Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique. They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today we are talking with Susan.
Susan, how do you choose a book to read?
Choosing a book to read is the beginning of an adventure and what I hope is a great relationship between me, the characters and the author. Which title is appealing? Does the opening paragraph grab me? Does the last paragraph conclude the book well? (Yes, I’m a peeker at the end of the book!) Does the author’s bio contain a tidbit that brings me closer to that person? Do I know and like other works of the author or has the book been recommended by a friend or website that I like, such as indiebrag.
How much does the cover and title matter?
A good cover will make me pick up the book. I don’t like too sensational a cover but more on the artistic side. The title is more important in general, as that is what I usually see on the shelf. I love the poetic, a title that makes me wonder what the book is about and allusions to other literature, history or mythology.
When selecting a book, do you check who or how it is published? Of course, this does not pertain to books you might read for indieBRAG since they are all self-published!
Normally I do not.
Do you read the blurb or go right to reading the sample on ebooks or read a few pages on a print copy in a store?
I do read the blurb and if I like what I read, I go on to read the sample. I always read a few paragraphs on a print copy, the opening, somewhere arbitrarily in the middle and the end.
Do you feel compelled to read the entire book, even if it isn’t what you hoped?
I think you read my mind on this! I do generally read the entire book. A book and I really have to not click for me not to plow on through even if I am not enthralled.
Do you leave reviews? If so would you leave a negative review or only positive ones on books you enjoyed?
I do leave reviews when so moved, usually positive. Normally I will not leave a negative review. There are subjects about which I am an expert and then I will leave a negative review, specifically dealing with the facts that I deem incorrect or conversely be enthusiastic about a book that accurately portrays a time or place or situation.
What advice can you give to authors about what it is you expect from a good book?
I want to be transported into the book, live in it, talk to the characters, see the houses and smell the food and feel the clothes. I want to hear the conversations, get infuriated at the bad guys and love the good ones. I want to dream about the plot, think about the subject during the day and have that itchy feeling that I want to ditch everything else I need to do to get back to reading that book! And when the book is over, one day I will want to re-read it.
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