Thinking about the psychology that underlies the selection of what to read.
Have compiled an initial list of factors, and put them in roughly the order that I personally follow in selecting books, particularly nonfiction, which is most of what I read. I’d love to hear what other people’s drivers are. Look fwd to your reactions.
What are the top things that lead you to choose a book (or not to)?
This has obvious implications both for reading, and for writing, and for understanding what truly drives demand for the publishing industry in general.
Thank you.
**Prioritized List of Drivers**
Searching for Particular Thing (eg Googling topic)
Saw Book with Interesting Topic / Title
Friend’s Recommendation
Read a Recommendation Somewhere (eg in an article)
Need Skill for Task
Need Info or Data
Known Author
Read a Bit and See if I Like It
Celebrity Author
Need to Pass Test
Celebrity Endorsement
Magazine / News Source (rather than book)
Podcast (rather than book)
Medium or Single Blogger Content (rather than book)
Newsletter (rather than book)
Book Club Selection / Assignment
by LottaRespect
21 Comments
Mostly Reddit recomendations or Books highlighted in YouTube Video Essays.
I have quite specific tastes and don’t have time to read loads of books and this method has led me discover a ton of great books that I otherwise never would have heard of.
I think most of the books I choose either come from seeing them on Goodreads or recommendations from a friend. On Goodreads I follow people I’ve followed for 10+ years and I know who’s reviews will probably allign with my thoughts/whether or not I’ll like the book. Same with irl friends who have similar tastes in books.
I’ll get recs from Youtube sometimes too or from this sub. If there’s book titles I’ll see over and over again I usually get curious and give it a shot.
I look up book reviews for books I love on Amazon or Goodreads. I find a reviewer who felt the same about it as I did and check out their other reviews. I have found some good stuff this way of books I never would have heard of otherwise.
I put a bunch on hold at the library and read whichever one I get next.
As for how I chose them, it’s mostly just browsing and saying, “Hey, that one looks interesting.”
Before finding reddit, I browsed library shelves or looked for staff suggestions in independent book stores.
I am a generalist reader with a wide ranging curiosity about people and the world. I split my time between nonfiction, realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy.
The book suggestion subreddits have been helpful.
r/suggestmeabook, r/booksuggestions, r/fantasy, r/printsf, r/historicalfiction.
Reading is a solitary hobby and connecting online with book lovers has been a great experience.
Also r/52book is a subreddit where people share what they have been reading. Sometimes I find ideas for books I might like there.
From your list, I do
Friend’s Recommendation
Saw Book with Interesting Topic / Title
Read a Recommendation Somewhere
And Known Author
What I also do, and don’t see mentioned in your list, is seek out book awards (Goodreads readers choice awards, world fantasy awards, Booker Prize, Women’s Literature awards, etcetera) and look at the winners. I don’t necessarily read all the winners, I first look at a synopsis to see if it’s for me, but I do consider them.
Somebody told me I’m a mood reader. I just pick by whatever I am in the mood for. I would say that is accurate. Or I see whats on the TBR pile or flip a coin. I go through so many that I don’t care too much about what order I read them in. I’m just happier with some books on the go.
Vibes lol
This is a bit weird, but honestly exposure and convenience. I’ll explain.
I can’t just pick up a book that looks nice and just read it. I partake in a LOT of online bookish spaces in basically every social media and I have some creators that I trust. If I see a book mentioned enough times, or by creators I trust, I will be 10x more likely to read it. Also if it’s by an author whose books I know and love.
The convenience factor is also important- books where I live are less available and they often get to stores much later or only if they’re popular enough. So not every book I’m interested in I actually end up reading.
I actually don’t like reading book reviews because I read so many bad ones it ruins books for me before I even started. So I avoid those and just decide for myself if I like it 😅
I appreciate the time you put into this, but I think you are completely overthinking the topic.
When I finish a book, I have a couple of places I look. On my bookshelves I have at least 200 unread books to choose from. I have a Kindle with roughly another 150 I have yet to read. I also have a library hold list that is about 25 books long. I simply scan all of these and my gut tells me what I am in the mood for.
How do I get these books in the first place? I know my tastes. I find recommendations from Goodreads, BookTok, Booktube, the library, and people I know. I am particularly looking for literary fiction, fantasy, scifi, historical fiction or memoir. I make a decision if the book is for me by reading the blurb, and seeing what percentage of the Amazon reviews are 4 stars or above. That last one is an odd metric, but it works for me. If 70%+ people give the book 4 or 5 stars, I am likely to try it. But only if the blurb/summary interests me.
Jus one word for me: goodreads 😜
This varies over time for me.
When I was younger, it was primarily favorite genre/author. I loved the occult and horror and read everything Stephen King wrote. I would often ask for recommendations from the library or bookstore staff.
When I started teaching and coaching I primarily read nonfiction on topics in my field and I would get recommendations from articles and peers.
