Decisions, decisions...

By Ambrielle Kirk (Guest Blogger)

What factors come into play when you’re book buying?

Buying a book isn’t like buying a car. Well, for some of us anyway. Purchasing a car is a major investment. In some cases, after the transaction is complete, you can’t just take the car back to the dealer. Even though cars depreciate during the entire time you own it, you'll keep this car several years or more before buying a new one. Car buying requires lots of prior research before you even step foot on a dealer lot. You Google the year, make, model car you want to buy, the options, customer reviews, the invoice price, warranties, insurance, future value, etc. etc. etc. So, why did I just tell you that…?

You don’t have to go through all that stress when buying a book. Like a car, a book is something physical, something you can enjoy and keep. Do you pick it up for the pretty cover art? Did you open it and check out the pages, the prose, writing style? Did you read the first chapter? Did you skim the blurb? Was this an author you'd read before? Did someone recommend this book to you? Was it on the clearance rack the day you’re low on funds? Are you interested in a certain genre? Culture? Subject matter? Was it part of an “unputdownable” series?

Are all these factors are part of my book buying process? (LOL) Sometimes I walk up and down the bookstore aisles or surf e-book vendors just as if I’m buying a car. After all, I don’t want to be disappointed with my purchase. The funny part is that any one of these factors in the negative can make me put down a book. I normally judge a book by the cover more often than I should.

Just think about it. The cover, front and back, has everything you need to know before you buy that book. With ebooks, you can read the blurb right there on the World Wide Web. So, sometimes you never have to leave your home to buy a book. If I’m on the fence, I’ll read the first chapter or an available excerpt. Excerpts and first chapters generally don’t tell me anything, for I have read books that had excellent first chapters and flawless excerpts, but whose plot fell flat somewhere between chapter two and the end.

Truthfully, I wish I could read each and every great book out there, but we all know there’s just not enough time in one human lifespan for that.

Maybe I missed some factors. Are there any specifics you look for when buying a book?

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Ambrielle Kirk's fiction ranges from contemporary erotic to dark paranormal romance. Her vivid imagination inspired her to create stories in her pre-teen years and now, over a decade later, that inspiration continues to thrive, bringing flair and edge to everything she writes. Please visit her website www.ambriellekirk.com and blog www.ambriellekirk.wordpress.com for information on current and future book releases.