# Does the quality/length of a sample affect your decision or just content?



## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

I recently downloaded a sample for French Fried by Chris Dolley and all I got was the title page! Previously I've judged a sample by the content - was I enjoying the book, did I want to finish it - and also to some extent by the formatting. But I was so annoyed to get such a ridiculous sized sample that my first reaction was 'what an insult to the potential reader, no way am I buying the book'. But it sounds entertaining and I remain undecided.

How do you use a sample to make your decision - or don't you bother to sample at all?

EDIT:

For anyone interested in the book I mention, Chris Dolley has sent me links to longer samples:

http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-Chapter-One The beginning
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-Language-excerpt  Language problems
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-animals-excerpt Meeting the local cats


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## Gerund (Aug 8, 2010)

On one hand I certainly understand the adage of "don't judge a book by its cover", but... well, with millions of books to choose from, it becomes necessary, doesn't it.  

Phrased differently, a badly-done sample won't make me think the book is terrible-horrible-awful-a-blight-upon-the-internet-bad, it just means that I'm not sure whether or not I'll like the book itself. There are other books which I'm more certain about, so I'll probably buy them instead.


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

I think I've gotten maybe 1 sample since I've had my kindle. I usually go to a book store and spend time browsing books and drinking coffee (a simple joy of mine). Then after making a note of the books I want, I'll either order them when I get back to my truck (my kindle is always along for the ride) or put them on my wish list. I do read book descriptions on my kindle though and if something peaks my interest I'll check it out next time I'm at the book store.

So no..samples don't influence my decision.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For me, a "bad" sample could be

1 -- the story doesn't interest me. . .I have no compulsion to click 'buy now' at the end
2 -- the formatting is wonky, which makes it hard to read
3 -- the writing style is just not one I care for
4 -- the editing -- grammar, spelling, punctuation -- is poor
5 -- there's not enough of the story to get an idea.  This happens when people put all the usual copyright/forward/acknowledgement stuff in the front.  I do want to read that. . . . but for a Kindle book, the sample is a certain percentage of the book.  If it doesn't even get to the beginning of the story, (a) how am I to know I want to read it and (b) it's probably pretty short anyway, and I prefer longer books. . . .


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

I read a sample within the past few days that was 24 words long.  How is that supposed to help anyone?!?  

And I saw another one for which the author, possibly with samples in mind, put the ToC and acknowledgements and all that stuff at the end of the book, so the sample contained enough substance for me to form an opinion.

Guess which one I bought? 


Content is primary for me, but just barely  --  if it's unreadable due to poor formatting or errors in every sentence, I'm thankful that I didn't spend money on it.  Though, if the content itself is promising, I'll PM the author and tell them (politely) what cost them the sale, because that's something they can fix for their next book.


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

I've been fooled before, so I always like a sample of the writer's style before buying. I can usually tell within a couple of pages whether I want to buy the book, so I don't always finish the sample. Books that contain a lot of spelling errors often are poorly written or come across as amateurish.

Linda


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

Unless the sample is lengthy enough for me to get hooked I just use it to judge the formatting and the basic writing ability of the author. I almost always make a decision to buy/not buy based on reviews or book description rather than the short segment present in a sample. The number of books I would have missed out on because the first few chapters were lame but the rest fantastic far outweigh the books that started strong but ended horribly, so I am loath to make a judgement based solely on the content I could get from a sample. But poor grammar, spelling, or screwy formating will certainly make me run away.

Quite frankly, I use samples as a reminder to buy the book when it gets cheaper or to keep the next book in a series at my fingertips, especially since Amazon does a horrible job with series order and there is no kindle wish list accessible from the kindle itself (that I know of).


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## CaroleC (Apr 19, 2010)

A sample should intrigue the reader and catch one's interest so that there is a desire to continue reading. It takes more than a sentence or two to do that! If the spelling, grammar, or formatting is so bad that it interferes with any potential desire to continue, then naturally I would not buy the book. 

If I am sure that I want the book, I do not bother with samples. 

However, I have saved some money by ordering samples of books that I am unsure of, and finding out that the book simply did not interest me as much as I had expected. One book had only a preface as the sample, believe it or not! The preface was written by someone other than the author, so it told me nothing and I did not order that book. 

Other times I have loved the sample and couldn't order the book fast enough!


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## DonnaFaz (Dec 5, 2009)

I always sample. Always. Even when books are free. I don't want to 'mux up' (a phrase used by my beloved step-mother,   may she RIP) my Kindle with books I'll never read.

