# Why I avoid samples



## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

Some authors on KB occasionally ask us why many of us don't download samples. I just had an interesting experience that reminds me why I don't like samples.

The book _Room_ by Emma Donoghue was recently featured as one of Amazon's Daily Deals for $1.99. The synopsis sounded pretty interesting - a mother and her 5 year old son are held captive in a single room (the mother has been captive for 7 years), and they eventually escape and discover life outside of the room. The story is narrated by the 5 year old boy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it, so I thought I'd just try the sample this time.

I think the story itself would have been interesting, but I just couldn't get past the unrealistic voice of the 5 year old boy (I guess this is because I work with that age group and the boy sounds nothing like what I'm used to). So I finished the sample, deleted it, and decided not to buy it.

A couple of days later, I cannot get the book out of my head. The little OCD side of me feels such a strong need to finish the book. So what do I do? I buy the book at its normal price of $6.64.  So yeah...if I start a book, unless it is horribly unreadable, I'm gonna finish it whether I like it or not.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I don't do samples because you can't trust them.  Oh yes, the first 10% of the book will be perfect.  But then you get bad spelling errors or worse horrific formatting.
There was one set of books that the first 3 chapters were great.  Then the next chapter lost one word per line.  Mine went from 7 words to 6 words.  The next chapter was 5 words.  And each chapter after that went down a word per line.  I actually quit reading that series.  At least 4 of the author's books were like that.  I just deleted all of his books.
I was so glad I had gotten them all on their free days or I would have been out some money.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

That's part of my problem with samples, too, Mandy.  I very seldom give up on a book.  And I don't want to read the sample if I'm not going to start the book right away, because then it will seem like I've already read the book.  I tend to buy several books at one time...and then slide them into my TBR pile.

Lastly, the sample isn't a 100 percent guarantee of quality.  Sometimes the first part of the book is really polished...and that polish doesn't extend to the whole book.

I feel your pain.  And I rarely sample, unless it's to answer a question here.

Betsy


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Ouch Mandy, that's a good reason not to get samples. 

I don't read samples as its not really part of my vetting system and I detest reading parts of books. When I start a book, I read the book, like Mandy. So by the time I read a sample if I do that, I would have already vetted the book and picked it out to read. I use some samples on my kindle as placeholder and although I usually buy from the computer, sometimes I am too laze to get up and I just start reading the sample and then click buy. But again, it is not to just read the sample, it is to read the full book. I don't start to read the sample unless I am actually sitting down to read that book. 

And like cinisajoy says, you can't always trust them. I have learned that over the years. It just doesn't help me with my vetting process. It won't tell me if I might like the book and the only thing is to check formatting. But I haven't had many issues with formatting anymore in the books. It takes me at least 30% to decide if I like a book and also the end. The end tells me if I liked the book too. Samples no help with that.  

But yeah, main reason is like Mandy. I have to read a book from A to Z. Not a chunk here and there. I wouldn't be able to tell anymore if I had read a book if I read a lot of samples. I would get confused I think. 

I also pretty much finish every book I start. I don't have to OMG love love love every book I read. I am quite happy to like it.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Interesting. I had no idea there were people who don't use the sample function. I nearly always read samples, but then again, I used to sit in bookstores reading the first chapter or so of any book I bought. I agree that you can't always trust them, but it's a bit more information than just the blurb provides.

Case in point--a book on sale today sounded SO promising reading the summary, but when I downloaded the sample, I couldn't even finish it. What a disappointment, and how much worse if I'd just gone ahead & bought based on the description. Yes, I'd kind of like to know what happens, but not enough to trudge through an entire book written in a way that I just didn't like!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

I agree with all of you. Initially I'd download a few samples and I swear some books have a polished first 10% and go downhill from there--so I stopped sampling. Waste of time. Not convenient. I will usually always Look Inside though and see if I like the flow. Whatever the story web the author is weaving I like to be taken in by the second paragraph.

If I like it I buy it. With Amazon I'm not worried because I can get a refund if the front is polished and the rest isn't. I think I got a refund on 2 books. After a while one develops a good sniffer for books.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

VictoriaP said:


> Interesting. I had no idea there were people who don't use the sample function. I nearly always read samples, but then again, I used to sit in bookstores reading the first chapter or so of any book I bought. I agree that you can't always trust them, but it's a bit more information than just the blurb provides.
> 
> Case in point--a book on sale today sounded SO promising reading the summary, but when I downloaded the sample, I couldn't even finish it. What a disappointment, and how much worse if I'd just gone ahead & bought based on the description. Yes, I'd kind of like to know what happens, but not enough to trudge through an entire book written in a way that I just didn't like!


