Would you buy a house without seeing it first? As an English major, take a Robotics course without auditing it? Book a band for your wedding without listening to them?

I'd surely hope not. So why then do we buy books without sampling them first? I've been pondering this as both a reader and a writer.

I used to scan the description and reviews, and if the book looked interesting enough I'd give it a chance. If I loved the book, score. If not, I'd be pissed. Particularly for the books that had tons of 5 star reviews.

Then I started downloading samples on Amazon before reading the books (you don't have to download... you can just scan the first few pages in 'Look Inside' on your computer). The sample is typically the first 10% of the book. If the author can't capture your (or my) interest in the first 10% of the book it probably isn't worth reading. Does that mean other people won't enjoy the book? No. Others may love the book. And that's ok! Things to look for in that sample:
- Do I like the writing style?
- Do I like the premise?
- Is it boring or did the plot immediately grab my attention?
- Do I like the characters?
- Is this a genre I enjoy? (it's OK to take a chance, but make sure you like that sample!)

Can I book go awry after the 10% mark? Yes. I read two books recently that started out compelling. Both hit one of my biggest pet peeves after I'd read the sample and purchased: boy and girl go from despising each other to loving each other in a nanosecond (particularly bad when there was no good reason for them to hate each other in the first place). One book I found so offensive I stopped reading. The other had enough else going for it that I continued. The sample test will never be perfect. But it will certainly eliminate a lot of duds.

We all like different things

I love young adult and new adult fiction... particularly dystopias, romance, and fantasy. I also enjoy adult thrillers, some adult fantasy, and a smattering of everything from middle grade to classics. There's books I have loved that others hate, and books I really didn't enjoy that are immensely popular.

No one book will appeal to everyone. After 'Bob', an adult male who likes adult thrillers told me he disliked my book recently, I thought to myself "Shocking. Bob, the adult thriller lover, didn't like a young adult dystopian romance." I do believe I chuckled. It's OK. I didn't write my book for Bob, and Bob doesn't need to like my book. I'm not sure I understand why Bob bought a young adult dystopian romance without reading a sample first, but alas, despite my desire to read people's minds I am unable.

The fact is... some people prefer romance. Some prefer fantasy. Some prefer action. Some prefer books that make you think deeply and provocatively. Thank goodness we aren't all the same and like all the same things. That would be horribly boring, don't you think? If one book tried to be everything to everyone, it would do a terrible job across the board. The romance lovers wouldn't get enough romance; the action lovers enough action, etc. When I sent out ARCs of my book, I got the same thing. Some readers wanted more romance, less action. Some more action, less romance. Some more deep symbolism. Some less description, some more. You get the picture. I picked the balance that I felt best told the story and set up for future books, but invariably it will fall short for many readers (who wanted more romance or more action or more deep symbolism or whatever else they were looking for). I'm thankful that a lot of readers thought I hit the perfect balance, but completely empathize with those that think I didn't.

Don't hate if you don't sample

I'm sure many will disagree with me here. But, I think hating on a book that a person would never have purchased if they read the sample first isn't cool. I do admit that I've broken my own rule a few times and purchased a book based on a Goodreads review from someone I respect, a preponderance of positive reviews on Amazon, or by mistake (sometimes I hit the 'Purchase' button instead of the 'Download a sample' button... my bad.) In the cases where I purchase before reading a sample, I don't rate or review if I dislike the book. It doesn't seem fair to the writer, since I'd have never purchased if I'd taken the time to sample it first.

One such book (which shall remain nameless) had over 50 reviews on Amazon, almost all 5 stars; was selling really well. I figured if that many people loved it, it had to be good. Truly the worst book I read out of 600+ last year. I felt like it was written in a different language and I failed to get the interpreter with my downloaded copy. I went back and read the reviews more closely... it was obvious that friends and family were supporting this writer. I should have done my homework aka sample it. I didn't post a rating or a review.

I'd also say... don't rate or review if you didn't finish the book. By sampling first, we can avoid a lot of reading train wrecks. But if for whatever reason we buy (eg. if the book was free) and stop reading, it doesn't seem fair to post a rating or review. There have surely been some books I've read that start out slowly, but finish with a bang. We'll never have the full picture if we don't read the entire book.

