Tuesday 21 May 2013

Selecting An e-Book

I came across an interesting article recently that talks about the criteria for selecting an e-book. It was written by a prolific reader/reviewer. She notes the following factors: price, subject matter, and reviews. With regard to the first criterion, she mentions her annoyance when she discovers e-books priced comparably to physical copies, says that she gets most books free, and never pays more than $5 for an e-book. The second criterion, subject matter, is pretty straightforward. She prefers non-fiction and sees reading as a means of escaping the mundane. (If her view is shared by the majority of readers, this would account for the popularity of romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance these days.) With regard to the third criterion, she prefers the reader reviews in Amazon and Goodreads as being more indicative of an honest and open opinion, as opposed to “professional” reviews and bestseller lists.


I would enjoy receiving your comments on what sells an e-book to you: do you agree with price, subject matter, and reviews as the primary criteria? Do you enjoy downloading freebies or are you wary of their quality? What about cover design? Is this important to you?

I look forward to hearing from you.

2 comments:

  1. I really haven't downloaded any freebies, and have yet to read what has been sent to me, just because time at the moment doesn't permit me. Often my selections lately have been through word of mouth or reviews with books I find interesting. Or from that I've bought from fellow bloggers. Hopefully I will catch up and devote more time to just reading! It's funny I don't listen to critics at all, especially for films. I went to see The Big Wedding not for the story but for the characters, all stars that are my favorites no matter what they appear in!

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Karen. I agree with you that the critics aren't always bang-on, especially in film. It's always nice to make up your own mind about a book or film.

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