See, I wouldn't download a book or sample just based on the description. I do a lot of vetting that includes a variety of things like blog sites, reader friends, other books by author, is it previously published, reviews etc. So the blurb is important to tell me if I would even be interested in the book, but I always punch the book/author into my usual sites to find out more first. Its amazing the stuff I can find sometimes that doesn't always have to do with the book, but is all part in helping me with what to read.

So if someone uses nothing but the description to find books than I can see how samples are useful. It would drive me nuts though to read partial books. Its almost as bad as reading books in series out of order. I am weird like that.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

VictoriaP said:


> Interesting. I had no idea there were people who don't use the sample function. I nearly always read samples, but then again, I used to sit in bookstores reading the first chapter or so of any book I bought.


And, see, I never did that. For many of the same reasons I don't sample now. I usually bought multiple books at one time, and didn't always get around to reading them right away. It would make me think I'd read the book already...

I pretty much use the same method for choosing books now that I did when I bought paper. Blurb, cover, author, recommendations/reviews.

Betsy


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Outside of grabbing a 99-cent special that looks promising or buying a book from a trusted author, I pretty much _always_ sample; but then I'm a somewhat picky reader who has absolutely no trouble giving up on a book I don't like -- especially if I haven't committed any money to it yet. (For that matter, I've given up on more than a few that I had purchased.) For me, samples are one of the major benefits of having a Kindle, not too far behind the ability to increase the font size.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Mandy, I sampled _Room_ when it first came out and had the same reaction you did. The difference is, I was not tempted to buy the book at all.


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

I got the book, The Room, but I did not sample it. Most Daily Deal Books, I will just buy if it interests me, because I don't have time to read samples everyday. Most other books, I do put samples on my kindle. Most, I know that I will eventually buy, as they serve as books to buy, but I would go broke if didn't pace my book buying. I have deleted a few book samples over the years, because I hated the vulgar language or the violent nature. Not my cup of tea. After listening (TTS) to a bunch of samples once a week, I write down the titles in my notebook. I can't keep up. It's never ending, but it sure is fun book shopping at amazon.


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

I read samples. I guess I haven't had an experience where a sample was really good and the rest of the book wasn't. Sometimes I buy a book and regret not reading a sample, cause when I finally get to it, I'm disappointed once I get past the first few paras. I can usually tell within the standard sample length whether or not I will like a book. A friend gave me this book about 10 years ago. I have found much of it be valid.

The First Five Pages:



I have found if I'm really disciplined about reading samples, I make better book purchases for me. I hate it-get very mad at myself!-when I buy a book on impulse without reading the sample and I realize pretty early on it's not for me. I used to never DNF a book, but there are just so many on my TBR list, I can do that now. I hate to do it. But I will, if I find myself skimming or going cross-eyed. I don't have any problem reading a sample, deciding a book isn't right for me, or not right for me now, and letting go.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> For me, samples are one of the major benefits of having a Kindle, not too far behind the ability to increase the font size.


Although, as Victoria said, one can sample paper books, too. 

For me, it's always been about not having to carry several heavy books with me everywhere I go to make sure I don't run out of things to read...everything else has been gravy.  And I like gravy.

Betsy


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I guess in part, I sample because it's way easier for me to walk away from a book if I've invested next to nothing in it--no money, and perhaps five minutes of my time. Once I've bought a book, even at a mere 99¢, that becomes a good deal more difficult.

As for reading up on books before buying them, 99% of what I look at is either recommended here, at MobileRead, or from one of several blogs. (This was not so with print books; nearly all of those I picked out browsing in stores.) When I started with ebooks, I pretty quickly learned that one person's recommended "OMG you HAVE to read this NOW" is another person's "Meh, didn't do it for me" and a third's "That was the worst book I ever read." Even good friends with similar reading tastes have had diametrically opposite reactions to the same book, so why should I trust anyone & buy blindly? And given the choice between reading a bunch of reviews/recommendations and reading a sample, well, the sample's going to be WAY faster for me. It's not that I dismiss those opinions, since obviously that's how I'm finding books in the first place, but they're really just another filter for sorting out possible reads. The final arbiter is whether or not I like the sample.

(All of this is for new-to-me authors & series. Once I'm hooked on a series, I don't even read the blurb, as I don't want ANY spoilers. Maybe I'm weird that way?)

Color me still baffled. I wonder if most people do or don't sample--or perhaps do beyond a certain price point? Are there stats somewhere? Now I'm intrigued...

Betsy, it's ALL gravy. And gravy should be a food group as far as I'm concerned.


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## GatorDeb (Jan 2, 2014)

At least you got a very good book   I loved it. 

I never sample, I buy or not based on the description and reviews.  I DO use samples to remind me of books I want to read but haven't bought yet (because I have too many books I've always bought that I haven't gotten to yet).  Since getting the Kindle I've bought enough regular priced books to last me a couple decades lol


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Although, as Victoria said, one can sample paper books, too.
> ...


