What is your single most common method of book discovery?

[Smashwords]

Most of us utilize multiple methods of ebook discovery. If you had to choose a single method you rely upon the most, what is it?

Answer the poll, then please elaborate in you comments.

[OneandonlyDoc]

Where's the poll? >.>

Edit: There it is!

I chose "other" because I rely equally on covers/descriptions, browsing in bookstores (though with the closing of Borders, I doubt I'll be doing that as much) and recommendations from friends (verbally) and reviewers through GoodReads.com.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Sometimes I just trawl the Web for lists of the top books of all time and choose something from that list that strikes my fancy. Sometimes I'll start with a book I love on Amazon and go down the chain of others also bought until I find something interesting. Sometimes I'll pursue options suggested by others on MobileRead through threads like the 'book quote game' and 'what are you reading'.

My favourite method is to go to an actual bricks and mortar bookstore in town and wander the aisles and displays for things that catch my eye. I generally find better stuff in the physical world than in the world of bits.

After I figure out what to read than I figure out how I'm going to read it. I'll check Amazon and other on-line stores and if the prices are more than I want to pay for the e-book then I'll head over to my library's website and see if I can find it there. Or I'll head over to a physical book and see if that price is better. When I've found all this out I'll make a decision if it's a buy or a borrow option. If I can't figure that out, I'll just toss the title onto the WTR pile and find something else.

It's pretty unscientific how I find a new book and author, but pretty scientific once I figure out I want to read it.

[DiapDealer]

I chose:

Recommendations from fellow readers on online forums, blogs, message boards

if those are my only choices.

But in reality, my number one method is: recommendations from other like-minded readers that it's taken me years to find. Whether they're online, down the street or across the hall.

[anamardoll]

I rely HEAVILY on freebies and bargains to find new authors. And I also go to B&M stores to browse.

But if we have to pick one, my biggest method is probably the Amazon Recommends.

[ProfCrash]

I tend to read what my Mom buys so that we have something to discuss other then the weather and when I am going to get pregnant and her health.

That sounds bad, it is not that bad. I have a great relationship with my Mom but I do like talking to her once a week and need something other then normal stuff to fill the conversation. We share a Kindle account so I read the books that she buys on aregular basis. It also helps me read something other then Sci Fi Fantasy.

I do look at recommendations from forums and newspapers. It has been ages since I have been in a bookstore.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I rely HEAVILY on freebies and bargains to find new authors. And I also go to B&M stores to browse.

I rely on the freebies method for ebooks.

For pbooks, I rely on book covers, browsing B&M stores, and reviews in trusted sources like the New York Review of Books.

[BearMountainBooks]

Hard to pick just one, but usually rec's or things I see on Goodreads that others are reading. Some books from here and some from Amazon's "he bought" lists. Rarely best seller lists, but lately I've been picking up a lot of freebies.

I also use Books on the Knob and DailyCheapReads.

They put bargains up and if the cover or description catches my eye, I check it out. I used those two sites at least 3 or 4 times a week and two weeks ago signed up for the daily emails. Curses! That meant I noticed at least 3 books I wouldn't have bought otherwise...

[ficbot]

I answered "bestseller lists" but that is not strictly true. For fiction, I tend to go in with a single title in mind and just buy that. For non-fiction, I start with the best-seller list and then follow the "people who bought" lists from there. For instance, I was recently looking for books on a certain health issue so I did a search, opened up the first few results and then followed the Amazon suggestions to other books of interest.

[old goat]

No common method of book discovery. Combination of methods listed on poll. Perhaps a comment from a forum member will cause me to look up a work, or a recommendation from a friend, or just browsing books.

[DiapDealer]

Forgot to mention that the Man Booker Prize long-list has become a very solid "recommender" to me in recent years.

[Sweetpea]

Other: I browse randomly.

I never read reviews. A good title is a pre, a good description as well. Unlike pbooks, I don't really look at the covers for ebooks, the title is more important.

[Asawi]

"Other"
I almost only read library books, so I keep track on titles added in my libraries.
(I then check out reviews and recomendations for those books to try to figure out if they are for me.)

[Giggleton]

I have multiple book feeds in my toolbar, I am forced to go by the one line description that the uploader has given to the book but if the description is even remotely interesting I will download.

[alansplace]

i voted for browse book covers but actually i browse cover art [as opposed to covers that have printing all over the art] and if it grabs me i find out what book it was painted for and investigate further.