~Donna~


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

If a sample is too short to give me a good idea of the book's content... then I'm not likely to buy if I was unsure in the first place.  If there are plenty of errors in spelling/formatting etc then I'm not going to buy at all.  If the errors in a sample bother me, then I certainly don't want a whole book that's that way.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> For me, a "bad" sample could be
> 
> 1 -- the story doesn't interest me. . .I have no compulsion to click 'buy now' at the end
> 2 -- the formatting is wonky, which makes it hard to read
> ...


This pretty much sums it up for me. I never, ever read excerpts online. It used to bug me because if I wanted the book it meant going to the store or ordering it and waiting. Now? Click. It's there. So I sample. I'd guess...100 percent of the time.  No sample or just a paragraph or two...I'd have to know the author's work pretty well. Because seriously. I even sample known authors. I've had too many disappointments even from favorites (and some favorites are in the 8 dollar for a paperback range...) If the sample is on the edge...I might get it from the library.

I can think of maybe three authors I would even consider buying without the sample feature.

Maria


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## lulucello (Nov 18, 2009)

I love going to the Kindle Store and browsing books.  I request samples of anything that catches my eye.  Often I start with the NY Times Book Review.  When I'm too distracted to concentrate on reading an actual book, I'll browse through my samples.  Generally, I'll also read customer reviews on Amazon prior to purchasing the book.  For me, sampling books is like being in a bookstore and leafing through anything that catches my eye.  It's disappointing when the samples are too brief to make a decision.  In fact. I have a Collection that I call "Started, but....."  Mostly it contains samples of books I'm still undecided about.  Since I live in Mexico, I can't just hop over to Barnes and Noble to look at books.  The sampling option is the next best thing.
Judith


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## terryr (Apr 24, 2010)

I never buy without sampling. Not even when something is cheap or free. Ever. I might hesitate over looking closer at something with a crappy cover, but what's inside counts even more. Formatting and editing/spelling/grammar are huge deal breakers for me. I edit professionally, and I don't want to wear that hat when I am reading for pleasure. I want to escape to the author's world, and if anything distracts me from it, I hit the Delete button.  I also use the Look Inside feature when I can as well.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

If it's free, I'll "buy" it.  It's easy enough to just delete it.  Once, and only once, have I bought something that cost money without looking at the sample-- and that was the recent "choose your own romance adventure" book.  99c and it looked like fun.  

I loooooooove samples and they are what sold me on the Kindle in the first place.  I get an idea of the way the author writes, and that is what sells me on 99% of the books I read.  Content has to be really great for me to put up with an author who is unreadable-- I read for enjoyment so having to "muddle through" isn't worth it for me.


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## Steven L. Hawk (Jul 10, 2010)

I sample 95% of what I buy, and the sample content has to grab my interest for me to purchase the book.  The other 5% I will buy without a sample -- various reasons.

But the quality of the content sample is foremost for me when making a buying decision.  A title page, or 24 words, is not a sample -- which = no purchase.

Steve


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm not a big sampler (probably sample about 50% of what I buy), but when I do sample, if there are a lot of spelling or grammatical errors, I will be turned off.  And if the sample is too short to grab my attention (I HATE paging through all the frontpiece stuff and getting 2 pages of text), it goes right to delete.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

DonnaFaz said:


> I always sample. Always. Even when books are free.


Not me... I grab all the freebies I'm even marginally interested in. They don't usually stay free for long, and getting a sample doesn't "lock in" that free price.

I don't consider a sample a good sample unless it has at least a few "pages" of the actual book. I hate the "sample" that's really just the ToC, etc.


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## JaneD (May 11, 2010)

I guess I've never had a badly formatted sample, or one with tons of errors in it, so that hasn't affected my decision yet. So far it's been all about the quality of the content for me: if it's interesting enough that I want to keep reading, I'll buy it.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

I've never gotten a single sample on my Kindle.  And I never read samples of upcoming books in DTBs, either.

For a freebie -- why bother?  It's a simple matter to delete the book if I don't want it.  And if I wait until I get around to reading a sample, the book might no longer be free.

For purchased books I've always found the Amazon reviews, or glancing through the book when I'm in a book store, to be more than adequate to decide whether or not I want to read it.


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## Maria Romana (Jun 7, 2010)

Wow--I'm amazed at how many people _don't_ sample. I just assumed everybody did. I wouldn't dream of forking over without reading a few pages at least. I may not be convinced that I'll like a book just from the sample, but I know almost immediately which ones I'll hate. If I can't understand what's going on, or there are major spelling, punctuation, usage, or POV errors, I know I'm not going to be able to finish it. Apparently, I have very different opinions than many reviewers, so while I do read those, I can't rely on them.

Just curious, for you non-samplers, were/are you also non-samplers when in a physical book store?