Only if you have the time, inclination, and logistical situation where you can get thee to a book shoppe any time you feel like browsing through some books -- and only during store hours. And back in ye goode olde days, I don't think I ever read more than the first page or two when "sampling" that way.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Only if you have the time, inclination, and logistical situation where you can get thee to a book shoppe any time you feel like browsing through some books -- and only during store hours. And back in ye goode olde days, I don't think I ever read more than the first page or two when "sampling" that way.


Aaah, but I would put that under the convenience of being able to shop whenever one wants rather than an advantage of sampling. And that convenience is definitely part of the gravy. 

Betsy


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## BradleyRite (Jan 8, 2014)

Samples I think are a great way to see if you like something! It works better for some then others!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I get samples sometimes . . . got many more early on. But even then, it was just by way of putting the book on a TBR/wish list. I remember when I went from my original Kindle to the Keyboard model, I had a whole bunch of samples and had to decide whether to buy the books or what.  I ended up just deleting them all and not re-sampling.  I went back to the books and looked at blurbs and then put them on my wish list instead.

If I have gotten a sample, when I actually read it, I decide right then whether or not I'm going to buy the book. Because I'm like Betsy: if I read the first bit and don't finish the book right then, I will think, when picking it up later, that I already read it. I don't need confusion of my own making -- I get enough naturally. 

If I decide not to finish the book . . . I mark the book as not worth my time (so I don't accidentally purchase it later) and don't buy it.  If I want to finish reading it, I buy it and read it then.

Because there isn't really, though, a good way to keep track of what I sampled and decided against, I don't do it all that much any more. Besides the many I buy, books that are 'maybes' are usually available from the library, or via KOLL.  And if they're not and I'm still on the fence.  I'll wishlist and put 'em on my price watch list and maybe when they drop enough I'll take another look.

So.  I don't AVOID samples.  Just don't use 'em much.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I used to sample and then decided it was taking up too much time to sort and read them.  So I stopped.  Then a few bad books later, I am back to sampling.  I have no trouble tossing a book aside.  I just stopped reading a fairly decent book and I was halfway or more through.  It just had these YA spots that were too unrealistic for me to care about.  So while the plot was really interesting, the characters kept annoying me.  Return to library.  On to the next book/sample.  

I rarely sampled in a bookstore, but I think I'd be more inclined to do so these days.  I don't sample at the library.  In fact, the library IS my way of sampling.  I'll grab 10 authors and sample the first 30 pages or so.  Sometimes even 50.  If I still find myself wandering away, well, it goes back unread.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

VictoriaP said:


> Interesting. I had no idea there were people who don't use the sample function. I nearly always read samples, but then again, I used to sit in bookstores reading the first chapter or so of any book I bought. I agree that you can't always trust them, but it's a bit more information than just the blurb provides.


Same here. Almost all of my purchases over the last couple of years have been based on reading the sample download. And I've read and deleted a lot of samples that didn't work for me. Might have been good books, but if the writer can't hold my interest through the first 10% of their book, I'm moving on to the next sample. I'll forgive typos and shaky prose, but if the story isn't there, I move on.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I don't sample at all. I do download samples.... to keep track of books I want to get after I pop a new GC on my Amazon account.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

MariaESchneider said:


> I used to sample and then decided it was taking up too much time to sort and read them. So I stopped. Then a few bad books later, I am back to sampling. I have no trouble tossing a book aside. I just stopped reading a fairly decent book and I was halfway or more through. It just had these YA spots that were too unrealistic for me to care about. So while the plot was really interesting, the characters kept annoying me. Return to library. On to the next book/sample.
> 
> I rarely sampled in a bookstore, but I think I'd be more inclined to do so these days. I don't sample at the library. In fact, the library IS my way of sampling. I'll grab 10 authors and sample the first 30 pages or so. Sometimes even 50. If I still find myself wandering away, well, it goes back unread.


Just to clarify, sampling is not part of my shopping strategy, so to speak. I don't go around reading samples of every book I think I might want to read. Rather, when I decide I want to start reading a new book that has caught my attention for whatever reason, I start with the sample. By the time I get to the end of the sample (if I do, in fact, make it that far), it's a simple matter to go ahead and buy it at that point and continue reading.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

cinisajoy said:


> I don't do samples because you can't trust them. Oh yes, the first 10% of the book will be perfect. But then you get bad spelling errors or worse horrific formatting.


I've heard this said but I've never come across it myself. But then, I don't do many self pubbed ebooks, especially if they haven't already been reviewed and/or don't have a print version as well. That tends to weed out a lot of the unprofessional editing/formatting.

