read it. Immediately. (This one exception is a very fat book with a slow start; I've begun it several times, and if he hadn't been absolutely fascinating on the podcast, I would have given up by now.)

The most common, single reason (by far) I purchased books was because I saw them in a store (usually drawn by the cover or the title initially; the sale depended on other factors such as compelling first paragraphs, familiarity with author, blurbs from authors I respect, and good reviews). However, these books take the longest time to percolate onto my nightstand and often never move up unless another factor comes into play.

Books handsold by my indie bookseller move up the stack at only an average pace. However, if a book has other factors contributing to my interest (NPR segment, good reviews, recommended by a friend, etc.), it moves up much faster even than other books with comparable additional interest.

I missed my annual writers conference this year due to illness, so the one book found that way has been on my shelf since March 2006. I bought two of this author's books, and the other was SO disappointing that I wasn't planning to read this one. However, when I heard the author speak on a podcast, I changed my mind.

The single book recommended by Amazon has been on my list for well over two years. I retained it because my interest is still high.

Trends Noted:

More and more, I am buying books at my local, independent bookstore. I like browsing in the store. I like the feel and heft of the book (as opposed to buying online). I like having a relationship with the owner and all the employees. More and more, they understand what books I like, so more and more I am buying the books they handsell, even if I've never heard of them. By comparison, I am buying fewer books at Amazon.com and rarely buying the books they recommend. I am probably not typical here though. I have become aware of how much more an author benefits from selling books at an independent bookstore as opposed to an online or discount bookstore, and I want to support the authors I like.

Although in the past, I have read many memoirs, I only read three last year: two after hearing the author speak on a podcast, and one as research. I have five memoirs waiting. Of these five, two have been on my list for well over a year. The other three were purchased in the past two weeks, and each came from a well-trusted source (two authors whose fiction I've read, and the third recommended by someone I trust). Conclusion: since James Frey, I am highly selective about what memoirs I am willing to read.

I never buy books solely because they got a good book review (though I often buy books recommended by bloggers I enjoy). A good review will, however, sometimes bump a book from my hand into my shopping cart, or move it to my nightstand sooner.
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From:(Anonymous)
Date: May 15th, 2007 05:10 am (UTC)

Books, books, books, books

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Boy, you have many different ways of selecting purchased books. I have a few myself. 1. An author I have previously read and enjoyed. This would include anything - I mean ANYTHING - by John Grishom. Paul Harvey got me started some time back by saying, "If you get a chance, read John Grishom's "The Summons" before they make a movie of it and ruin it." This would also include Nicholas Sparks, as one of his books was recommended to me. 3. I like a lot of books with a biblical setting. 4. And this is important: I go with my daughter (guess who?) to a bookstore and she says, "You just HAVE to get this one." Occasionally I haven't agreed with her (you) but at least I give it a chance. Reason #4. It looks interesting and it is CHEAP! Haha Mom
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From:[info]trinapink
Date: May 15th, 2007 06:15 pm (UTC)

Re: Books, books, books, books

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It's interesting, isn't it? To see where they come from?
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From:[info]trudyj
Date: May 15th, 2007 03:46 pm (UTC)
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I am just blown away that you have 72 books on your TBR shelf. I'd feel so SAFE if I had that many. I realized last summer that I have had a lifelong, deepseated fear that I will someday run out of books, and I have very junkie-like behavior if I think I'm not going to be able to get a fix.

I've never given much thought to how I choose my books, though ... now I kind of want to go back through my archives and think about where mine came from.
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From:[info]trinapink
Date: May 15th, 2007 06:32 pm (UTC)
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We're both junkies. You because you use the word "safe" (ROFL!), and me because I will not allow my TBR shelf to go empty. WILL. NOT. Think about this: I took TWO books to London, even though I was only going to be there three and a half days (and one of them was close to 1,000 pages). And I bought another 800-page novel there.

My husband, the expert, says an alcoholic is always planning where to get his next drink, and usually has it lined up in front of him. Yep, that's me. Only I've lined up the next 72 drinks, and some of them are jugs!

Those 72 books don't make me feel safe at all: they stress me out a little because I feel a great logjam of books trying to break onto that shelf! I need to keep them moving.

I was also surprised that I only read 40 books last year. I don't know if I missed some or what. Even in 2006 (the year I read The Brothers Karamazov and Les Miserables, and wrote both my first novel and a 90,000-word travelogue with embedded photos), I logged 25 books, and that was before I started writing down every book I read.