What makes a reader want to buy an ebook?

G

Gatoanjan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
3
I have to know the answer. Theyre so many books but how do you know which ones to get?
 
Hmm... when I saw the title of the thread, I was thinking that you meant..... why an e-book as opposed to a normal book, but I guess that isn't the question. I pick out e-books the same way I choose a hardcopy book, but the (usually) reduced prices of the e-books gives me more latitude to try new authors. I would recommend signing up for services like bookbub. I highly recommend bookbub for e-books. The service is free and you create an account with your preferred reading categories and they send you a daily email for discounted e-books in the categories that you have selected. The books usually range in price from free to $3.99 and they cover Amazon, Nook and most other e-reader devices
 
I usually go to Goodreads or Amazon and search for books I already read. Then I look at books that other people recommended or were related to the book I read. I often visit user-created lists on both sites, that are often subject-related to what I'm looking for. Goodreads has one of the best search engines for related books.
 
i usually follow the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" sections, moving from author to author until i see a book description which sounds interesting. then i'll skim the extract (i don't read much of it, though, just enough to see if it looks like a style of writing i'll enjoy). titles and covers are, of course, something i pay attention to.

it's the same process as choosing a book in a bookstore, really. no different. just because i can't smell it, doesn't mean i won't enjoy it.
 
I read the description, the blurb and the reviews. Then decide. Mostly i get an e-book over a regular book, because generally the are miles cheaper.
 
Call me shallow but an intriguing cover will make me stop and take a look. After that I read the blurb. It is amazing how many indie authors write really crappy blurbs. This is the author's chance to sell me on their story - please proofread and take the time to make it interesting. A low price for a new author is also a big draw - I will take the chance on a dollar or two, but over four and it better have a ton of really good reviews. Good luck!
 
It used to be as simple as searching the bestsellers lists for authors I knew or just to see what was popular, that's impossible to do on Amazon now as teh bestsellers lists are filled up with junk self published novels with 200 5* reviews from paid for zombie accounts.

Now I just go for recommendation on here or blogs.
 
My reason for buying an ebook reader was that there were booka that only came in e form. Since then I have bought ebooks that have been cheaper than their paper equivalent. This has raised a conundum in that a lot of books I want are back catalogue. In spite of the cost of postage it is often cheaper to buy a second hhand paper copy than the ebook version. On the other hand I am close to storage limits in my flat and ebooks take up zero space.:p
 
finnskeeper said:
Call me shallow but an intriguing cover will make me stop and take a look. After that I read the blurb. It is amazing how many indie authors write really crappy blurbs. This is the author's chance to sell me on their story - please proofread and take the time to make it interesting. A low price for a new author is also a big draw - I will take the chance on a dollar or two, but over four and it better have a ton of really good reviews. Good luck!
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This is more or less how I have been doing it lately. A blurb written by the author instead of a publisher can tell you a lot about the quality of the book. If the author can't even write a few paragraphs effectively, what should I expect from an entire book by this person? Price is also a big issue. I can't stand seeing ebooks being priced the same as paper books. New York does it because they are trying not to cannabalize their physical book sales, and that just opens the door for indie publishers to swoop in and grab a lot of market share for their own works. Trying to price their books at paper book prices makes me question if they really have enough sense to write a full length novel.

I'm not trying to be negative here, but it's an issue that has been getting worse the last few years and a personal hobbyhorse of mine.
-Damien Lake (Chronicles of the Crimson Kings)
 
I've very few e-books. I only buy them when they are cheap and questionable reads.(Meaning I don't know if they'll be any good.)
Any book that I am eager to read I always buy in real book format.
I really do dislike reading a book off of any screen. I have a kindle and it pretty much sits collecting dust. It was a X-mas gift to me a couple years ago, but I've never really used it much. I have tried it several times, but it just doesn't click with me.
My eyes just don't favor the screens for reading. Much prefer the black print on paper that I can take with me without having to remember to re-charge.
 
fiddler said:
My eyes just don't favor the screens for reading.
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I find that I can read a Kindle indoors, but not outside. Seems to be too much glare for it.
fiddler said:
]Much prefer the black print on paper that I can take with me without having to remember to re-charge.
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My sofa is close enough to a socket that I can read as normal (ie laying there on my back with feet outstretched :cool:) with the Kindle linked up to the mains. I agree though that paper has the advantage of not requiring electricity.
 