I don't have a problem abandoning books if I don't like them so abandoning a sample is even easier. The only thing that I don't like about samples is when I read the sample, like it, buy the book, but then don't get a chance to read the book for like 6+ months later. I don't remember the sample well enough to skip the first chapter or whatever so I have to reread the beginning. Slightly annoying but for me, the benefits of samples are still worth it.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

history_lover said:


> I've heard this said but I've never come across it myself. But then, I don't do many self pubbed ebooks, especially if they haven't already been reviewed and/or don't have a print version as well. That tends to weed out a lot of the unprofessional editing/formatting.
> 
> I don't have a problem abandoning books if I don't like them so abandoning a sample is even easier. The only thing that I don't like about samples is when I read the sample, like it, buy the book, but then don't get a chance to read the book for like 6+ months later. I don't remember the sample well enough to skip the first chapter or whatever so I have to reread the beginning. Slightly annoying but for me, the benefits of samples are still worth it.


Exactly. So my solution is that I don't much use samples.  Or, if I do, like NogDog, if I read the sample and get the book it is my very next read. In fact, I wouldn't start the sample unless I was ready to start a new book -- if I like it, that's it; if not I pick something else.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Just to clarify, sampling is not part of my shopping strategy, so to speak. I don't go around reading samples of every book I think I might want to read. Rather, when I decide I want to start reading a new book that has caught my attention for whatever reason, I start with the sample. By the time I get to the end of the sample (if I do, in fact, make it that far), it's a simple matter to go ahead and buy it at that point and continue reading.


That is closer to what I do. I download the samples because the books caught my attention for some reason and I think I'll like them. HOWEVER, for the library trip, I am often grabbing books that I am fairly sure WON'T be my thing...but they are on my list because they were talked about or rec'd somewhere. I have a buddy and she and I like a LOT of the same books. However, she tends to read more steampunk and more romance than I do. So she'll rec stuff that she and I both know is borderline for me. I'll grab it from the library so long as I'm there and give it a look. Sometimes it resonates and sometimes not. She doesn't tend to like the tough guy books that I like, but she'll usually give them a look and sometimes they work out for her.

And I reserve the right to change my sampling habits any second...


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Depends on the book. If it's by an author I like, then I won't Look Inside. If it's by an author I've never heard of, I'll nearly always Look Inside. I don't read the sample thoroughly - probably more of a skim - and I'm not looking to see whether the story itself grabs me. I've read many good books that haven't really got going until a few chapters in. What I'm trying to judge is the quality of the writing and editing. Usually, though not always, it is possible to tell a writer's grasp of the craft from just a few pages. Same with the editing, though I agree that sometimes the start of the book has obviously been polished to a gleam while the rest of the book has been neglected.

And, Mandy, what did you think of _Room_? I read it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I rarely read samples.  If I'm not sure whether a book is edited well, I assume it isn't and move on to the next one.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

cinisajoy said:


> I don't do samples because you can't trust them. Oh yes, the first 10% of the book will be perfect. But then you get bad spelling errors or worse horrific formatting.


In bookstore days, I used to read the first couple of pages, the ending, and a little from the middle, specifically some dialog. With Kindle, I do read samples except for favorite authors. I think I've only once had a sample fool me in that quality of writing, formatting, or editing didn't hold up for the rest of the book.

My problem is that the sample only shows you quality of those things and can't give an idea of whether the story is worth a darn or is going to become incoherent, boring, etc., down the line. That's where new-to-me authors almost always lose me. Years ago I used to pride myself on finishing any book I started. A highly acclaimed, very long, and for me very boring book that shall remain nameless cured me of that. Life's too short. I'll abandon a book anywhere from first page to the last the second I decide it's not for me.


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

My recommendation to everyone is to download the sample in order to ensure that the ebook is properly formatted.

I've had a real bugaboo about the lack of Q.A. that legacy publishers were putting into their ebooks. Block paragraph formatting instead of indented paragraph formatting, bad kerning, etc. Mistakes made because the people put the ebook together like a web page and didn't bother to check the typography.

So I urge people to download the sample of the ebook to make sure it is properly formatted before they give over their hard earned cash for a faulty product. I have seen some great books ruined and rendered nearly unreadable due to poor formatting and lack of QA by the publishers.


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## Eric Mazzoni (Jan 10, 2014)

90% of my buying decision is based on the cover alone. I'm shallow. I nearly didn't read the first Wool because the cover didn't appeal to me. I would say that happens a lot while I browse Amazon for a new book to read. My theory is I am a visual learner so my brain has been conditioned to be attracted towards what I see rather than read. I mean really, the sample could be amazing, but I will skip a book for the cover. I need to work on that habit.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

WDR said:


> My recommendation to everyone is to download the sample in order to ensure that the ebook is properly formatted.


For me, this is really the only reason to d/l a sample. Though, still, I'd probably just d/l the whole book and open it for a quick look-see right away if I had any reason to suspect it might not be done professionally. Usually there will be a comment to that effect in the reviews -- but it could have been fixed since that reviewer got the book. Even if it's been more than a week, if the formatting is that poor, Amazon will still let you return it.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

WDR said:


> My recommendation to everyone is to download the sample in order to ensure that the ebook is properly formatted.


