The Tough Choices

[anicalewis]

Y'all. There are, like, a bajillion books out there. In fact, there are probably a solid bajillion books out there that I would really like to read, or that you would really like to read. So how do we choose which ones we actually do read? And - a question of particular interest to authors - how do we choose which ones we buy

Comments

[angeladegroot]

I'm a browser. I check out the new book section of the library and also the new book recommendations and reviews in the Good Reads and Amazon sends out. I occasionally wonder around a book store to see if a title or cover grab my fancy. And I have friends who know my taste and I follow their, "You are going to LOVE this book," advice. That's how I find books.

[angeladegroot]

And I forgot to mention that I also find great reads from book reviews on blogs like yours.

[anicalewis]

Aw, thanks!

[toastedcheese]

I learn about new books on NPR like an old person. And awards lists, and friends on Goodreads. I'd say the only social media I use to find new books is Tumblr, because I follow authors and comics creators and publishers and fandom people and they do a good job promoting one another.

Sigh, I miss Massachusetts libraries so much....

I will say that one thing authors can promote is fan works & conversations in their fandom - it's self-promotion without feeling like self-promotion. When Neil Gaiman sends around a Sandman cosplay that he liked or Ellen Kushner shares a fan's dream cast for Swordspoint, no one is going to complain that they're spamming the Internet with self-promotion. But this requires you to already have a fandom....

[toastedcheese]

(I thought the bit about self-promotion on Afterworlds was really funny... the debut authors who are freaking out because their last name begins with the wrong letter, etc.)

[anicalewis]

Good point about promoting other people's stuff related to their work. I love when authors share fanart of their books, and I'm sure the artists love it, too - win-win.