Always fun to actually hold the first copy of a new book in my hand. Of course, I’ve already read it umpteen times while I was writing and editing the story, so I don’t sit down and read it again when I get that first copy hot off the press. But I do imagine others seeing this new book and deciding to pick it to read. So what does make readers decide to pick my book or any book to read?
Here are some of the things that I hope will make you want to read River to Redemption.
One young woman must stand up for freedom – and perhaps find her own in the process.
That is the tag line on the top of the back cover. Does that get you interested in what the story might be about? I’m not great at distilling a story down into one or two lines, and I can’t take credit for this line. The publishing team came up with the back copy.
The back copy also has to describe the story in a few lines without telling too much. Again, difficult for me. I like using more words. When I’m told to come up with a fifty word description of my book, I struggle. Now let me use five hundred words and I might figure it out.
But here is the description on the back of the book that we hope gets a reader interested enough to not put the book back on the shelf and instead maybe open it up and read a bit.
Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named, Louis, a man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bandage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man, who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She’s determined to find a way to buy Louis’s freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she’ll need all of the courage and strength she possesses and more.
Would that description make you want to know more of the story? That is the intent of course.
Then if you did open the book to Chapter One, line one, this is what you would read.
Adria Starr didn’t want her mother and little brother to stop breathing the way her father had.
So what does make you pick up a new book? A great cover? That back cover copy? A really good first sentence? Price? Or perhaps the author’s name if you have read other books by that author?
As always, thanks for reading.
Comments 23
Our public library (and its e-branch) and our church library are the only way I can “afford” my reading habit!!
Rosey Corner and Hollyhill series are in my “shopping cart” awaiting my next order for the library.
And, it is really hard not to just pick books that I like for the library…and I know that my likes have a great influence on what we end up buying! But I do have two other library assistants so get their input and I also get suggestions from our patrons. My husband is my sounding board for nonfiction.
And, yes, we are very blessed to have a great church library. We have 5-6,000 books in our library. We have the best selection of 200’s (religion books) in a very large radius…we definitely outshine our public library in that area…and I’m guessing that no church library will challenge us in that area except maybe in Chattanooga or Nashville churches. Our church has had a library since the late 60’s. I have worked in our church library in some capacity for over 40 years now. Our most circulated items are in the area of Christian Fiction. We have a very large fiction section. And, we still have lots of readers who like to hold a book in their hands! So, so far we are staying alive in this e-book/reader generation.
Author
I think readers, at least some of them, will always like holding the book in their hands. Even the young ones. Sometimes you need a break from computer screens and televisions and books are just the ticket, Lois.
Your library sounds amazing. What a blessing it must be for your members and friends and for writers like me too.
Thank you for encouraging reading and doing your part to have books available to those who want them.
Personally I try not to read the backs or end flaps of new books…they often tell too much of the story! As a church librarian, I do have to read the short summary and make my mind up to purchase, if I think that our patrons would like to read it. Again, I am drawn, personally, to a new book probably first if by favorite author. As a librarian, when we are purchasing, I look for new books in a series or new by our patrons’ favorite authors. I’m drawn, personally, to genres to which I’m partial…historical fiction, mystery, suspense, etc. As a librarian, I have to try to buy from a lot of genres to appeal to many. I know that the saying is “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I must admit that I often do! And, I know that if I do (someone who purchases more books than the average individual…and not just limited to books I like, since I am a librarian) that the cover is important to others too!
Ann, you were a new author to me in the last year or two. Your mysteries were what attracted me to your books. I enjoyed them so much that I soon turned to some of your others. First, after your Hidden Springs mysteries, I ordered your Freak of the Week for my grandson for Christmas (caught my attention because of the baseball on the cover and knew that a baseball on the front would appeal to him, too.) and then I ordered These Healing Hills for the library and then your Shaker series for the library. And I have more of your books set aside to add to my “cart” when I make my next library book order. We love to discover new favorite authors…and you have become one of ours in our church library!
I’m currently reading your 2nd Shaker series book. I am really enjoying this series. I am having to point out to my library patrons that your books are not about the Amish (they are judging the SE books by their covers (caps on ladies’ heads))! My patrons have decided that the book market is being too overwhelmed/flooded with Amish literature and are looking for other types…so I am pointing out to them that this is totally different than Amish and letting them know that they will enjoy learning about the history of the Shakers through your stories! We are in TN so many have visited Shaker villages in Kentucky so finding out they are about Shakers appeals to those who have visited.
All this to let you know how my library patrons and I choose books! 😊
Author
Thanks for sharing so much great information about how you choose books as a librarian, Lois. I’m sure if I was in your place I’d be looking at the books I like to read best and having to remember that everybody doesn’t like the same kinds of stories. Sounds as if you have that worked out.
I’m so glad you decided to put some of my books in your library. While I’ve never gone to a church with a library (my church is very small), I think it’s a great idea to offer that service to your members. I know it takes dedication by librarians like you to make the libraries great places for your readers. I do hope you will try my Heart of Hollyhill books and Rosey Corner books when your budget allows. I think your readers might enjoy those too.
