# A Question From an Author/Publisher



## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

As a Kindle owner, what makes you decide to buy a book from an unknown author? We all have our favorite authors that we trust will give us a great read. But what makes you decide to pull the trigger on an unknown author?


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## kdawnbyrd (Apr 6, 2010)

The book has to be about a topic that interests me. Some of the ebooks on Amazon have free sample chapters. Sometimes this helps me decide.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Would a sample chapter _under_ the book description do the trick?


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

For me it is the plot and characters...samples do help a lot for me.  I don't go by reviews that much, so it perks my attention and the price is okay, I go for it.

Tris


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Not really, by having it available as a DL from Amazon, we can check things like formatting and such on the kindles.

Also, a sample that works, will have part of the story.. I have downloaded a few and decided NOT to get a book because the sample was the table of contents, and/or reviews of the author's work, without any of the work to look at.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

For an unknown (to me) author I consider several things:

1. Price. 
I consider any unknown author a bigger risk than an author that I already know I enjoy. There are more books out there that I want to read than I have time to read. Put that together and there has to be a financial reason for me to try someone new. Once I know that I will enjoy the new author, then price is much less of an object.

For example: I now know that I enjoy Scott Nicholson, Lee Goldberg, Frank Tuttle, Ellen O'Connell, and others. And because each initially got my attention with a bargain priced book and then sold me with their art, I am willing to pay as much for them as I am a well known author. But that new author has to snag me with that first book by making it financially desirable.

2. Sample quality.
I have been mislead by samples before, but it is still the best first step when trying an author for the first time.

3. Reviews.
Especially reviews by someone like Red Adept. I don't give much credence to reviews on Amazon's book page. Too many fledgling authors use friends, relatives, and other authors to boost their ratings. This dilutes the meaning of their reviews. I also look for regular reviewers with whom I have some familiarity and who have some credibility IMO.

I'd rather see just a couple of legit reviews than tons of contrived reviews.

4. Genre and interest.
And finally, the subject matter must be something that interests me. For example, I have no interest in Romance novels but have a great interest in fantasy or thrillers. So there won't be much you can do to get my interest on a Romance novel, but I will already have an inkling of interest on genres that I enjoy.

How the author presents the book on the books description page has a lot to do with stirring my interest. IMHO, an author should take great care and put as much time into the book's writeup as they did with the book itself. The writeup tells me a lot about the book and will either stir my interest or not.

Hope this helps.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Thank you for the fantastic replies! So much good stuff there from everyone so far.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Excellent topic of discussion. . . .but perhaps better suited to the Book Corner, so I will move it there. . . . .


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Some combination of word-of-mouth, price (I'm not likely to spend as much for an author I don't know), subject matter, reviews/ratings at Amazon and such -- and I suppose even the cover can influence me to some degree, at least to get my attention when browsing for something new to read.

For authors who write series, I have definitely "fallen" for the ploy of offering the first in the series for free, then buying subsequent volumes if/when I get hooked.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Plot and price are the two biggest factors for me. First, the story has to be something I'd be interested in reading. The blurb for the book is extremely important and sometimes they are so unappealing that I wonder who in the world wrote them (or even worse, there's no blurb at all). 

The next important factor for me is price. If it is an Indie author and they are unknown to me, the price needs to be pretty low (probably in the $1-4 range) to tempt me into trying the book. I have bought a few books from self-published and unknown authors at "normal" prices (i.e. in the $5-8 range), but in those cases, the plot sounded so good and the sample grabbed me so hard that I just had to read on. This is pretty rare. In general, I haven't found the quality of the self-published books I've read to be comparable to the quality of traditionally published books, so they need to be cheaper to persuade me to take a chance on them.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I agree with pretty much everything MikeD said.  I'd only add that I do appreciate a good summary under the product description.  A sample chapter is "OK," but I'd really prefer an overview rather than be plopped right into the action (or worse, leadup into the action).  And my absolute pet peeve is when the description contains egregious mispellings, usage errors, and/or nonsensical sentence structure.  So give me an interesting Kindleboards post or good word of mouth buzz to get me to click on your book product page.  Give me a good description to get me to sample (a good review here is a bonus, too).  And give me a good downloadable sample to get me to buy the book, or at least put it on my wishlist.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

I agree with a lot of what others have said already.  If someone whose taste in books I trust recommends it to me, that's the most likely thing that will get me to try a new author.  Second is genre/subject matter.  Is it something that interests me?  Does the blurb sound intriguing?  Third is cost - I'm much more likely to try a new author for free than pay a lot of money - this is why I use the library so much!  Fourth are reader reviews...I read them and take them into consideration, but don't necessarily trust them unless they are a reviewer whose taste I trust as similar to my own.