For me, it's more than that, it's also to see what the writing quality/style is like and perhaps get a glimpse of the characters. And it's not just indie books, I have saved myself from buying books from major publishers because the sample has shown the characters/dialogue to be unrealistic or the writing terrible.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

history_lover said:


> For me, it's more than that, it's also to see what the writing quality/style is like and perhaps get a glimpse of the characters. And it's not just indie books, I have saved myself from buying books from major publishers because the sample has shown the characters/dialogue to be unrealistic or the writing terrible.


+1


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Eric Mazzoni said:


> 90% of my buying decision is based on the cover alone. I'm shallow. I nearly didn't read the first Wool because the cover didn't appeal to me. I would say that happens a lot while I browse Amazon for a new book to read. My theory is I am a visual learner so my brain has been conditioned to be attracted towards what I see rather than read. I mean really, the sample could be amazing, but I will skip a book for the cover. I need to work on that habit.


I think the cover matters more than we think so perhaps many of us are shallow and don't know it. My last book club/buddy read on my blog, we picked BY BLURB ONLY. No titles, author or cover. It was a lot of fun, but kind of interesting to read the comments and reactions. I even got two emails from readers saying they didn't know if they *could* pick without seeing the cover. It was all in good fun and worth the chuckles!

I didn't think covers mattered to me at all--but the more I read and pick books, the more I realize that I get lots of subtle cues from the cover--is it cozy, it is thriller, something about the colors...

Sometimes I read the sample IN SPITE of the cover just to sort of force myself outside my own expectations. I have found some WONDERFUL books (two come to mind right away: Unicorn on Speed Dial and Demon Hunter with Baby). But it's kind of...I have to shut my eyes or something and just try the book. I'm not willing to do it very often either!


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

Eric Mazzoni said:


> 90% of my buying decision is based on the cover alone. I'm shallow.


You're not the only one! The key reason I first bought Ann McCaffrey's _The White Dragon_-and thereby got hooked on her entire _Dragonrider_ series-was because the cover caught my eye.

They say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but that isn't entirely true. A well-done cover that reflects a scene actually in the book goes a long way in selling the book and the story it contains. It can also effect how the reader reacts to the story. Consider if the opposite were true, if the cover was just a generic subject that didn't reflect anything in the story. The reader might get upset by the end of the story that the promised scene never appeared.

One book comes to mind from my childhood that had a boring cover, I kept ignoring every time I saw it in the library. I was definitely judging that book by its cover. I finally I gave it a try because I saw one of my classmates reading it and discovered I absolutely loved the story held within the book: L'Engle's _A Wrinkle In Time_.

In such a case, a good sample can save the book from being passed by if the reader gives it a chance.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

When I'm reading a book (a paper book - it doesn't work so well with a Kindle) and come across the scene that is represented on the cover, I spend a few minutes re-reading the scene and comparing it to the cover. I love it when it happens so get an extra thrill from books that do contain the cover scene within. I'm quite relieved to discover than I'm not alone in this - I always thought I might be a little strange...


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Sam Kates said:


> When I'm reading a book (a paper book - it doesn't work so well with a Kindle) and come across the scene that is represented on the cover, I spend a few minutes re-reading the scene and comparing it to the cover. I love it when it happens so get an extra thrill from books that do contain the cover scene within. I'm quite relieved to discover than I'm not alone in this - I always thought I might be a little strange...


I have a good reading friend who does that all the time. She'll write me and complain that "Her dress isn't blue in the story. Why is it blue on the cover?" And I often reply, "Be glad she has a dress on in the cover." (We both read a lot of fantasy and back in the day, it was very common for the women to be half clothed or in bikini chainmail...which had NOTHING to do with the way any real woman would ever dress, especially for battle...)

She loves it when she finds a cover the correctly depicts a scene.


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

Sam Kates said:


> When I'm reading a book (a paper book - it doesn't work so well with a Kindle) and come across the scene that is represented on the cover, I spend a few minutes re-reading the scene and comparing it to the cover. I love it when it happens so get an extra thrill from books that do contain the cover scene within. I'm quite relieved to discover than I'm not alone in this - I always thought I might be a little strange...


Not at all! I'm the same way. It's like finding the prize in a cereal box.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Ha! Maybe the strange ones are the people who _don't_ look out for the cover scene.


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## Jim Johnson (Jan 4, 2011)

Sam Kates said:


> Ha! Maybe the strange ones are the people who _don't_ look out for the cover scene.


Count me as one of the strange ones, then.  I find the cover image to be about as useful as the copyright page when it comes to determining if the title's story is worth reading.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

JimJohnson said:


> Count me as one of the strange ones, then.  I find the cover image to be about as useful as the copyright page when it comes to determining if the title's story is worth reading.


