Book Discovery, finding my next big read
A topic of discussion lately and seems like always is book discovery… wherefore art thou next big read. The book that will make me giddy with happiness, the next new to me author who I hope has a loaded back list that I never knew existed that will propel me through the weekend.
I mean that’s the stuff book-lovers dreams are made of right.
Rinse and repeat, we want it to happen over and over again. You would think it should. We are in the land of at the touch of a finger. We can get almost any romance title we want with a click but the problem is finding that title. Let’s be honest Amazon romance recommendations are less than stellar.
- Amazon you have been recommending the same da@$n books to me since forever. Like can we get the data on point? I do not want that book, I do not like that author.
- All Romance eBooks I like the way you let me search by category but can you stop recommending the same 5,000 word titles to me. I want something with some meat sheesh. We all know the free rises to the top.
- Goodreads does not give me the quantity I am looking for, I just do not have luck getting my next reads there although I hear others say it has helped them. I try not to cut my eyes in jealousy. Friends helping friends still seem to be the number one way but I do not think people get how much a lot of romance readers read and a lot of friends cannot keep up. They get to the point where they are recommended out or you’re the friend who does all the recommending.
- Lets not even talk about Audio books (Audible)! No filter, I need a search filter, I need a better filter. finding a multicultural or scifi romance is just not going to happen.
RWA has put out an app to help us find titles, Harlequin already has one and I know it is not going to work because they have too much of a vested interest in the success of a select group of authors.
Instead of Desperately Seeking Susan (for the 80’s babies) this is Desperately Seeking Romance Recommendations!
Posted on June 3, 2014, in Bookswagger and tagged Amazon recommendations, Book discovery. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Oh yeah, it’s always tough finding good books to read from new authors. As a matter of fact I found a new author a few weeks ago. She has been writing for awhile. Amazing, I had never heard of her! She was doing a blog hop on one of the blogs I follow, promoting her new book. I loved the title and blurb and was hooked. I bought a copy. I will be following her from now on.
I agree with you about Amazon, their suggestions are a little puzzling to say the least. I’m assuming it’s because they take your browsing as things you may want to see/read in the future. Anyway, Amazon has thousands of book and it’s always an experience in searching for what you want. Frustrating sometimes too! Goodreads not helpful, Allromance, more helpful because you can search by genre but not by word count. Smashword tries but…
When all is said and done you rely a lot on recommendations from friends or hope for the best when searching the more popular e-tailer sites.
Thanks for the opportunity to share!
Belinda G
belgre at centurylink dot net
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Yes. Sounds like you are stuck in the pinch to. Who was the author you discovered hopefully I don’t know her fingers crossed.
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Hey you are my winner will be emailing you Belinda.
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LOL yeah I’ve not had much luck myself with those spots. I tend to find mine through other bloggers or just taking a chance on a pretty cover when a publisher contacts me. I’ve found a few that way who really blew me away.
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I do have more luck with bloggers and facebook especially the free tends to get me looking at something else to.
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I find most of my books (from authors I have not read before) from Book Bub, ebooks galore or people reads.
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You know I just discovered Book Bub this week saw it on another blog, no clue where I have been. Never heard of ebooks galore so will def be checking it out! Thanks for letting me know.
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As a book blogger, finding my next big read is becoming easier with authors offering up books for review as well as sites like netgalley. I also love checking out what other people are reading.
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See I am having the opposite, its almost like quantity does not equal quality is what I am finding. I might just be going through a rough patch
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I agree with you that the larger sites aren’t helpful in discovering a new read. The best way for me is from friends and fellow bloggers, but not so much their blogs, rather when they chat on Twitter. I find that on Twitter I see the true excitement for a new book. If a new book is recommended to me, THEN I go to Goodreads and look at all the reviews to find out what others thought. But basically, word of mouth from people I trust is the best way. 🙂
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