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## Scotty (Jan 7, 2010)

I look for a good overview of the book. For new authors I always download a sample first.  If the topic interests me I download the free books and have found a couple of new authors that way. I always read reviews with an open mind usually throwing out the one star and five star. That's just me though   I have found this forum the best way to find honest critiques of books.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

Samples and price at first.  I try to look for samples on Smashwords because they tend to be longer.  If I can't get past the sample (and it happens frequently) then I won't be buying no matter how many reviews the person has.  The description helps but doesn't necessarily sway my decision.  

Usually, or rather lately, I've noticed people on boards like this one and either enjoyed the person's comments in general or was intrigued by something they mentioned about their book.  That leads me to their sample.  If I really like them then I'll probably give their book a chance even without the sample.  One person in particular made me laugh a few times recently so I'm planning on buying their book despite it being something I wouldn't normally read.

If somebody comes across as nasty or arrogant or dismissive of others then I'm less likely to even consider their sample.  That's pretty judgemental, I know, but if you're promoting then you're giving an impression of yourself as well as your book and I'd rather support a genuinely nice person than a mean one.  I don't think most people consider things like that, I'd say word of mouth and reviews are the most popular ways of judging unknowns.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

farrellclaire said:


> Usually, or rather lately, I've noticed people on boards like this one and either enjoyed the person's comments in general or was intrigued by something they mentioned about their book. That leads me to their sample. If I really like them then I'll probably give their book a chance even without the sample. One person in particular made me laugh a few times recently so I'm planning on buying their book despite it being something I wouldn't normally read.
> 
> If somebody comes across as nasty or arrogant or dismissive of others then I'm less likely to even consider their sample. That's pretty judgemental, I know, but if you're promoting then you're giving an impression of yourself as well as your book and I'd rather support a genuinely nice person than a mean one. I don't think most people consider things like that, I'd say word of mouth and reviews are the most popular ways of judging unknowns.


This is so true. . . . .I know there have been authors on these boards whose genre is outside my usual comfort zone. Because I decided I liked them as a person because of their posts, I've bought their books. There have also been authors here who struck me negatively in some way. . . .I am very unlikely to try a book from them, even if it is in my comfort zone. The good news is that my mind can be changed: There are a couple I didn't initially connect with at all, who've come to be something like friends. . . . .

Mind you: this is JUST ME. . . . .

This topic has come up before on these boards; here's a thread from probably a year ago where members were candid and honest about what did and didn't work in terms of self-promotion: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,6405.0.html (Hmmm, not sure why that's not clickable.) Anyway, that discussion is part of the reason we developed the Book Bazaar!


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Much of the way I decide on buying books from KB authors depends on the way they come across in their posts to the board. If they play by the established rules or try to throw their book in my face constantly will determine whether or not I'll buy their offerings.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> This topic has come up before on these boards; here's a thread from probably a year ago where members were candid and honest about what did and didn't work in terms of self-promotion: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,6405.0.html (Hmmm, not sure why that's not clickable.) Anyway, that discussion is part of the reason we developed the Book Bazaar!


Just read that thread - very interesting. And how civilised  Kind of fun to see how different things were back then too, I personally think the Book Bazaar was a great idea. It's just as easy to avoid as it is to take part in it.


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

For me description, Sample, and price are equally important.  If the book is out of my range in any one of those areas, I'm not going to buy.  For description that means it has to be well written and describe a story that sounds interesting.  For Sample it has to be well written and show that there is decent formatting and proofreading. Price has to be low enough to get me to take a chance. On an unknown indie that pretty much means $2.99 and below.  However, as I admitted on a Kindle forum thread recently, cover has some effect on me.  I'm not sure exactly how much and it seems to be more of a decider against than anything else, but it has an effect.  And title can also make a difference.  There are a couple of books that actually stick in my memory because I know the title seemed so intriguing it was most or a big part of the decision to get the book (although now that I have a Kindle I never buy anything except a few long-time favorite authors without reading the Sample first).


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

marianner said:


> And my absolute pet peeve is when the description contains egregious mispellings, usage errors, and/or nonsensical sentence structure.


This is a pet peeve of mine as well! I know that various sites have strict limits on how many words or characters can be included in the "blurb" about a book, so I'm sure it's very difficult to include all of the "necessary" info within those limits, but sacrificing good writing for the sake of squeezing more into a small space is the kiss of death as far as I'm concerned.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Genre first off.  If it's not in a genre I tend to read, it's a hard sell.  Description/blurb is a necessary.  Just posting pull quotes from reviews doesn't help me.  I tend to be conservative on price.  I also need to know the length (print pages or locations, not mb) of something, which may influence how much I'm willing to pay.  If it's an author that posts here, they have a better chance of getting my money. Especially if they're nice.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

J.R. Rain said:


> Wow, such wonderful responses. (I think I'm going to print out these responses!) I appreciate all of you taking the time to post your thoughts on this subject. Okay, I have already taken many suggestions to heart. Among other things, I have now lowered all my prices to $1.99, although some of the new prices still haven't gone through. (So hold off getting those books for about a day...just in case there's any of you out there curious about my writing.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone here is having a fantastic Saturday. I need to get to work now on my suspense/horror novel THE CURSE, and my teenage vampire mystery, NIGHT SCHOOL. Both should be up on Kindle in a few months....
> 
> Happy reading and many smiles!


