It’s an odd mish-mash of things that actually go into me buying a book but honest to God, I’m a HUGE impulse buyer (I AM a writer’s best friend in that sense–I have no hubby/higher power/etc. to answer to and buy what I want when I want). And it depends on how/when/where I heard about it.
We got the Times list here in the office on Wednesday morning and THE HELP was #3 I think and the one line blurb sounded intriguing so I checked amazon and the book sounded so good, I ordered it and devoured it this weekend. You already know what I think of the book.

Otherwise…

a) if I get to know you online (usually via twitter or blogs/blog hopping but not “blog tours”) and your book sound’s interesting and/or I think you’re cool/funny/far out!, I’ll usually check it out.

B) if i see a great cover and it keeps begging me to pick it up, I usually will. Must admit I’m a complete and utter whore/snob about book covers. If they’re ugly you’re screwed where I’m concerned LOL

C) I also peruse amazon.com and bn.com and maintain Wish Lists–even if I dont buy I still add books I want.

D) Rarely RARELY Do I buy a book anymore that I don’t read an excerpt first–I’ve been burned BAD!! by books that sounded fabulous and were complete and utter shit!

Awesome cover art will grab my attention and make me read the blurb…and many times I’ve purchased. For some reason, I equate beautiful artwork on the outside as a sign of quality on the inside.

I once bought a book on title alone…”The Lake of Dead Languages.” That was by Carol Goodman, sort of a literary mystery writer. And I LOVED the book.

I’m sorry you haven’t been able to find BTRD in your local stores, though I must admit I’m a bit surprised. Admittedly, I’ve only been in stores in California and Minnesota, but everywhere I’ve been, they’ve had at least one copy, and in all the Barnes & Noble’s I’ve been in, it was (at least until a few weeks ago) shelved face out in the “New Romance” section.

I will say that if you are looking for a specific book and don’t find it, it pays to go to the customer service people and ask them if they have it and/or order it. If you want to support an author, the best thing you can do is convince the bookseller that there’s demand for her book.

Also, knowing the author is published by a reputable publisher also pushes me to buy, because I know what to expect out of the book. So having an online presence where I can research the author is an influence too.

I’m a fan of Cobblestone Press and Kensington books and to me they have a reputation for great books. Knowing BTRD was published with Kensington, it prompted me to look for it on the B&N shelves. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it at my local stores . . . yet.

Reading a book from an author who’s published with ‘reputable publishers’ is entertaining and research at the same time. (This, coming from an author’s POV.)

So to sum it up, the marketing strategies that work for me to help me determine my next read is: store placement (for paperback books) and online advertising/promotion/presence (for ebooks) which includes trailers, excerpts, blogs, etc.

Thoughts?