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?
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Hmm. -Because my friend(s) rec’d it -Because the title looked interesting and the back cover descript moreso -Because I read other stuff by the author that was cool -Because it’s a Classic of some sort
In no particular order – Because I read earlier parts of the series/other books by the same author and liked them. – Because I found it somewhere for really cheap and the cover and blurb caught my interest. – Because I’d borrowed it from someone or the library and liked it so much I wanted my own copy so I could re-read it whenever I want. – Because someone I knew wrote a favourable review or recommended it to me directly, and it sounded interesting. – Because the author offered some completed work for free, and I liked it, so I went and bought other stuff of theirs.
– Because the author offered some completed work for free, and I liked it, so I went and bought other stuff of theirs. Oh, yeah, I forgot that one! (Michael Z. Williamson — I’ve never been in the military, never done search and rescue, but even though I know how it ends I get choked up Every. Single. Time. I read this story. Pretty much the only other work I can think of that hits me that hard even after years of exposure is William Warren’s “The Balled of Apollo XIII,” as sung by Julia Ecklar.)
* Because a friend lent me the first book and I don’t want to wait for them to finish the next in a series. Check. * Because a friend lent me the first few and I want to re-read the series. Check. * Because I met the author on livejournal and she was cool Check. (Seanan McGuire) * Because I met the author on Twitter and she was cool No. * Because I met the author in person and she was cool Don’t think so. Haven’t met that many authors recently. * Because the cover intrigued me. Check. * Because I’ve been buying that author’s books forever and intend to continue doing so. (Misty Lackey, David Weber, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, . . . ) * Because I bought a later book in the series and went back to read all of them (J.D. Robb).
I tend to buy a book if it is not too expensive and… – I read it at the library and I’d like to own it. – The library waiting list is incredibly long and I don’t want to wait months to read it. – I have read other books by the author. – A friend has recommended it and I like the premise. – It’s a book in a series I am reading. – I like the premise of the book and it has gotten quite a lot of good reviews, particularly if they’re reviewed by authors whose work I like. – The cover looked interesting and/or pretty and I liked what I read from the book blurb. – I took a chance at a book in the airport, having nothing left to read. I also tend to buy books in English since they cost – quite literally – anywhere from 1/4th to 1/8th of the Danish translations’ cost. I can’t afford buying a book in Danish.