Now I’m retired I have so much time to read and variety is a big goal. I like to join or create challenges that get me out of my comfort zone. I seek out titles for prompts and usually judge the book by the cover. For example I have a long term goal of reading fiction and nonfiction books by authors from 195 books. As I’m scrolling through Reddit if I see an author with a non-Anglo sounding name I look it up to see where they’re from, if they are from a country I haven’t checked off my list then I look to see what my library has to offer and add any book to my queue. I don’t care what genre the book is or even the topic, I figure if it’s horrible, I can DNF and find another book for my goal. I did a genre of the month challenge last year and again just looked up books that met the prompt criteria and were readily available at my library. It has been fun reading books I doubt I would have ever picked up without doing the challenge.
I tend to gravitate towards authors that I enjoy and will read more of their books. But that can be hit and miss too depending on the genre. I also rely on recommended books on Kindle. The algorithm is getting to know me and my style pretty well. Good Reads is a last resort if I’m running out of ideas. I’ve read a lot this month.
Most of the time just reading the synopsis. Sometimes if I like the beginning of a book, that’s another reason for me to choose it.
I love political thrillers from authors like [Ben Coes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8495956) and [Marc Cameron](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57114863) so if there is a flag, some military stuff, and/or a gun on the cover, I’m hooked!
For me, as far as what I’m interested in reading, it’s all over the place. There are some local writers I follow as well as more well-known ones, and things catch my attention lots of different ways, like a movie or TV adaptation or the same writers and titles being mentioned in different book-related corners of the internet I frequent.
As for choosing my next read, I’m always reading four books at a time–a re-read, a new red, a recommendation from my husband, and a library book. For the first two, once I’m ready to start something new, I truly just go to our bookshelf and pick the next one on it. With re-reads, I try to wait at least a year before reading something again. For the recommendation, I have my husband pick one when I’m done. At the library, since it’s free, I’m not discerning at all. I have a list of things I want to check out, but I start with the new releases shelf first and grab the first thing that sounds interesting. If nothing catches my eye, I go to my list.
Honestly, I ask myself “What do I need right now?” Or “I do I feel right now?”
I usually pick a book pretty quickly. But I also read more than one book at a time, so….. 🤷♀️
This is such a complex, though mostly intuitive process for me. First, I receive a lot of books as gifts, and I genuinely try to read them all, so January and August are mostly spent reading those. Second, I don’t go to bookstores often, but when I do I usually end up with 2 or 3 books I did not plan on buying. These tend to pile up on my shelf. Third, I listen to a lot of audiobooks through Libby and Audible (mostly for Audible exclusives and books my library doesn’t have). Fourth, I read by theme. Every year I choose a theme and most of the books for my 100 book challenge will be on that theme (gifts and new books from favorite authors can be exceptions). Usually, I’ll have a few books in mind, I’ll google for some others, and then fill in the rest with recommendations.
When I finish a book, choosing the next book goes something like this:
1. Physical or audio? I don’t have a lot of time for physical books, so even if I have a hard copy, I will still usually borrow the audio from Libby. If Libby doesn’t have it, or it’s a graphic novel, or there is otherwise no audio for it, these I will prioritize for physical reading when I can.
2. Availability and Continuity. Of the audios available on Libby, I prioritize next-in-series and books that I have physically, as I like to keep my TBR stack (relatively) small. If there are none, I go to Audible and look for the same. If I have no credits available, I go back to Libby and choose something new from there.
3. Length. Whether it’s a physical book off the shelf, the next audio in a series, or anything else, I go for the shortest ones first. I work 8-12 hr shifts and I like to get through 1 audio a day. If I have time left in my shift, I’ll start a longer one that I can finish the next day.
4. Mood. If I just finished a soul crushing book, I definitely don’t want to start another dense, depressing tear jerker right away. A cheerful, simple novella is the perfect palate cleanser. If I don’t have one available I’ll likely listen to music for the rest of my shift, and pick back up tomorrow.
5. Hype. Is there a hot new book that all my friends are reading? Is there a new show/movie coming out that I just have to read the book before I see it? Sometimes, these jump the line. I usually regret it, but FOMO is real. Besides, it’s fun to be able to discuss what everyone else is discussing, even if it’s just to criticize lol.
There are other factors, I’m sure.
Browsing bookstores. 90% of the time. And good covers. I know „Don‘t judge a book by it‘s cover“ and all that, but honestly, a good cover will double the chances I pick up a book and give it a browse. If the blurb sounds interesting, I usually read the first one or two pages and if I like it, it either goes on my „to read at some point“ list or I buy it directly.
Some other drivers are just browsing a bookstore or library and picking a book out just from perusing. I like reading gifted books from my mentor. And besides that, other things people have already mentioned like a specific author/topic.
When I complete a book, within a short time, I feel an intense need to select another and begin reading if possible. This is usually within a few hours. I don’t really do any of the things you listed. I do get recommendations from people or see books on websites or from an author I already like. I reread my own books as well and go to the library. But when it comes down to actually choosing something, I just look. I look, and I keep looking until something feels right. Sometimes, I select something specifically because I want to read it. But if I don’t have anything planned, I always go by feeling. It’s a very special part of reading for me. It’s very interesting to read about how others choose!