--Maria


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

meromana said:


> Just curious, for you non-samplers, were/are you also non-samplers when in a physical book store?
> 
> --Maria


I was never one to paw through a DTB before buying it. I would read the back blurb (and usually not buy a book without one), and maybe do a search inside if I was on amazon.


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## CDChristian (Jun 4, 2010)

meromana said:


> Wow--I'm amazed at how many people _don't_ sample. I just assumed everybody did. I wouldn't dream of forking over without reading a few pages at least. I may not be convinced that I'll like a book just from the sample, but I know almost immediately which ones I'll hate. If I can't understand what's going on, or there are major spelling, punctuation, usage, or POV errors, I know I'm not going to be able to finish it. Apparently, I have very different opinions than many reviewers, so while I do read those, I can't rely on them.
> 
> Just curious, for you non-samplers, were/are you also non-samplers when in a physical book store?
> 
> --Maria


I wouldn't say I'm a complete non-sampler but pretty close to it. I think if I sample too much I'll end up not making a decision. It's kind of like how I am on Netflix. I find so many things I want to watch, put it on the Instant Queue, and then go look for more. It's almost as if I enjoy collecting these awesome movies to watch versus actually watching them. 

When it comes to physical books---I look at the cover, flip the back and read the summary, and I might open it to see if there's a tiny sample on the front page. If I like it all I buy it. I don't think I ever did more than that ever. Meaning, I didn't read a few chapters first before deciding. I've had a few duds this way but overall I can't complain.  I have 100s of books I love all from doing it this way!


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

I love the samples.  Even if I know I want to buy the book I'll still read the sample first.  A poorly formatted sample with typos would definitely put me off of buying the book even if I liked the story.


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

If it is a book I'm going to pay to read, I'll usually sample first. Free versions, I figure I can delete them if I don't like them, so I might as well purchase before the prices changes.

I think what bothers me more is when a free book is really just an unmarked sample. That is one way to lose a sale, in my perspective.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I've gotten at least a couple samples I recall where there was so much front matter (credits, acknowledgments, preface, introduction, etc.) that the actual content was virtually nil, rendering the sample useless as, well, a sample.


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## terryr (Apr 24, 2010)

meromana said:


> ....ust curious, for you non-samplers, were/are you also non-samplers when in a physical book store?
> --Maria


Absolutely. The only time I don't look at physical books I buy (or even encounter on a free pile, or get in the library) is if it's a textbook or manual (and that depends, because some manuals I will flip through, but others, like, when there's Only One, like FAR-AIM, you just get) or I've read it already and am buying it for someone else. Cover/title would make me reach... back blurb would inspire me to open it up; might be an inside excerpt in front, too. Look at first five pages of first chapter... flip through a bit if I'm still interested, and then into the buy pile or back on the shelf. I won't buy a paper book online unless there's a Look Inside or sample to read somewhere. When I buy a book, it's usually a keeper, something I'm going to read over again and recommend to others.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I've never bothered with samples because of never getting into the habit. Most of the books on my kindle are free from various sources, only one of which is amazon, so when I pay for books its just not habit to sample. I didn't sample before having the kindle usually - I went by back cover blurb and ordered most of my books off of amazon, not getting them in bookstores.

I mean to sample and if I was to buy an over $5 book by an author I've never heard of I would sample, but its just never been on my mind when I've been making a decision.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I never sample free books, I don't see the point.  I can read the first few pages, then delete if I don't like it. 

I usually sample books that I actually pay for.  There was one recently that I was really interested in, so many people had recommended it and it was 'my kind of book'. I almost bought it but at the last minute decided to sample because it cost $11.  While the premise was fascinating, the book was written in present tense.  I have never been able to read a book in present tense, I just can't lose myself in it.  I'm really glad I sampled first, I would have been thoroughly annoyed with myself if I'd bought it.


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## ChrisD (Jan 12, 2010)

Linjeakel said:


> I recently downloaded a sample for French Fried by Chris Dolley and all I got was the title page!


Sorry to hear about that. Online samples of _French Fried_ can be read here:

http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-Chapter-One The beginning
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-Language-excerpt Language problems
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/French-Fried-animals-excerpt Meeting the local cats

And there are a lot of reviews of the book here: http://www.librarything.com/work/10096876


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

For the most part I'm a sampler. Freebies I just grab, but anything I might consider paying for I sample first. Through samples I'm willing to look at books I might otherwise not have purchased and discovered an unexpected treasure, and I've sampled others that after a few pages I knew were not for me. With the sample I can see whether there is poor grammar, erratic POV, careless editing or a storyline that just doesn't grab me. The only book I bought without sampling was a Donald Westlake... I've read nearly every other one of his and never been disappointed. 

