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What makes readers buy self-published books?

5K views 47 replies 40 participants last post by  Kindlemojodotcom_Tom 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Sample, cover, and blurb. One, two, and three.

I will say that although the sample is probably the greatest stimulus to buy, it's always going to be the cover that gets a person to read the blurb and sample. It's the visual impact that gets the buyers attention. Of my four books, Fallen Out was my best seller for all of July, by a two to one margin. Yes, it's also a dollar cheaper, but it's about half the length also. That bright orange and yellow sunset GRABS your eyes.
 
#4 ·
This looks like a pretty small sample size, but I do think it confirm a lot of what we already know -- cover, blurb, reviews.  I was sort of surprised by the influence of the sample.  I rarely read samples unless I'm suspicious about the book because the cover is weak.
 
#5 ·
rjspears said:
This looks like a pretty small sample size, but I do think it confirm a lot of what we already know -- cover, blurb, reviews. I was sort of surprised by the influence of the sample. I rarely read samples unless I'm suspicious about the book because the cover is weak.
I'm not a sampler myself, but I know that a LOT of folks use the sample to guage, at a minimum, whether any care has been taken in the production of the book. Early in kindle history self published titles were MUCH more likely to be filled with bad grammar, punctuation, usage, or other errors easily caught by even a casual reader. Not to mention weird formatting choices. Many got in the habit of sampling first to make sure the book would be readable -- no matter how attractive the blurb and cover.

For me, the need to do that has lessened. And if there's a problem it's probably mentioned in the 1 star reviews.
 
#7 ·
I think that most readers aren't aware which books are self-published.  They see a book that interests them, they check it out a little, read the sample, and if they like all that they buy it.

Of course, some of the problems that follow along with some self-published books, such as poor covers, shoddy editing, and poor writing, will cause someone not to buy those.  But I don't think most readers consciously think, this is self-published, so I'm not buying it. It's more like, this book isn't worth the money they're asking.
 
#8 ·
Pretty much how I chose any book:  Cover/title (they can be tied so closely together, I don't make a distinction) gets me to stop, blurb gets me to sample, sample either sells it or doesn't. I tend to look at lower starred reviews, and ignore the four and five star ones.

I do still sample, because I find the style of the author's writing does make a difference to me. Also, it eliminates getting something told in present tense, which I dislike immensely.

Oddly enough, when I'm checking out ebooks from the library, I don't read the sample. Maybe because it's not costing my anything, and I can just return it -- or let it time out. I've gotten burned recently on two books I checked out, one of which was third person, present tense. What a nightmare that one was. And a shame, because it looked like just the sort of book I would love.

I'm surprised to see how highly the author's blog/site ranks. I guess I'll keep writing the blog (which gets sent out to FB and Twitter -- or it's supposed to, I should check that). Pity the readers that visit there, as they've set themselves up for some sarcastic, though hopefully amusing, stuff, with the occasional pity party. Not to mention more information they could possibly need or want about my chickens. :p
 
#10 ·
Wayne Stinnett said:
Sample, cover, and blurb. One, two, and three.

I will say that although the sample is probably the greatest stimulus to buy, it's always going to be the cover that gets a person to read the blurb and sample. It's the visual impact that gets the buyers attention. Of my four books, Fallen Out was my best seller for all of July, by a two to one margin. Yes, it's also a dollar cheaper, but it's about half the length also. That bright orange and yellow sunset GRABS your eyes.
You know I honestly never dig into the sample unless the cover's shoddy enough to make me suspicious. If I like the genre, like the cover, and like the reviews, I'll buy the book. I hardly, if ever, read a blurb or the Look Inside. If I like the title and cover I go straight to the reviews and read a few. Those will determine if I pick it up.
 
#14 ·
If I'm interested in a book, I ALWAYS read the sample - unless it is free or a borrow. 

I agree that most people will buy a self-published book - but there are some that won't.  If your cover or interior formatting looks self-published, you may be turning off those readers.
 
#17 ·
After the cover draws me in I find the sample pretty important. Good prose goes a long way with me, and how the author handles the setup is how I predict how well the rest of the book will go. If the sample doesn't "feel" high quality I am much less likely to take a chance, unless the book has already attained wide acclaim.

I'm talking in particular about science fiction. If a book is too "genre", relying on a lot of science and math fluff, I'm less interested. After a while of reading science fiction all of the cool tech hooks are more or less familiar. I want prose, characterization and theme at the beginning and if the book feels flat I'm less interested.

I guess I could say when I see an unfamiliar book I read the sample and compare it to Iain M Banks. He's my standard.
 
#18 ·
swolf said:
I think that most readers aren't aware which books are self-published. They see a book that interests them, they check it out a little, read the sample, and if they like all that they buy it.
I agree. I'm sure many people are aware that self-publishing exists, but I think they're more likely to judge a book by its cover and its content rather than by its publisher.
 
#20 ·
The title and cover will catch my eye, and then I read the blurb. If the blurb is intriguing, I will read the sample chapters. Prose style and dialogue are the deciding factors to purchase or pick it up if offered for free. I put some stock in reviews, but they are so subjective and the sample will always be the main drive. Whether the author is independent or not doesn't matter. The biggest burns I've had are purchasing books based on author radio interviews. I think I've only been happy with maybe two. I always read the first two or three chapters now on all books no matter how I come across them.
 
#22 ·
chris56 said:
I agree. I'm sure many people are aware that self-publishing exists, but I think they're more likely to judge a book by its cover and its content rather than by its publisher.
Or they see a terrible cover, then immediately scroll down to find out whether it's self-published.
 
#23 ·
Title, blurb, sample. It's very rare that a cover has anything to do with my decision to look further, though I do appreciate well done relevant covers. Lately, there seems to be a plague of covers with nothing but a woman's face, no matter the genre.
 
#24 ·
For me, title -> cover -> blurb. But that's because I do most of my "shopping" at the library. On line, it's cover -> title -> blurb -> sample.

Publisher never comes into play. Author might push me if I'm on the fence, if it's someone I recognize.
 
#25 ·
Several times per week I look through the Amazon top 100 paid and free as well as the NYT Best Seller List. I work by elimination. Covers first. I avoid anything with shirtless guys, women in lingerie, Dragons, Zombies, Swords, "First in a trilogy" or the word billionaire etc. Don't even click on the blurb. I then look for titles that might indicate a book in an area of interest for me. If one looks like a possibility, I'll then look at the blurb, and if that still holds interest, the sample. The only exceptions are books that hold a spot in the top ten for several weeks. Those I will check out. For example, I bought Rain Girl a few days ago, influenced by Amazon's heavy promotion of it as a best seller, along with the high number of pre-release five star reviews. I was very disappointed. All hype, no substance. Not well written, disjointed, not believable, poor character development with stilted and unrealistic dialogue.
 
#26 ·
Great post. Not scientific, but much better research than speaking out of someone's rear.

I think the post undersells the value of reviews, though. Reviews should up almost equal to blurbs, and I think the comments in this thread display that.
 
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