A matter of discovery
Mario here:
There's a lot of discussion about promoting your work and how readers find your books.
Mark Coker, over at his Smashwords blog, has posted the results of his
survey on Mobilread distilling the argument to one profound question:
What is your single most common method of book discovery?
Visit Coker's blog to get a detailed explanation of the pie chart. The number one reason (recommendations from fellow readers at online venues--29%) needs a qualifier as the survey was posted on an internet site, we could say it was a self-selecting audience. Jeanne posted a similar chart back in
January, and since it was about brick-and-mortar bookstores, no big surprise that bookstore recommendations registered a big chunk at 30%. That chart didn't mention--as does Coker's--of readers on the watch for work by their favorite authors or the influence of book covers.
All this back-and-forth made me look at my current TBR and ask why those books are on my list:
The paper copy list:
A River Runs Through It, by Norman MacClean-- friend recommendation.
Pimp, by Iceberg Slim-- friend recommendation.
Taken, by Robert Crais-- favorite author.
To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis-- friend recommendation.
Blackout, by Connie Willis-- bookstore browsing (and I was looking for something by this author).
Passion, by Lisa Valdez-- bookstore browsing (and I was looking for something by this author).
Consent To Kill, by Vince Flynn-- bookstore browsing (and I was looking for something by this author).
Cry Havoc, by Nigel Allsopp-- bookstore browsing.
Modern Sorcery, by Gary Jonas-- bought at the author's signing.
The Twelve, by James K Burk-- gift from the author.
On my Kindle:
Thread of Hope, by Jeff Shelby-- I was looking for something by this author.
Long Hard Ride, by Lorelei James-- bookstore browsing (and I was looking for something by this author).
Deadly Currents, by Beth Groundwater-- bookstore browsing (and I was looking for something by this author).
The Frog Prince, by Elle Lothlorien-- I was looking for something by this author.
Fourteen books total. Not a huge stack. Crunching the numbers.
50% looking for something by this author (influenced by book description and reviews).
21% friend recommendation.
The rest of the reasons are 7% each.
Hmmm...nothing about the affect of covers. I will say that
I've avoided certain books because the covers turned me off, figuring amateurish cover equaled amateurish prose.
How do you choose books for you TBR pile?
Labels: Connie Willis, Iceberg Slim, Mark Coker, Smashwords