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My primary buying influences are ranked like so:
1. The author. If it's an author I particularly like (Peter David, RAH, Ellison) I'll put it on the stack to be read, no question. If it's one I don't particularly like (LeGuin) I'm far less likely to give it a chance.
2. Word of mouth. If it's a popular book getting a lot of good mentions I'll be more likely to pick it up. This is why I started reading the Harry Potter books, which otherwise I probably never would.
3. Awards. Hugo and Nebula specifically; others far less so. The problem is virtually every book that falls under #3 falls under #2 also, so it's unlikely the fact the book was nominated or won a Hugo will nudge me over the edge since it's probably already a book I had heard about and was considering. But, it's a minor factor.
4. The cover. Back in the old days of browsing bookstores for something new, covers were very important; they caught your eye, and a good blurb could make or break a sale. Nowadays, though, it's almost a non-factor; thanks to the Internet we all know what books are coming out before they come out, and there's so many books that you can't read all the ones you want to read anyway. And now we can buy books and ebooks online, so the browsing experience of a cover catching your eye is almost gone. The last book I bought solely on the strength of the cover was 1991's Crygender by Thomas T. Thomas.
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