What is your policy when it comes to new authors? Do you feel comfortable purchasing a book or do you prefer to borrow new authors from the library? How often do you 'try out' a new author?
I never really thought about it, but I think it is a great question. As I live in Germany where I don't get as many books in English as I'd like from the libraries I have given up on libraries altogether (unless it's the university's library). So way in the past I changed my whole habit of getting hold of books to buying them. Who can expect me to wait until a book has been translated into German so that it is available at the libraries here, after all?
So that changed my policy for new authors. Now I don't worry much about buying books from a new-to-me authors. Usually, I either heard quite a bit about the author already online and have a good idea what to expect, or it's an author I discover in a bookstore and read the backcover blurb and the first few pages.
Actually, I enjoy discovering new-to-me authors! I already bought books before I found book blogs, and one of the authors I discovered on my own was Jeffery Deaver. I was at a bookstore browsing the shelves and discovered The Bone Collector. I loved the cover and the backcover blurb was even better - with that I was sold and have bought lots of Deaver's books in the past. (I admit, though, that I haven't read them all yet!)
Of course, like everyone else probably, I've had some bad luck as well. Authors I bought and didn't like usually ended up at Bookcrossing or a German bookswap page.
Nowadays, most new authors I try are books I have read a lot about already. I have hundreds of books on my wishlist and almost each book has been recommended by a good friend or a fellow blogger. The last ones being Jill Shalvis and Cindy Gerard. I hadn't even read a single page by those two authors, but the reviews I found were interesting enough to make me run out and buy their books!
See! there are three authors that I have read nothing of.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least I have heard of Deaver...lol
Well, I do admit you have a problem if you need to wait for them to be translated into German -- it is bad enough waiting for the paperback version!
ReplyDeleteI need to check out Jeffrey Deaver ... he is one of those that you see a bunch of books sitting in the shelves so there would be a bunch of others to read if I like it!
Waiting is a nuisance . I too, have heard of Jeffrey Deaver but not the others.
ReplyDeletei know what you mean about a huge wishlist. :-)
ReplyDelete@ caite: You should try those authors! I had a great time reading the first two so far and I'm sure I'll also enjoy Cindy Gerard's book...
ReplyDelete@ Jenners: The waiting is pure horror! Everywhere I would go online someone would be talking about books I wanted to read. Imagine what a task it would be to steer clear of spoilers if I waited for the German translation? I only do that for Tess Gerritsen's books as my Mom also reads her and it would be a waste of money to buy two copies just so that I could read them sooner. I have enough unread books already, so I can wait with that one series for Mom :-)
@ zetor: Maybe I should have added that Jill Churchill writes wonderful romance novels with great characters. And Cindy Gerard writes romantic suspense.
@ Marie: If you knew my wishlist! LOL It's growing every single day and I usually only add authors I haven't read yet, so there are actually many, many more books out there I'd like to read.