I'm sure you're no stranger than many of us... 

We weren't, though, talking about being attracted to the book in the first place, but the thrill of discovering the scene depicted by the cover in a book we're already reading.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

A lot of pulp SF&F in the 50's - 60's was written to fit a piece of cover art the publisher already had.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

NogDog said:


> A lot of pulp SF&F in the 50's - 60's was written to fit a piece of cover art the publisher already had.


There used to be writing contests (usually for magazines, not books) based on art--various rules, various payments, but essentially an editor was looking for a story to fit some sort of art/theme. They could be really fun, although I remember once being sooo disappointed to finally read the story that was chosen. That artwork just didn't say the same thing to me as it did the author!  I don't know that I ever wrote one for art either, but I know that art is certainly an inspiration. When I hunt for art (usually for a cover) I sometimes buy other art that just SPEAKS to me. There's this one of a little mushroom house that just BEGS for a little garden gnome story!

There are often covers that make me download the sample--even though the blurb isn't that great. It's still hit or miss whether the book works out for me or not!


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

I believe NogDog is a fellow Discworld fan - most of the Discworld novels I own have the Josh Kirby covers. They're great for spotting the scene within the story shown on the cover.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Sam Kates said:


> I believe NogDog is a fellow Discworld fan - most of the Discworld novels I own have the Josh Kirby covers. They're great for spotting the scene within the story shown on the cover.


Unfortunately, I mainly have the US covers, which tend to be more general in nature.


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## Key (Jan 6, 2014)

I like to read samples and set them aside, and then ONLY the books I can't get out of my head do I buy.

I don't always do that, but these are usually the purchases I don't end up regretting.

I figure until I have a lot more money, any book I _can_ forget I _should_.

But somehow I still ended up spending lots of money on ebooks this year....


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I've never sampled a book. I have used "Look Inside the Book" especially on nonfiction works to assure the title is what I need, but when it comes to fiction I'm driven either by the blurb and reviews, or I know the author (either their writing or through encounter) and want to try or collect their work. I've a passion for classic literature and so come to the purchase/download with a collector's spirit. When I try a new author, it's generally feet first and all the way through. eAuthors (IMHO) use the sample as a way of warding off reader dissatisfaction. That is: "there are no pigs in a poke" if you sample. But authors who disregard the existence of "the sample" are more focused on their readership and, although most authors concentrate on the first act of a novel to draw a reader in, some lose momentum in act II, and let the rest fly to the wind. Endings are as important as beginnings (sometimes, more so, because they're meant to linger beyond the last page . . . perhaps). In addition, many authors cleave to the classical front material, which is included in the sample and, while not distressing a purchaser of the full book, tends to make the sampler fretful. Anyway, that's my 2 cents on The Sample.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> ... Endings are as important as beginnings (sometimes, more so, because they're meant to linger beyond the last page . . . perhaps). In addition, many authors cleave to the classical front material, which is included in the sample and, while not distressing a purchaser of the full book, tends to make the sampler fretful. Anyway, that's my 2 cents on The Sample.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


That's always been one of my problems with Robert Heinlein - brilliant books with horrible endings. And I do agree with that last bit. I rarely sample but when I do and the 'look inside a book' is only title page, contents and the first page of prelude, that usually doesn't answer whatever question I peeked to begin with .... so I'll move on to another book selection.


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## Adrian Howell (Feb 24, 2013)

I always download samples before buying, and only buy the books I can't resist after reading the sample.

Personally, I would love for book samples to be 50% rather than 10%. You'd still have to buy it to read it all, after all, and if I made it to the 50% mark without giving up on it, I would be highly unlikely to stop there. 10% samples make it harder to decide, and I am more likely to give up on a book that I might otherwise end up enjoying to the end.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

I tend to use the 'look inside' feature. That tells me if I like the author's style and with the blurb, that is enough for me to make a decision. 
Just shows how important those first few sentences are!


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

Even when I "look inside..." I buy it. I just get sucked in and have to know how it ends!


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## TallyK (Jan 15, 2014)

cinisajoy said:


> There was one set of books that the first 3 chapters were great. Then the next chapter lost one word per line. Mine went from 7 words to 6 words. The next chapter was 5 words. And each chapter after that went down a word per line. I actually quit reading that series. At least 4 of the author's books were like that.


It seems like it would be MORE work to put a decreasing amount of words per line per chapter instead of just writing the dang story.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

TallyK said:


> It seems like it would be MORE work to put a decreasing amount of words per line per chapter instead of just writing the dang story.


