Where do readers find books?

[BWFoster78]

It seems to me that authors have one big advantage in selling books: readers are actively searching for products to buy. The question is: where do readers find them?

As a reader, I'd like to know as well. I read 30 to 50 fiction books a year. I support indie and small publisher authors. I want to find good books to read, especially from the groups mentioned.

The truth is, it's not easy to find enough good books to read. Here are some sources I've found:

Goodreads Recommendations - It's not as good a resource as I'd hope, but I have found some gems.

These forums - I've gotten recommendations for the two best books I've read since coming here from threads on this site.

Internet searches - Looking for "Best Indie Scifi and Fantasy Books" yielded a few decent finds.

I can't help but think that, if I can identify ways to find good books, it'll help me figure out how to market my book.

Where on the internet do you go to find new reads?

Thanks.

Brian

 

[GeekDavid]

Everywhere and anywhere.

Amazon's recommendations... Goodreads recommendations... banner ads... whatever Amazon has on their sci-fi fantasy page... visiting bookstores (authors, make friends with the bookstore staff in your area, so they push your book!) and browsing the shelves...

 

[faze]

general I am very lazy - I just search on amazon in the kindle section. Occasionally I will flick through the reccomendations they supply.

I used to go visit the book store and browse the shelves but since moving over to electronic format I haven't done that for a long while.

For the record what I would like to see is a free copy of the ebook if you purchased a hard copy, if that were available I would always buy the hard copy ( I suspect if it only cost a small amount more for both I would do it as well)

Simon

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I"m still old school and browse bookstore shelves and listen to word of mouth. Maybe I should catch up with the times, but that's how I roll.

 

[GeekDavid]

I used to go visit the book store and browse the shelves but since moving over to electronic format I haven't done that for a long while.

If you have the Kindle app on your cell phone, you can go browse at the bookstore and immediately check to see if a book is available on Kindle.

For the record what I would like to see is a free copy of the ebook if you purchased a hard copy, if that were available I would always buy the hard copy ( I suspect if it only cost a small amount more for both I would do it as well)

Your wish has been partially answered:

When Amazon launched AutoRip, we looked at our bookshelves and wished that us readers would get something similar. Fortunately, the company had the same idea, and is now announcing Kindle Matchbook. In short, if you've bought one of 10,000 selected titles from Amazon, you'll be entitled to snag a digital copy for between $2.99 and nothing. The service launches in October and there's no limit on when the purchases were made -- meaning that you could be offered an awkward reminder of the literature you were gorging back in 1995.

 

[Philip Overby]

I don't read many small press or indie books at the moment unless I know that person. I'd like to change that, but for now I have too many "big name" books I want to read that are my to read pile. I'm getting slower and slower as a reader as time goes on, but I'm bound and determined to push through and keep looking for great books.

Here are some ways I've found books I love:

1. Go to a bookstore-This is the most obvious choice. I used to just go to bookstores and look around until I found stuff that looked interesting. Then I'd buy the book. The end. So that's one way.

2. Go to conventions-There are loads of small press and indie writers at conventions. You can find them and buy their books pretty easily. I bought six or seven books from a small press one time and ended up actually working as an intern for them at a later date. This was because I met them at a convention.

3. Forums-Mythic Scribes is the obvious choice. I also recommend Fantasy-Faction which has loads of threads on authors that are worth checking out.

4. Twitter/Facebook/Google+-Of those three, there are loads, and I mean LOADS, of indie authors looking for readers on Google+. If you're an indie writer and you're not on Google+, you're missing out. There are tons of communities that are geared towards writers in general. I'm a member of a couple of fantasy writing communities there are most of those writers are looking for readers. Writers are readers, too! (Although I'd suggest finding reader-centric communities.)

I came up with an idea for a community I think could be cool. It would a Fantasy Reader community. People can share writers they like, talk about fantasy in general, etc. However, weekends would be time for promotion from small press or indie writers. That way the fantasy writers can interact with fellow readers/writers and then on weekends could share what they have to offer. Could be a decent way to reach an audience.

