Blogger Confidential: Choosing Your Next Book

Have you ever been faced with an issue while reading or blogging and thought: I wonder what other bloggers think about this?  No matter what genre or audience you blog for, we all face the same problems.  Are you a publisher or author wondering what goes on in a blogger's (and by extension a reader's) head?

Blogger confidential is a series of 12 questions asked to 11 bloggers about the nitty gritty details of blogging. Everything from what prompts a blogger to pick up a book, to what happens when a book doesn't live up to its hype.  This series was inspired by Wastepaper Prose's Author Insight series.

If you feel inspired by any of these questions, leave your answer in the comments, or create your own post!

This week's question:

What aspects of a book do you take into consideration when looking for a book to read and review? Cover, publisher, author, blurbs, buzz?

Covers are really important to me. I totally judge a book by its cover. Either they completely grab me demanding to be read or they turn me off. Sometimes this is a good thing as I read awesome books that I just pick up on a whim because the cover grabbed me, and I'm sure it could be a bad thing as well as I could be missing great books with horrific covers. Natasha from Maw Books

"I definitely like books that explore certain themes so that's probably the first thing I think about when I get a pitch.  Does this book sound like it explores ideas I'm already wrestling with and thinking about in my own life?  There are some genres that I really enjoy as well, such as YA paranormal romance, post-apocalyptic and dystopian, and I will almost always agree to review these books.  I do look at the whole picture, though.  The publisher, the cover, the author, who has said this book is worth my time (blurb) it all works together." Amy from My Friend Amy

"I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take the cover into account. That is the first thing that strikes me and, honestly, the first impression I form of the book. For good or bad. But the next thing that usually catches my attention is if it was blurbed by an author I love. That holds a lot of cachet with me and I’ve picked up many a book I never would have looked at twice because of a lovely cover quote by an author I trust. And in every single case, I’m just so very glad I did.

Buzz can be a tricky thing for me. I often find myself inexplicably turned off by all the hype. What if the dream doesn’t come true for me? What if I end up taking a taxi home just to get away from the awfulness that was our first date? These potential disasters strike fear in my heart when the buzz surrounding the book reaches hyper levels. And so I often hold off or, even more often, go read another—possibly older—book by the same author to get my feet wet that way. Then, if I feel myself craving a second date, I run down the “big book” and give it a whirl." Angie from Angieville

"Definitely, first, the cover. If I have a hard time opening an unappealing cover I'm not going to be inclined to read the book, sadly. After that: genre plays a huge roll, buzz primarily from friends with similar tastes, blog and Goodreads reviews, and then publisher name ( I just happen to have a few favorites that always publish books I love.)" Danielle from There's A Book

"The story has to be appealing to me for me to want to read and review it. The rest of it: cover, publisher, author, blurbs, etc, are all superfluous. If anything takes second place to story, it would be recommendations from people I trust. I've definitely been taken in by a cover, but I actually don't do as much shopping in brick and mortar stores like I used to. The thing that I'm least interested in is blurbs. There's only one person who can make me read a book, and that's Stephen King. I mean, he liked The Hunger Games! There is are a few publishers/imprints that seem to hit it out of the part every single time, but even then, if the story doesn't appeal to me, it's a no go, no matter who wrote it, who published it, who blurbed it, etc."

Trish from Hey Lady! Watcha Reading?

"Publisher - yup. I've found that there are certain publishers and imprints that better fit my taste. Buzz and author presence are influential, but they can also make me wary, because too often I have been seduced by major buzz and author presence, only to be sorely disappointed by the book. Now, I'd rather simply look at the book synopsis and read trusted people's reviews of it." Steph from Steph Su Reads

"When I look for books to read, of course, the first thing that I am drawn to is the cover. In a lot of ways, I feel like the cover represents the book as a whole. What it is about, what I can expect as a reader, etc. So, it is personally hard for me to pick up a novel if the cover is not appealing. Other factors that go into whether or not I will read a novel is buzz and author familiarity. If I hear a lot of wonderful things about a novel, I will definitely be more interested in it. As well as if I have read other novels by the author in question."  Kate from the Neverending Shelf

"I think it depends. If a book is by an author I love or is highly recommended by one of my go to authors, then I’ll pick it up. Otherwise, I’d say the description and cover are my two deciding factors. I’m horrible about not judging books their covers! Fortunately, disliking a cover won’t stop me from picking up a book if I find the description intriguing. Overall, it comes down to the cover drawing me in and the description keeping my attention!" Sara from The Hiding Spot

"Most of the books that I read before entering the blogging world came from friends' recommendations.  Since blogging, however, almost all of my book choices have come from recommendations on Twitter.  Every once in awhile I'll see a book cover that I just have to check out, though!" Andye from Reading Teen

"Contemporary is always a favorite of mine, especially if there's a little romance.  Of late I've felt more compelled to YA featuring male protagonists and/or duel perspectives ... if done well.  Buzz and hype usually repel me and impact my thoughts on a book in a harsher manner.  Blurbs and covers are pretty superficial.  Authors tend to blurb for friends.  Covers sometimes have nothing to do with their content.  Premises can be empty.  You never really know and that's the fun of reading....the surprise." Adele from Persnickety Snark 

"Covers I try to stay away from. They can keep me from reading a really good book until way later. I like blurbs a lot." Pam from Bookalicious

Look for another question next week!