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| This is how I feel when I write discussion posts. |
I’ve seen a few
posts in the blogosphere about auto-buy authors. These are authors who you love
so much that you buy every book they write, no matter what the book is about. I
decided to write a post about my auto-buy authors, but in the process of
writing it, I realized . . . I don’t have any.
Most of my
favorite authors have books out that I haven’t read because they just don’t
sound interesting. For example, I love Margaret Atwood, but I haven’t read any
of her nonfiction, and I have no desire to read it. I also love Stephen King,
but some of his novels have horrible reviews and don’t sound very appealing to
me. I’ll probably read them someday, but they’re low on my priority list. The
author isn’t the main factor that I consider when I’m deciding whether or not
to buy a book. The synopsis is far more important. I think that’s why I don’t
have any auto-buy authors.
I am more likely to buy a book if it’s written
by one of my favorite writers. I wasn’t planning on reading Rainbow Rowell’s Landline, but then I saw the hardcover at a
scratch-and-dent sale for $1.99. I bought it because it was cheap and I love
Rainbow Rowell. (And the book turned out to be pretty good. I’m glad I read
it. Maybe Rainbow Rowell should be my first auto-buy author.)
Since I don’t
have any auto-buy authors, I started wondering if I have any never-buy authors.
I don’t think I do. There are a few authors whose writing styles get on my
nerves. I usually avoid books by those writers, but if one of them wrote
something that sounded really interesting, I’d probably read it.
What about you?
Do you have auto-buy authors? Are there any authors who you refuse to read? How
do you decide whether or not to buy a certain book?
I’m linking back
to Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts At Midnight. They host the 2015 Discussion
Challenge.
I'm like you, I don't have any auto-buy authors (even Atwood!). I actually don't really pay attention to authors when picking or reading books. That sounds kind of terrible and I mean no disrespect to writers, but I just don't really care who's writing what - as long as it's interesting, I'll read it and probably dig around for other books they've written later on. But I'm way too cheap and way too poor to just buy any ol' book just because I happen to like the author.
ReplyDeleteI don’t pay much attention to the author, either. Maybe I should, but I mostly just care about the synopsis.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have two or three auto-buy authors and a handful of never-buy authors, more for their attitude towards readers instead of writing style. I'm anxiously waiting for a few books that are coming from my auto-buys and it's killing me. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI’ve often wondered if my favorite authors are jerks. The ones I follow on Twitter seem nice, but I don’t want to support someone who has a bad attitude toward readers. I’ve never actually researched my favorite authors to find out what their personalities are like.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have three auto-buy authors. One I would read anything by her, even a discarded grocery list, I simply love the way she weaves words. Another because I enjoy the writing and it's a long ongoing series. The last because she writes several ongoing series, so anything she releases will be part of a series that I follow.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have any never-buy authors. If it's not a good book, I'll remember it but that not an auto never buy. I'll give most books a chance.
Marsha @ KeeperBookshelf.com
Good point. I didn’t really think about series when I was writing this post. I don’t read a lot of them, but there are some where I HAVE to get the next book as soon as it’s released.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I do have quite a few "auto-buy" authors, but if their books are at the library, then I'll just get them there (as I am a poor college student). Oftentimes, I find so many new releases from authors I love and I just have to wait for them (Daughter of Deep Silence and The Cage are the two that first come to mind). I generally don't have any auto-buys that are already out. As for the nevers, yeah there's some authors I avoid, but like you, I believe in giving them second chances if I find their new book interesting.
ReplyDeleteI’m a poor college student, too. I wish we had a better library around here. They either don’t have a lot of the books I want, or the waiting list is huge.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have a select few auto-buy authors but mostly it's not like I ALWAYS run out and buy every new book by them. Sometimes I wait until I'm in the mood for a certain book, or until I have enough money or whatever. I don't really have a never-buy author list though, but if I dislike a book by an new-to-me author, I'm unlikely to read any more of his or her books from that point on. Great discussion post and thanks for stopping by earlier :D
ReplyDeleteMicheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews
If I dislike a new-to-me author’s first book, I’m also reluctant to read another book by that author. I’ll only do it if the synopsis of the author’s other book sounds really interesting.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have many auto-buy authors, ones whose books I HAVE TO HAVE no matter what the synopsis says. But then there are also those I'm wary of after not liking a book of theirs. I like giving authors second chances, but some books were too awful for that. And oh, I usually add a book if I like the synopsis, I see good ratings, an author I love wrote it... Basically, everything. :P
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you don't have any, and that you focus more on what the book is about than on who wrote it. Not many people do!
Holly @ The Fox's Hideaway
Yeah, I had a feeling that my book buying habits were slightly unusual. So many people have auto-buy authors.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have auto-read authors (like Julie Kagawa), but I can't actually call them auto-buy authors, because I still don't buy tons of books. I rely on the library a lot. So, does that count?
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I think that counts. :)
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I have several auto-buy authors, and mostly that's because I've read books by them in different series and just love their writing, character development, world building and stories. Heh, like Nicole just above, Julie Kagawa is one of my auto-read authors, but I don't always actually buy her books, as I've been lucky enough to receive ARCs for several of her books in the past.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion post, AJ.
Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
I’ll have to check out Julie Kagawa’s work. I’ve heard of this author, but I don’t think I’ve read any of her books.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I'm like you, with only a few exceptions. Christopher Pike, because I love weird books, is a YA-A auto-buy author for me; and I collect all the classic mysteries by Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr and Rex Stout. Also, I love this new YA author called B.C. Johnson (you should totally check his books out, if you like original, tridimensional characters and poignant but also funny prose). But most of the times, even when I rated a book 5 stars, its author doesn't automatically end on my TBR list. It HUGELY depends on the synopsis - and the reviews of course!
ReplyDeleteThe only authors I'll never read are those who don't respect bloggers...and don't know how to write, LOL.
New Twitter follower! I'm a recent Twitter convert, and it's more fun that I thought it would be :).
I followed you back on Twitter. I’ll have to check out B.C. Johnson. I’ve never heard of him.
DeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Hmm.... I would say George R.R. Martin is an auto-buy author for me with anything NEW he writes, but I doubt I will actually go back and read his pre-ASoIaF stuff. I think I have a few more authors like that: Ernest Cline and V.E. Schwab are the ones I can think of right now. As for never-buy, those usually have to do with authors themselves rather than their writing for me. Writing can improve, being a jerk is a different story. Orson Scott Card is a good example.
ReplyDeleteI totally have auto buy authors but agree with that if the library gets their books I will wait. I will auto buy Colleen Hoover, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Amy Harmon, Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic. I have to say that I do have a few auto-buy authors. They are Lauren Oliver, Julie Kagawa, and Nova Ren Suma. I don't have a never-buy, I think every author deserves more than once chance. I love Stephen King as well, but he's not an auto-buy for me because he writes in different genres. I don't read his sci-fi stuff, but I love his horror stuff. My favorite by him is definitely, hands down, CHRISTINE. Have you read that one?
ReplyDelete