5. Book bloggers/Reviewers-These are paramount for any indie author I think. Find book bloggers that focus on indie writers specifically and you can probably find plenty of writers to check out.

6. Indie Writer Networks-You can probably type in "Indie Writer Network" and find books from authors that way.

7. Amazon-I'll second GeekDavid. Amazon is pretty decent at finding books I may be interested in buying. Not always, but they're pretty on the ball with that kind of stuff.

8. Word of mouth-It's very rarely you're going to find someone trumpeting an indie writer unless a) the person trumpeting IS the indie writer or b) the person is friends with the indie writer. However, there are rare occasions of authors being impressed with certain indie writers and sharing the word. For instance, I like what Robert Bevan is doing with his Caverns and Creatures series. If someone asked me about him, I could give a solid recommendation. His work is distinct so I would know if someone would like him or not. If a writer is more non-descript or writing generic fantasy, I find it harder to recommend.

Make more book loving friends-Friends that like books, buy books. So they probably read a lot and can offer you ideas. I know this is similar to word of mouth, but I think word of mouth applies more to my social media kind of situations now. If I say "I'm thinking of getting Patrick Rothfuss's new book" and someone on social media or a forum says "Yeah, you should check it out" then I may consider it. However, if a close friend raves about it and says "Dude, Phil, you have to get this book. I'll loan it to you even." Well, that's a better way.

OK, that's all I have for now. I've been a book buyer for longer than I've been a writer, so I can say for sure that these things have helped me make buying decisions. When it comes to indie authors, I'm still a neophyte, but I hope to pick up more as time goes on.

 

[faze]

If you have the Kindle app on your cell phone, you can go browse at the bookstore and immediately check to see if a book is available on Kindle.



Your wish has been partially answered:

the first point is one that would kind of feel dis-ingenuous and would do a dis-service to the book store, I wouldn't feel bad about doing it in the local library however!

The second point is a good one however and I will look into that before I buy my next book! (though I would still prefer to support my "local" waterstones or whatever...)

Simon

 

[PaulineMRoss]

I've found a few on Goodreads, in the various fantasy discussion groups. Occasionally someone mentions that they are an author and I check out their books. A few have been mentioned on review blogs, or here, or on Reddit. Quite a few come to me direct from the author, asking for a review (I always check them out, I don't always agree to review the book). Apart from the direct approaches, it's just seredipity. I don't have a systematic way to find stuff.

I've heard that Wattpad is a good way for readers and authors to connect. Authors upload stuff for free, readers read it and (hopefully) become fans. But there's an awful lot of rubbish on there.

 

[Chilari]

I no longer need to look; I get just enough review requests via my website that I usually have at least one book lined up to review, and if not I've got a nice long list of books by my favourite authors I've still not got around to (I preordered The Long War by Pratchett and Baxter, which was published back in June, and I still haven't read it).

 

[JadedSidhe]

I find books more from recommendations from other people or looking through the shelves of an actual book store.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble searches frustrate me, they frequently only show a small selection of books, particularly if I'm doing a genre search for science fiction and I know there are many more books than what they display.

 

[ThinkerX]

I guess I'm a real live dead dinosaur.

1) SF book club...the little booklets that turn up in the mail every few weeks. Usually make two or three orders a year.

2) Grocery/Book Store. Not that much of a selection at either, but still, a book or two a month.

3) Used book stores. Interesting, in that obscure titles sometimes turn up in those places; also frustrating because all too often the books are like book 2 or 3 of a 4 or 6 book series with the rest not to be found. Sometimes I'll buy piles of them at a time, but I've also gone months without checking in.

4) Public Library. Possibly through a bizarre fluke, the local library here is well stocked and gets new titles in frequently. I check in a couple times a week, and check out a couple books a month.

5) As of late, I'll buy the odd book recommended on this site and elsewhere. Usually, I get them from Amazon. Not an amazon browser.

I've no idea how to use a 'kindle' or its kin.