I am thinking that was a serious formatting error.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Mandy said:


> Some authors on KB occasionally ask us why many of us don't download samples. I just had an interesting experience that reminds me why I don't like samples.
> 
> The book _Room_ by Emma Donoghue was recently featured as one of Amazon's Daily Deals for $1.99. The synopsis sounded pretty interesting - a mother and her 5 year old son are held captive in a single room (the mother has been captive for 7 years), and they eventually escape and discover life outside of the room. The story is narrated by the 5 year old boy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it, so I thought I'd just try the sample this time.
> 
> ...


Your story made me smile, but I also wondered why the problem was due to the sample? Because it got you hooked?  lol. That's the part that made me smile--thinking that the sample did it's job, in a way. As a reader, I don't usually have that problem. I have no trouble reading a few pages of a sample or freebie, and then moving on to another book if it doesn't catch my interest. In fact, a lot of times I've forgotten what the book was supposed to be about. Which reminds me, I recently started putting my description in the front of one of my books, but I don't think I did it with the others.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

You have very good self control lol!


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## Dave Dykema (May 18, 2009)

My Kindle is loaded with samples. They probably date back three or four years. They sounded interesting, but I just wasn't willing to buy at the time. "Look Inside" didn't exsist then, or I would have used that. With samples, it usually only takes me three or four paragraphs to decide if I'm going to continue, because I'm already pretty interested to download the sample. If the writing is up to snuff, then I'm sold.

The funny thing, though, is when looking for a new book to read, I usually already have plenty of full books on the Kindle (or my bookshelf) to choose from. So I hardly look at them. Except for the few times I've pruned my Kindle...


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## LKWatts (May 5, 2011)

heidi_g said:


> I read samples. I guess I haven't had an experience where a sample was really good and the rest of the book wasn't. Sometimes I buy a book and regret not reading a sample, cause when I finally get to it, I'm disappointed once I get past the first few paras. I can usually tell within the standard sample length whether or not I will like a book. A friend gave me this book about 10 years ago. I have found much of it be valid.
> 
> The First Five Pages:
> 
> ...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Reminder -- we're in the Book Corner so please answer from a reader's point of view -- even if you are also a writer.

If you want to discuss issues with samples from the point of view of the writer/publisher, the place for that is the Writer's Cafe.  

Thanks.


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## LKWatts (May 5, 2011)

Okay, sorry. Point noted


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## nico (Jan 17, 2013)

Wow, lots of good stuff in this discussion. I, like several others, use samples as a way to keep track of books i'm interested. I download them onto my iPad and they bug me until i try them out. Then occasionally i will delete ones i'm no longer interested in, or buy the ones that grabbed me. 

I'm not indiscriminate about sampling. I have to have reasons to download the sample first. But rarely do i buy a book without sampling it first. But usually the sample is good enough for me to decide whether i want to keep reading. 

I used to be like several other posters, where i HAD to finish books i started, but eventually i decided it wasn't worth my time to keep reading bad books. Now i live free of that terrible burden of just having to know the ending. I just don't let it bother me anymore.


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## D-C (Jan 13, 2014)

I always read samples. The same as I always pick up a paperback and read the first few pages before deciding whether to buy. I may not like the voice, or the setting, or the POV, and I'd be mighty peeved if I'd just bought the book - only to find I dislike it within a few pages. How anyone can not read samples baffles me.


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## johnlmonk (Jul 24, 2013)

I don't read the entire sample, but I do look at the sample.  Mainly to see if it's absolute drivel   If it's not drivel, catches me with a fun turn of phrase, whatever, I buy.  

Yay, a use for samples. Now, if I could find a rhyme for "oranges" I'd be set.


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## Pamela (Oct 6, 2010)

I always do the 'Look Inside' when I'm interested in a novel.  I'm too dyslexic and ADD to download lots of samples.  Too many choices make me crazy.  I only get a book if I want to read it right away.  Although, as some readers commented here, the first part might be interesting and polished and it goes downhill from there.  The one thing I will never do is hurt an author by returning a book I don't like.  With ebooks so cheap that's just not necessary. 

I look for formatting in the 'Look Inside,' too.  Also, grammar, punctuation and if it's first or third person.  I like both first and third person, but incorrect punctuation makes me crazy and I won't read a book if it has lots of punctuation mistakes.


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## DashaGLogan (Jan 30, 2014)

The good thing about samples is, I can resist my compulsion to read the end which very often has made me drop a book because I thought the wrong people ended up together or I found out who the killer was.

Generally speaking, I usually do the 'click inside' because I can tell after the first few sentences whether the author is getting to me or naught.


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Hmm, sounds to me like the unspoken consensus here is that samples really do bring in the readers, as samples were meant to do.  Some folks like 'em, some don't.  For me, the "read inside" Amazon offers is as much as I want - too much more and I feel as you do when you've sat thru a movie preview that, in 30 seconds, tells you the whole story.  That's what drives me up the wall - a blurb or a sample or an ad that tells me so much that I feel like I'm rereading a book I've never before opened.


