Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
I don't think much has changed from the old way of choosing books. Browse by genre/sub-genre, pick up books based on title or cover design, read the back cover blurb, read the first page.
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The difference in a bookshop is I can scan dozens and dozens of titles quickly and flit, bee-like, to one title, then another, scanning the cover, blurbs, and a few words inside. Although browsing online at Amazon is very slick, it's not the same experience because titles are closely linked (a good thing on its own); there is less serendipity. I probably look at a cookbook passing a bargain table on any given bookshop visit; I'd never come across those at Amazon unless I was looking for them. The great bonus is the sample chapters ... but those do take time to read and digest.
They are different experiences and each has its merit (and make no mistake I love Amazon's paradigm and execution). But separating wheat from chaff in the indie space is harder today simply because there is SO MUCH more material available -- think Smashwords as a starting point.