I do appreciate you reading my Shaker books too. I’m one of those writers who like to come up with different types of stories – thus the mysteries and the Shaker books and the family stories along with my other historical novels. I appreciate how my readers have followed me through my 1960s stories in my fictional town of Hollyhill, to my Shaker village of Harmony Hill, then back to the Depression era for my Rosey Corner books to tell the Merritt sisters’ stories, to 1855 Louisville for some dramatic history, and now to the Appalachian Mountains to follow a Frontier nurse midwife around and finally to the little town of Springfield here in KY for the upcoming release, River to Redemption.
Thanks again for putting my books in your library. I love libraries!
I look for the authors I know & I read the back
Author
I think many of us have our favorite authors, Charolette, but it is always fun to discover that new favorite author or favorite book too.
Hi Ann- I am sure you are having a great time with the kids out of school. How fun! What makes me pick up a new book is the author. I have special authors such as you for so many years and when one is out I have to get it. Then I put it before the books I have been sent if there is no deadlines I have to get them read by. I love getting a new book the smell of the print the front and back cover the acknowledgements and of course if there is recipes I check with my husband who gets the itch sometimes to bake if we find a good recipe we make it. Then I dive in and that afternoon is taken up with my special book and so is most of the night. Just love reading new books by authors I love.
Author
I love reading too, Peggy. I said that I was going to take a reading vacation after I sent in my last book, but so far I haven’t made that happen. Too many odds and ends to do that I’ve been putting off. And of course, I can’t put off starting that new book too long. I so appreciate you reading my books. I’ve only had one book with a recipe and the was one of the Rosey Corner books. Love Comes Home, I think, because Jay did love that brown sugar pie. 🙂
My dear sister always reads the end of the book first to decide whether or not she wants to read it. I have never understood that method of choosing a book. I guess it’s sort of like the TV show Columbo!
Author
I don’t want to read the ending when I’m just deciding to read a book, but sometimes I get impatient while I’m reading and peek ahead, Karen.
If an author is new to me the first thing that grabs my attention is the cover. Then I turn to the back or inside cover and read the description. The next thing I do is open the book to make sure the print is not too small for these tired old eyes. 😊 As I fan I look for objectional language. Then I read the first paragraph. If all the above looks good I get the book.
If the author is one I’ve read and enjoyed in the past it comes home with me. Your books, of course, fall in the latter category. 😊
Author
Well, that’s good to know, Karen. And your selection process sounds like a good one. I have had people complain about the print in my books and the page color. They wish for a whiter page to make the words easier to read. I agree with them. The words are easier to read on whiter pages, but there’s nothing I can do about that. That’s a complaint for the publishers, I suppose. I’m guessing the whiter pages are more expensive to produce and would make the book cost more than the consumer would like to pay.
Hmmm. I’ve not considered the color of the pages, to my knowledge. Only the size of the print. I would think a softer color would be easier on the eyes than stark white—never thought about it. 😊
I first go to favorite authors, then front of book, then back cover…sometimes I just see one that strikes my fancy and read it.I also like to get suggestions from my friends and my daughter that likes the same type books that I like.
Author
I should have included word of mouth or friends and family recommending a book or author, Lisa. But every author has that first book that they hope will engage a reader enough to look for more books by her.
I often pick a book by author, but my daughter gives me books at Christmas that expand my reading lists. That can be fun. Sometimes she just picks them because she thinks I’ll like them and not because she’s read them.
What makes me buy a book is a combination of the cover and the description on the back.
Author
I’m sure a lot of people will agree with you, Nicole, and say they pick books the same way. A good cover makes a lot of difference in a bookstore. I wonder if it makes as much difference online. Maybe the description matters more there. What do you think?
Yes, all of the above, but after I look at the front cover, I turn a book over and read just a few lines to decide if I like it or not.
Author
Are you reading the few lines of the book description, Birdie? Or reading in the book itself? I have heard people say they read the last page when picking a book. That looks like it would spoil the story for me. I actually had a spoiler book review out on the new book. It gives away what happens at the end. It’s a favorable review, but I was surprised at the spoiler line.
Hi Ann. Congratulations! Your new book looks amazing. The front cover is usually the first draw. The colors and the illustration draw me and if the author is a favorite, I will definitely pick it up. I then turn it over to read the back blurb. Price is another factor and I often get it at my library because of budget restrictions. I look forward to reading River of Redemption.
Blessings!
Author
I understand budget restrictions, Connie, and space on the bookshelf problems too. I’ve always loved libraries although I don’t get books from there the way I used to. I have a big to read pile here at the house that I occasionally add to because sometimes I can’t resist buying another book at book fairs.
All of the above! But if it’s an author I’ve never read, then the first paragraph is the test. If I jump right into it after reading that, I choose that book.
After reading this post and being teased with a starter sentence, I can’t wait to get my hands on Road To Redemption!
Author
Good to hear that our teaser blurb and tag line pulled you toward the story, Lavon. That’s what we were trying to do. I sometimes read the first paragraph of a book too, but I don’t always rule it out if that first paragraph doesn’t knock my socks off. I’m willing to give an author a few more pages to convince me that I want to know more about his or her characters.