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## daringnovelist (Apr 3, 2010)

I find it really interesting that the OP has to finish a book she sampled, even though she didn't like the sample.  Maybe it's the OP's obsessive need, or maybe it's that it was a really compelling book -- even if not "comfortable."  A lot of great works are aggravating like that.

As for samples, I've changed my sampling habits over the years.  When I first got my Kindle, I sampled everything that got my interest -- then I'd treat the sample collection as a "library" where I could browse for what I felt like that day.  However, I discovered that when you get more than 300 samples, your Kindle starts slowing way down.

So now, I put anything that gets my interest on a special wishlist at Amazon so I won't forget it.  Then I browse through that looking for what might interest me.

I usually do my sample reading via the "Look Inside" feature.  And with a sample I'm looking for two things: does the writing make me want to read the next page? And probably more important: do the characters annoy the heck out of me?

As for being misled by a sample... I haven't had the instance where you'd have a clean sample and an error riddled ending, but it's really common to see a beginning that promises way more than the ending delivers.  Or characters that turn out to be shallow.  Or what looked like one genre turned out to be another.

But until I know the author's style I expect that the ending will be an unknown.  The only time I've ever been outright angry over a misleading sample is when the sample seemed to be a sweet and funny adventure, and it turned into heavy erotica in the middle. I have nothing against erotica, but that's not what I was looking for when I picked up that story.  I felt the same as if the story had become explicitly violent or horrific.

(But then, that last bit wasn't the fault of the sample alone: the book should have been better labeled.)

Camille


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## Lorelei Logsdon (Feb 4, 2014)

I sometimes read the samples, but I've found it's not a good indication of whether or not I'll like the book as a whole. Sometimes the samples are great, and then it starts to die from there -- even WITH good spelling/grammar/formatting/etc. I guess each book is a risk, even if it comes with a friend's recommendation.


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2014)

I forget that samples are there.  However, I have ZERO PROBLEM closing a book, for good, if it hasn't grabbed me by a certain point.


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## josephdevon (Feb 6, 2014)

I've read so many books that I found difficult at first but wound up loving by the end. I feel like sampling would have screened some of my favorite books from me. 

Plus...I don't know. I don't have to LOVE every book I read. I think someone else here said that. I sometimes like to take a vacation into the world of things I might not normally read.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

josephdevon said:


> I've read so many books that I found difficult at first but wound up loving by the end. I feel like sampling would have screened some of my favorite books from me.
> 
> Plus...I don't know. I don't have to LOVE every book I read. I think someone else here said that. I sometimes like to take a vacation into the world of things I might not normally read.





daringnovelist said:


> I find it really interesting that the OP has to finish a book she sampled, even though she didn't like the sample. Maybe it's the OP's obsessive need, or maybe it's that it was a really compelling book -- even if not "comfortable." A lot of great works are aggravating like that.


I don't sample, but I also seldom stop reading a book I've started. It happens more often with non-fiction, when I feel I've gotten the information I was looking for. Very seldom with fiction. I admit it's my OCD.... 

Betsy


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## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

I always use the look inside feature now, because I had a weird experience a few months back. I saw a book that was a re-release of an author I liked and the blurb sounds like a cute story, so I just went ahead and bought it without opening the look inside and taking a peek. But when I sat down to read it, I discovered that behind the cover and the title page was an entirely DIFFERENT BOOK! Different book, different author, different publisher even! I reported it to the sales site and also e-mailed the author to let her know about it, but it took me a couple weeks to get the real book that I thought I'd bought.


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

daringnovelist said:


> I find it really interesting that the OP has to finish a book she sampled, even though she didn't like the sample. Maybe it's the OP's obsessive need, or maybe it's that it was a really compelling book -- even if not "comfortable." A lot of great works are aggravating like that.





MaryMcDonald said:


> Your story made me smile, but I also wondered why the problem was due to the sample? Because it got you hooked?  lol. That's the part that made me smile--thinking that the sample did it's job, in a way. As a reader, I don't usually have that problem. I have no trouble reading a few pages of a sample or freebie, and then moving on to another book if it doesn't catch my interest. In fact, a lot of times I've forgotten what the book was supposed to be about.


Well, again, it was really the strong compulsion to finish what I'd started. I had initially decided not to purchase the book because the child's narrative voice was far different than what I'm used to (I work in an elementary school) and just didn't ring true. But it kept nagging at me that I needed to finish the book - for closure, I guess. The book was fairly good once I forced myself to overlook the narrative voice.

Interestingly, since I started this thread, I've become better at utilizing the sample feature. I compulsively buy books so I've been trying to be a little more selective. One thing that helps me fight the urge to buy and finish a book I've sampled (and didn't care for) is by skimming the sample instead of reading it. Skimming allows me to get a good feel for the book without getting sucked in. I can think of two or three samples I've now deleted without looking back.


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