Ratings and Reviews

Professional reviews... generally reliable, critically written... but still no guarantee that you will like the book.

Amazon reviews... Amazon has tried to eliminate bogus reviews from the picture (paid for reviews or family/friend reviews), but their system isn't perfect (I've had reviews from people I have never heard of deleted and didn't pay anyone for reviews). Scanning the reviews can give you a sense for the book, but still won't tell you if the book is for you.

Blogger reviews. I'm really impressed with the bloggers I've encountered. They donate their time to reading and reviewing books, a big service to the reading community. But a few things:
- Whether paid or not, it's still a job. With a job comes a different mindset. If they feel like they have to review a book (because they are part of a blog tour they are participating in or got a request), rather than choosing to read the book, it will invariably influence their opinion (in my opinion). It's like all the books I had to read in high school and college. I loathed some classics at the time because they were assignments. I've gone back and re-read several recently and loved them. Different timing, different mindset, and it being my choice made all the difference. Personally, I'd love it if bloggers also sampled the books before agreeing to review, but that's not my choice... it's theirs. And I fully believe in free choice.
- They are critically minded (and are supposed to be critically minded... and frankly true critical reviews are very helpful to writers). Things that may bother them may not bother the average reader. So, when in doubt, sample it!

Goodreads reviews. I think I got taken aback when I got my first imperfect ratings on Goodreads. Then I looked at the 'favorite books' for these readers, and like 'Bob', they typically aren't my target audience. Or maybe they are and my book wasn't for them. Again, that's OK! I'd preferred they sample it first, but I always remind myself that every single one of my top 100 all time favorite books have lots of 1 star and 2 star reviews.

Critical review vs. hating

There's a big difference between a well written, objective critical review and hating. Critical reviews point out flaws in plot, characters, writing, pacing that can be fixed if the writer so chooses. All writers can find glorious nuggets of gold in critical reviews that they can use to fix their current book, or improve their writing in the future. I had some early critical reviews of my book that were incredibly helpful. Because let's face it, perception rules intention every time. If I intended my character to be in shock over an event, but the character unintentionally comes across as callous and uncaring... that is very useful to know and something I, as a writer, can fix. Other things I may choose to ignore (conflicting input: add more detail; delete the detail). Again, not every book will fit every reader.

Hating is a negative rating with no detail to back it or use of harsh tone, insults to the writer or readers of the book eg. "This book sucked. You'd have to be a complete idiot to read it. What a waste of time."

The Contrarians

These are the folks that want to go against the grain. If everyone is loving X, they're going to hate X and love Y. They will approach a book with a bias, and it's not going to turn out well. I'm ashamed to say I've done this! I'm a big Hunger Games fan. I read an article a while back that said Great New Dystopian Release was better than Hunger Games. To me, a sacrilegious statement lol. I read that book start to finish comparing it to the Hunger Games. Proving to myself it wasn't worthy to even be mentioned in the same article. With that kind of attitude going in, of course I didn't love the book. Note that I recently read book two of the same series and loved it--because I approached it with a different attitude. Rather than comparing, I appreciated it as a standalone entity.

Expectations can be a real buzzkill. We can up the enjoyment factor by either reducing or eliminating pre-conceived notions and expectations.

Stop the hating

I personally think there's enough hate in the world, and that none of us should add to it. I am not suggesting that we self-censor. I'm suggesting we self-select by sampling before we buy. If we don't read a book, we save ourselves time (that we'd never get back otherwise... and who has time to waste?) and money. We save the writer the heartache of reading a negative review.

If we have critical feedback to give, let us give it in such a way that we aren't derogatory or insulting.

Sample it!

Some books I read recently that passed my sample test (doesn't mean will pass yours):




(re-read of one I read back in school)
(another re-read of one I read back in school)
(took two reads of the sample... gave it another chance after reading a goodreads review and glad I did)


You can read a sample of my book, daynight here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A6NG014. It is FREE 1/21-1/23, but I still always recommend to SAMPLE IT :).






I love these quotes (knowing that people will continue to buy without sampling, and hating without mercy):

“Behind every sucessful person lies a pack of Haters! I love my haters!”
― Gloria Tesch

“Haters are my favorite. I´ve built an empire with the bricks they´ve thrown at me. Keep on hating...”
― CM Punk