The promise that the e-book is just as good as something they'd read from a major publisher. That is, the blurb makes it sound like a cohesive story the reader hasn't seen as thousand times before, and the sample pages are well-written, with few grammatical issues or logical inconsistencies. A professional-looking cover helps as well.
 
These days all I read are e-books. I have several devices for reading, but my go-to device is the Kindle Paperwhite. Reads just like a book outside, and has a backlit screen for reading at night, but it is still an e-ink device and the battery lasts me two weeks to a month before a recharge. It is very easy for me to pick up books from Amazon, but a previous poster is correct, that there are so many indie authors out there flooding the market on Amazon that it can be hard to find the old reliables. Still, there is the new Goodreads feature and I don't find any of that indie stuff at all on Goodreads.

Cheers and Happy Holidays,
ColdSun
 
What new Goodreads feature ?

Amazon absolutely need to start taking responsibility for the store , it's a mess with crappy , cheap indie books taking up the top slots in all charts. For the most part they are dross that have 200 5 star reviews that are so obviously paid for it's a little embarrassing.

Amazon and the ebook boom have been great in so many ways , but the market is flooded with vanity authors flinging **** at a wall hoping something will stick, I'd kill for a way to hide all self published or Amazon published novels from the digital store.
 
Choice to read it freely, speaking for my self. Give the option to download free .pdfs and/or .epubs while offering avenues for donations (of requested size if you wish), and/or physical copies if you are producing them. It should work like a library, except this time it you're not paying for the cost of physical copies just to have your work accessible in the first place. If people like you they can support you, If they are forced to pay to simply read and have access to any of your work a lot of people aren't going to bother doing so, and can get your work for free if they please anyhow. Might as well offer a clear donation page and purchase page for at least some of your work complete and free. That's what I think anyway.

I will find the first book of any fantasy author for free. If I enjoy it I will buy physical copies of the authors work or donate towards physical copy production. This situation is what should be offered because it's what's going to happen.
 
Dustpumper said:
Choice to read it freely, speaking for my self. Give the option to download free .pdfs and/or .epubs while offering avenues for donations (of requested size if you wish), and/or physical copies if you are producing them. It should work like a library, except this time it you're not paying for the cost of physical copies just to have your work accessible in the first place. If people like you they can support you, If they are forced to pay to simply read and have access to any of your work a lot of people aren't going to bother doing so, and can get your work for free if they please anyhow. Might as well offer a clear donation page and purchase page for at least some of your work complete and free. That's what I think anyway.

I will find the first book of any fantasy author for free. If I enjoy it I will buy physical copies of the authors work or donate towards physical copy production. This situation is what should be offered because it's what's going to happen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no it's not.

GJ on admitting to the piracy as well.
 
Rulkez said:
What new Goodreads feature ?

Amazon absolutely need to start taking responsibility for the store , it's a mess with crappy , cheap indie books taking up the top slots in all charts. For the most part they are dross that have 200 5 star reviews that are so obviously paid for it's a little embarrassing.

Amazon and the ebook boom have been great in so many ways , but the market is flooded with vanity authors flinging **** at a wall hoping something will stick, I'd kill for a way to hide all self published or Amazon published novels from the digital store.
Click to expand...

The one on my Kindle Paperwhite that allows me to use Goodreads.
 
Rulkez said:
Was looking into it after your post , the good reads integration has only been released in the US so far :(
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Arg! I'm sorry to hear that. It seems Amazon is often slow on implementing these types of features outside the US. All I can say is that my Paperwhite is dear to me. I don't have to use any other device to search for books and buy them. When folks give me gifts I just ask for Amazon gift cards to keep my library well stocked. I'm even thinking of getting one of the better Amazon tablets, but I'm really not sure I need it as I can't see having to charge it all the time when I can just use the Paperwhite. I see Amazon has a fancy new device called The Voyage... Tempting!
 
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