If you don't mind me saying, I think you should link directly to each book in your signature. When you said what you were working on, I immediately looked at your signature to check out your other stuff. It's easier if people need only one click to find a book.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

farrellclaire said:


> If you don't mind me saying, I think you should link directly to each book in your signature. When you said what you were working on, I immediately looked at your signature to check out your other stuff. It's easier if people need only one click to find a book.


Text links work better in the signature line, they don't make it so big.


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## jesscscott (Aug 5, 2009)

Samples, samples, samples


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Oh, okay, so you would prefer a link straight to Kindle? And for each book? Or a genral link to all my books on Kindle? Oh, and I would use this BBC code to add the link? I'll admit, I'm not familiar with BBC codes, but I'll go look them up and figure them out.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Link maker at top and bottom of every page, click on it and then use the manual version.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Well, let's see how this looks...


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

I prefer text links rather than image links in a sig -- the image links are a bit too large and obtrusive, they make the sig take up more space than the text of the post!

Moon Dance sounds right up my alley -- just waiting for the new price to show up so I can one-click it!


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

You can do text links from the  same link maker, those of us with small screens would appreciate it.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Okay, how is this? I thought the other signaure was a bit large, lol, but I just wasn't sure how to manipulate the size.

Have a great evening everyone!


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Looks very nice, thank you.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Back to the main part of the topic, LOL:

Genre--needs to be one I read regularly
Sample--compelling and well formatted
Recommendations from here, or from one of the other forums I frequent that's full of voracious readers.  Obviously recs from people who I know have shared interests in other series carry the most weight; there are several of us that frequent the "So what are you reading?" thread who've discovered that we have a number of the same books in common.  When one of them posts something I haven't seen before, I'm a lot more likely to take a look at it regardless of the price point.
Price--if I don't have a stack of recs from people I trust, the price needs to be low or even free.  The good news is, I'm notorious for picking up a free or cheap "first in the series" and then buying absolutely everything else the author writes.  
Well written--I don't tolerate poor writing at all unless the story is SO compelling that I can dismiss the writing.  There's been exactly one author I've found that I can do that with.  Generally, poor writing seems to go with dull storytelling.


I'm probably one of the more difficult targets for indie authors; heck, I'm probably a difficult target for mainstream authors!  I read so much, and have so many things already waiting in my TBR pile, that if you don't catch me with the very first sentence of your sample, you're already behind the curve.  Still, if the sample as a whole is reasonably interesting and the price is right, I may give it a try.  The genres I tend towards are often repetitive, so a book that has a twist on the usual themes is likely to catch my attention faster than the same old, same old.  If I want to read the same thing again, I'll reread what I already have.  Tell me something NEW.

The last four indie-authored books I read were all from the same general genre.  Two were free from Smashwords--first ever book/novella types.  They were free, I previewed them online, and then downloaded and read them the same day.  Both were good enough that I'll keep an eye out for more from those authors; one was good enough that I'd be willing to pay for the next one.  The other two indies were $2 or so books that I found on our Kindle books thread, the first two in a series where the third is yet to come.  Sampled the first one and was hooked within the first paragraph, enough so that I read it out loud to my husband.  Downloaded the book without even finishing the sample, downloaded the second as soon as I was done with the first, and am now watching for number three to be released.  

Successes like that have been rare though.  To be fair, I find they're somewhat rare in the mainstream publishing world too.  Best of luck to you!


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks so much for the great thoughts, Victoria. I appreciate your candor. If you do give my novels a try, I would be curious to see how they stack against some of your favorites....


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## DenverRalphy (Mar 24, 2010)

I have to admit I'm very guilty of judging a book by it's cover when choosing a book from an author I'm not familiar with. I guess that's mainly true when I have no idea what I feel like reading, and I'll let my eyes roam in a bookstore until something catches my eye, at which time I'll pick it up, thumb to a random page, and skim a few pages as a sample. Of course this applies to DTBs in a bookstore, after a few random hits I stumble across something I find I'd probably enjoy reading. As well the chances are increased exponentially because I'm perusing a section dedicated to my preferred genres.

