what makes you pick up a book?

So, a couple of days ago I was stuck in Heathrow airport. Delayed flight. Again. As a result, I mooched around the airport trying to avoid impulse buying. What better way to do that? Get a book and read (yes, I see the irony of the impulse buying avoidance, but it was a small purchase vs a large one).

WHSmith’s stood before me. A well-known purveyor of books in the UK, it had conveniently laid out the top 100 books in the UK right now. I stared blankly at the wall wondering which book to choose. Of course, being in the business I’m in (books, not pharmaceuticals) I noticed a few things, that got me thinking.

Firstly, I knew almost no-one on the list. Like, maybe three authors. Admittedly, this could be due to the fact I don’t read fiction very often. Yes, yes, a dirty secret; a horrible defect in my authoring journey. But honestly, I just don’t have the time. So, when I do read I want to be sure it’s worth it. Anyway, I knew few of them – and this was the top 100. So what does that mean for me as a buyer? It means that I’m relying on a few key things: title, cover and if I get past them – the blurb. I’m sorry to say that the majority of titles bored the living hell out of me. “The girl who did this..” or “The black house..”. Boring. Good lord. Okay, how about the cover itself? What evocative image could make me pull the book down? None. They were a yawn-fest. Most had the author's name taking up 70% of the space, with the title covering 20% and the cover image being merely a blurry background smudge invoking no stirring in my brain whatsoever. Who created these? Am I really going to read the blurb of every one to see which I like? No. So what else can I use to choose?

That brings me to point two: at least eleven of the titles had movies associated with them. An actor or statement adorned the front, letting me know this was now a major motion picture. This could perhaps sway me. These stories were good enough to evoke imagery strong enough for the screen. However, something niggled me. Some of these novels were obviously a marketing tool – such as the novelisation of “Assassin’s Creed”. Originally a video game, then a movie and now… a novel. It just felt like the industry machine was taking up a spot in the top 100 of a truly deserving author with an original idea. Does this mean all movies will be reverse engineered into novels? I hope not. So then how did I choose?

Well that’s point three: endorsements can do a lot. And that means proper reviews, PR, marketing and all the things many authors shy away from. In this purchasing case, I opted for a book called OrphanX, by Gregg Hurwitz. Why did I choose it? Because a little quote told me to. “Read this book. You’ll thank me later.” Literally, that is what made me pick it up and read the back. From there, I thought – okay! Interestingly, rumours would have it that Bradley Cooper is in talks with Warner to tackle the movie version of this book…

Bottom line… spend time on your cover, your title and your marketing. Listen to your agent and publisher. We buying muggles are fickle. Even those of us who write books.