BEE Books: 7 Ways We Choose The Books We Read

Sometimes when we are trying to choose a book to read we can’t zero in on one book and there are other times when we just take a book out of the shelf and absolutely fall in love with it. So how do you choose a book? Based on a friend’s good word or by aimlessly browsing through the shelf or by reading its summary online? Here is a list of some of the popular ways by which we often pick our books.

1.Recommendation. We put a lot of emphasis on the word-of-mouth while choosing a book. We always end up buying books based on a friend’s recommendation, who shares with us similar tastes in reading. Coming from a person who knows your taste, “read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, not only perks your interest in that book but at the same time assures you that it will be an interesting read.

2.Reviews. Another popular way of choosing a book is by going through its review. The review can be read from traditional media like newspaper and magazine or online or from the blurb on the back of the book. Whatever maybe the form, the reviews play a very important role in instigating readers to buy a book. Many readers regularly follow the best-seller charts that come out monthly or weekly and choose books accordingly. Whereas there are other readers who go through the reviews online while purchasing. The review informs the reader of the book’s subject matter, which helps the readers to decide whether the book agrees with their choice or not.

3.Impulsive buy. Many times we judge a book by its cover and get instantly glued to it by its title. We buy a book by an unknown author without having any knowledge of the storyline. Thus the title with its illustrative cover can prick the interest of a reader singlehandedly. Many readers are piqued by a cover with good graphics whereas there are others who like simple but significant designs on the cover.

4.Price of a book. None of us shall complaint of buying books if they were given to us for free. Many times the price tag on a book influences our choice. Sometimes when we come across a book, we think that the book is overpriced and save it for future read. While at other times, we find books that are very cheap but at the same time makes for an interesting read. No one thinks twice before grabbing a copy of such a book.

5.Author. Sometimes when we are browsing through books we come across books by our favourite author or a very popular writer. Familiarity with the author tells us his writing style and his genre. Moreover we are more likely to buy a book from the series we have previously read. What prompted us to buy Green’s “Paper Towns” was his best-seller “The Faults in Our Stars”, isn’t it so?

6.Plot. To some readers the storyline is the most important aspect while selecting a book to read. Many readers buy books only if the book falls into their preferred category of genre or plot structure. There are people who like to read non-fiction adventure books whereas there are others who swear by thrillers.

7.Excerpts. Many readers evaluate a book only after reading an excerpt or the first page of the book. They say it helps them to understand better what to expect from the book before investing their time and money into it.

SATARUPA SARKAR: Owing to my voracious reading habits I often dream, of myself, being surrounded by a library of good books with utter peace and quiet around me. Reading books to me is like exploring through unchartered lands, always finding something new and interesting. From Saratchandra to Shelly all get my undivided attention. Being a final year Undergraduate student in English from EFLU Shillong, my love for books has only increased. Hailing from the beautiful North of Bengal and graduating from Shillong has always helped me to strike a balance between a life of fast paced technology and reconnecting with pristine nature. My schooling is from Stepping Stone Alipurduar and I was trained at recitation from a very tender age. I love participating and getting involved in various extra-curricular activities. I wish to build a career where I would always be surrounded by books. There are three things I swear by; good food, high heels and of course my favourite writer Haruki Murakami.

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BEE Books is an Indian publlishing house headquartered in Kolkata. We have our regional office in Delhi. If you have any queries regarding publishing assistance, please feel free to mail us at: query@beebooks.in