While I can agree that judging a book by it's cover is not the smartest method (I've bought some real turkeys that way), what actually catches my eye is something that just _looks different_. Less cliche so to speak. Which is why I then thumb to a _random _page, usually somewhere in the middle of the book. My reasoning behind this is that many books I love are slow to start and spend time character building, but the middle of the book is the most gripping and enjoyable. Not every book starts off with a "Call me Ishmael." or "It was a pleasure to burn." and grips you from the outset.

So I guess what I'm saying is: With Kindle/eBooks, something has to catch my eye, as well the Sample _should not necessarily be the first chapter_ (which is all too often the case) but rather a portion of the book you think will grab my attention.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

J.R. Rain said:


> Thanks so much for the great thoughts, Victoria. I appreciate your candor. If you do give my novels a try, I would be curious to see how they stack against some of your favorites....


After checking out the sample, I picked up "Dark Horse" last night and will give it a read in the next week or so. Looks like a fun book. 

I'll provide some feedback when finished.


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

VictoriaP said:


> Well written--I don't tolerate poor writing at all unless the story is SO compelling that I can dismiss the writing. There's been exactly one author I've found that I can do that with.


Same here! Just curious, what author is the "one author" that you've found writes a compelling enough story that you can ignore or give a "pass" on poor writing? For me, it's Charlaine Harris. I'm totally hooked on the Sookie Stackhouse stories despite what I consider sub-par writing.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

Thank you, Mike! Please do let me know what you think of DARK HORSE, okay?


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

And, Dawn, my guilty pleasure is Stuart Woods. My GOD that man's writing is addicting.


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## lib2b (Apr 6, 2010)

DenverRalphy said:


> I have to admit I'm very guilty of judging a book by it's cover when choosing a book from an author I'm not familiar with.


I have to say I do this as well, particularly if I'm considering reading something indie or small press. Mostly, I look at whether the cover looks professional and polished, because I think that maybe if the cover looks really nice, a lot of effort, and hopefully editing, went into it. It doesn't always work - I've read some real clunkers that looked really nice from the cover and read some really good books that looked like a 4th grader photoshopped the cover.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I usually buy books that I heard from somewhere else or I know the author--but I will also grab some free or discount titles. I do impulsive browsing but I am careful about making a quick decision, just because reading time is so valuable.

Scott


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## donna callea (Dec 25, 2009)

I became an indie author and kindle owner at the same time. Right around Christmas. My daughter, an early kindler, told me she found lots of good books by indie authors. But I kind of scoffed. I didn't understand the concept of self-publishing. To me, it sounded a lot like vanity publishing. Why would I read anything by someone who self-published?
Why would anyone read ME if I self-published? I just figured if you couldn't get a _real_ publisher, you couldn't be a real author. And, boy, was that depressing, since I really, really wanted to be a real author.
But then, Kindle in hand, I started to read some novels by indie authors. I'd buy them as long as they were 99 cents, since that's how much I charged for my books. And wow, was I pleasantly surprised. Some of the indie writers I read were every bit as good, and sometimes better than the traditionally published authors I read.
I still won't pay much for indie books, although I guess that soon, when Amazon launches its new pricing model, most books, including indie books, will cost at least $2.99.
I'm also turned off by anything that looks or sounds too amateurish. And I do pay attention to reader reviews. But I can overlook even poor formatting if the words are good.
One of the best indie books I've read so far, Elisa Lorello's _Faking It _ is very weirdly formatted. (As if I should complain, since my first book was even worse until I fixed it). But it was so good I couldn't put it down. 
I think Kindle is the best thing to happen to both readers and writers.


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## farrellclaire (Mar 5, 2010)

dpinmd said:


> Same here! Just curious, what author is the "one author" that you've found writes a compelling enough story that you can ignore or give a "pass" on poor writing? For me, it's Charlaine Harris. I'm totally hooked on the Sookie Stackhouse stories despite what I consider sub-par writing.


Ugh, same here! I read the first one in one sitting and thought, wow that was badly written, then I picked up the second one and finished that off too.  Read the lot without really knowing why I enjoyed them. Still can't wait for the next one.


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## Smokey (Mar 2, 2010)

I pay attention to price first. I read a book every two days so this has to be a major consideration for me. Also, I don't want to pay alot for an author who I'm totally unfamiliar with. I also pay a great deal of attention to how these authors "come across" on the discussion forum. I'm more likely too try an author who is friendly and engaging in their posts. I also read the summary of the book to make sure that the subject is of interest to me. I never read the reviews because I don't want to be influenced by others opinions.


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## J.R. Rain Author (Apr 9, 2010)

MOON DANCE is now being listed at $3.99. If anyone does give this one a shot, please feel free to let me know what you think of it. Thank you so much for all your thoughts and ideas....


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