Book Buying Criteria
I like to compare book shopping to window-shopping. You slowly meander through rows and rows of shelves and wait for something to catch your eye. It can be kind of daunting if you don’t have anything specific in mind, but I enjoy the idea of never knowing what I will find. I’ve found some of my favorite books while wondering through bookstores. What draws people toward a certain book upon a shelf of hundreds? I, myself, am a simple book shopper.
1) The Cover
This is the first thing most people notice about a book. It is the first glimpse into the soul of a book, and it is the most powerful determinate of book shopping. I really appreciate a good cover. Firstly, it typically tells you the genre straight away, and if it suggests and genre you are not interested in, you can just move on. I’m more likely to stop and look deeper into the book if the cover is really pretty or kind of scary looking. Secondly, if I’m going to have to spend money on something and look at it all the time, I want it to look nice.
2) The Title
It’s like guessing someone’s personality based on his or her name. The title is a taste of the story to come, and it’s another deciding factor, based on your interests. I personally hate it when a title is misleading and does not match the story. If I pick up a book because I think it’s full or murder and mystery, then I better not be about some boring teenage love affair. The title pretty much determines whether or not I’m going to continue on to read the description
With these two things in mind, there are some things that determine if I will buy a book.
1) The Description
I mean, duh. I’m a sucker for a well-written description that raises so many questions that I cannot allow them to go unanswered. A book description is like a free trial—try it out, free of change, no commitment. Descriptions also help a book stand out within their genre. Since I read a lot of crime thrillers, I will quickly put back a book if the description promises another standard plot. However, if the description offers exciting and different aspects, I am more likely to buy it.
2) The Price
I’m a college student. I’m broke. I buy most of my books online for dirt cheap, since a lot of chain bookstores jack up the prices. Privately owned places are better at not requiring my firstborn child, but I still have my price limits. If I’m in a bookstore and find something for under $10, I will probably buy it, but anything higher than that, and I’ll find a cheap used copy on Amazon and wait for it to be delivered.
Buying a book has a weird sense of commitment, and I like to be intrigued by a good title and a pretty cover, and then wrapped in by an interesting description and awesome price. It’s like dating, but better, and way more rewarding. What makes you pick up a book? What convinces you to buy it?