An author can tuck code into the beginning so readers are shown a sample that jumps past the front matter. It just takes a little research and testing to be sure readers will be presented with a useful sample. As for the length of samples it was my understanding that Amazon determines that, setting it at a percentage of the full story. To the best of my knowledge the author has no control over how long it runs or where it stops, though I'm going to look into that. My book's sample, which spans seven chapters cuts off at an odd point mid-paragraph; I would have preferred it be a few paragraphs longer or shorter. All the same people who read the sample have been buying. I often wonder whether they read to the very end of the sample or just long enough to decide they like it.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

I downloaded a sample of a study guide for _The God of Small Things_ last week. The entire sample consisted of only the index. I'm sorry, but I need a bit more than that to buy your book. I need to see an example of the writing, I need to see how in-depth the analysis of the text is. A table of contents does not a sample make!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

cegrundler said:


> ......All the same people who read the sample have been buying.....


How do you know who has sampled / bought the book?


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## cegrundler (Aug 16, 2010)

I don't know, really. I've had people mention on forums that they're grabbing a sample, then later that day I see a sale. I suppose I'm just projecting my own behavior: not buying until I sample first. Until I read this thread I hadn't imagined so many buy without sampling. It would be interesting to know how many have sampled as opposed to buying, but again based on my own experience there's times I don't get around to reviewing the sample and buying until weeks after I first selected it.Then again I wouldn't have any more idea if these were DTBs on a shelf in a store. At least with Amazon, once a day I can go on (or as many times as I want, actually) and see how many books I've sold that day. I have no idea who is buying or what aided that decision, much as I'd love to know.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

That is a hard one because they both do and don't. If I read a description and some reviews and know I will like it I usually don't bother sampling a book, I just buy it. If I can't decide still if I will like it then I usually download the sample. If the sample ends up being too short so I still can't tell then I usually just pass on the book. If the sample is terrible, then of course I don't buy it either.

I actually passed on a book after I read the sample, only to come back to it in DTB form months later after picking it back up in Target one day and scanning it. I decided I would give it a try anyways since it was one sale. Ends up, I really liked the series. So I guess even with the samples you just never know.


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## Sharon Delarose (Aug 17, 2010)

Okay, total Kindle noob here.  How is a sample different from Look Inside on Amazon?  What do you get from a sample that's missing from Look Inside?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

With a sample you get the first 10% (ish) of a book.  Period.  If that's 16 pages of ToC and 10 pages of acknowledgments that's what you see.  With Look Inside, they've picked sample pages to show you. . . . . . probably they do show a title and/or copyright page, and then maybe a few pages from the inside. . . . .  The idea of the sample is, if there's enough of the actual story in it, you might be hooked and then go buy the thing.  So it's a lure.   I've never really been sure what the point of "look inside" is.


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

I sample everything, even freebies. When I first got my Kindle, once you downloaded a book you were stuck with it. Now you can permanently delete, but it's still a bit of a process and I'd rather not have to bother. With those I deem really useless, I want them gone, gone.

That said, I've been fooled by samples that seemed good and the book fell apart later on as to plotting or something else, so samples help but aren't a guarantee.

If a sample doesn't have enough in it to judge by, I won't buy the book. One thing about having a Kindle is it's made me a fussier than ever reader. There are so many books out there and they're so easy to get. It's not like the old days when I'd bring a book home from the store and that was it - either read that book or don't read or reread something from my shelves.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> With a sample you get the first 10% (ish) of a book. Period. If that's 16 pages of ToC and 10 pages of acknowledgments that's what you see. With Look Inside, they've picked sample pages to show you. . . . . . probably they do show a title and/or copyright page, and then maybe a few pages from the inside. . . . . The idea of the sample is, if there's enough of the actual story in it, you might be hooked and then go buy the thing. So it's a lure.  I've never really been sure what the point of "look inside" is.


Note to KB authors with lots of front matter: you can move your TOC to the end of the book*, along with any front-matter stuff that doesn't _really_ need to be in the front, and then we can get a real sample. 
__________
* As long as it's properly marked up, we can find it easily via the *Menu -> Go To... -> Table of Contents* option.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I always sample first, just to make sure the writer can actually write. I'd be iffy if all the sample contained wasa the Title Page, too. How much is the book in question?


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

David McAfee said:


> I always sample first, just to make sure the writer can actually write. I'd be iffy if all the sample contained wasa the Title Page, too. How much is the book in question?


$4.68


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

A catchy cover draws me to the blurb. 

A dynamic description draws me to the sample.

The sample sells the book (for me).


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