Discoverability: Where did you find that book? - Page 2

HarryT · 06-08-2012, 08:41 AM

I discover a lot of new authors through buying Baen's monthly "Webscription" (or whatever they're calling them now) bundles. Due to their very randomness I've discovered a number of excellent authors that way that I probably wouldn't have otherwise encountered, including David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, and Lois McMaster Bujold.

I also find new authors through the "Reading Recommendations" forum here at MR. That's how I "discovered" Brandon Sanderson, for example, who is now one of my favourite authors.

andreabc · 06-08-2012, 02:41 PM

Book blogs, Goodreads, Amazon recommendations, friends (in that order).

I'm probably not a typical case, as I live in Spain but read mostly in English (so I don't really buy books in local bookstores - I realized this weekend at the book fair that I'm terribly disconnected from the Spanish book-market)...

HomeInMyShoes · 06-08-2012, 03:12 PM

There's very little signal to noise on the Internet.

I went to the bookstore the other day and found nothing. An entire wall devote to The Hunger Games. A table devoted to crap for dad that I'd never read. I want a good bookstore. On-line I have to trust the people here and at GoodReads.

RDaneel54 · 06-08-2012, 04:41 PM

MobileRead has led me to discoveries: books mentioned by forum members, websites mentioned by forum members that lead to other books.

Browsing the virtual aisles of Amazon and Baen.

Podcasts like the New York Times Book Review (rarely) and The Geeks Guide to the Galaxy.

Bookstores - not any more.

Joykins · 06-08-2012, 07:58 PM

Book blogs, goodreads, friends' recommendations, some bookstore browsing. I also check some online bookstores/publisher sites for new releases and browse 'em.

One thing not to discount is the online fan community. You can get hooked into genre fandom through lists/blogs/sites and find out what books other people are interested in discussing. I find Tor has done a great job of hosting a site (along with its editors hosting Making Lite) that promotes a community revolving around the books. (so has Baen).

pidgeon92 · 06-08-2012, 09:22 PM

I, apparently, discover books way to easily, from way too many places. I have well over a thousand books in my to be read pile, and they are books that I own and are cataloged in Calibre.

applesauce · 06-09-2012, 06:53 AM

I had not read a book in 10 years so my first call was to all my old favourite authers and the books they had released in that time span. My second was The Game Of Thrones books from watching the tv show. A huge surprise to me as I normally would not touch fantasy and loath reading things I have seen on tv. Next came some recomendations from friends clearing their ereaders. Then came this site and goodreads. I now have enough books to keep me busy for years. But I know this will grow as I can not help myself.

applesauce

ebusinesstutor · 06-10-2012, 03:09 PM

I used to discover a lot of new authors via used book stores and libraries, but now most are from downloading free ebooks the authors/publishers have released from places like Baen Books.

A great way to tell if a new author/series is worthwhile.

Ravensknight · 06-10-2012, 06:05 PM

Goodreads and my friends on Goodreads...

6charlong · 06-10-2012, 07:13 PM

Oddly, I browse my local library. When I find one worth investing the time to read (I'm a slow reader) I go online and get it in digital. I've tried browsing bookstores but it never works for me.

Also from reviews on the radio, Goodreads, Sword and Laser, friends and family, Amazon reviews and from reading blogs.

Bookworm_Girl · 06-10-2012, 09:42 PM

I used to go to Borders every Friday afternoon. Many of my book purchases were impulse buys from the discount tables that they had throughout the store. I also liked their recommendation shelves. I don't know why but I'm not tempted by the equivalent options at B&N. I rarely visit a bookstore these days, and typically it's for a specific purchase rather than browsing. I recently visited B&N for the first time since Christmas since I had a gift certificate to spend and the MR Literary Book Club picked a paperbook this month.

There are no used bookstores near me. I used to enjoy browsing Half Price Books on the weekend, but our local store closed many years ago. It's too far to visit the other locations in my area.

Now I rely on the Amazon "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" recommendations. I've also found some great reads by viewing the Amazon Listmania Lists that users have made.

I like the website whatshouldireadnext.com. Another website that I like is BookBrowse. Otherwise, I read the reviews at GoodReads and browse the "Reading Recommendations" forum here on MobileRead.

Occasionally I will seek out the book sections of major newspapers in the US & UK. However, I don't have much success that way. I also check out the Edgar Awards, Orange Prize and Man Boo, Prize lists since I know that they often have books aligned with my tastes.

usuallee · 06-11-2012, 10:42 AM

I still go to my local Barnes and Noble for browsing and to get a beverage even though I love my kindle and rarely read dead tree books anymore. (Books do still make nice gifts for those who do not have or want an ereader).

This is an interesting thread because I recently did a sort of experiment with Amazon's online recommendations. At B&N recently, I discovered a very intriguing new release, The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner. I then went to Amazon and clicked on various books I had read recently, and combed the "People who viewed/purchased this also viewed/purchased..."

I could not get The Man from Primrose Lane to pop up at all, even though Amazon is indeed selling the book in both ebook and physical editions. This book is by no means a high profile bestseller, but nor is it obscure. It was published very recently in hardcover by an inprint of a major publishing company. I would have missed it if relying solely on Amazon.

To me, my little experiment reinforced the value of discovering books by going to bookstores, aside from the inherent pleasure I still get from doing so.

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06-08-2012, 08:41 AM	#16
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I discover a lot of new authors through buying Baen's monthly "Webscription" (or whatever they're calling them now) bundles. Due to their very randomness I've discovered a number of excellent authors that way that I probably wouldn't have otherwise encountered, including David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, and Lois McMaster Bujold. I also find new authors through the "Reading Recommendations" forum here at MR. That's how I "discovered" Brandon Sanderson, for example, who is now one of my favourite authors.

06-08-2012, 02:41 PM	#17
andreabc Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 1226339 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle (4th gen)	Book blogs, Goodreads, Amazon recommendations, friends (in that order). I'm probably not a typical case, as I live in Spain but read mostly in English (so I don't really buy books in local bookstores - I realized this weekend at the book fair that I'm terribly disconnected from the Spanish book-market)...

06-08-2012, 03:12 PM	#18
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	There's very little signal to noise on the Internet. I went to the bookstore the other day and found nothing. An entire wall devote to The Hunger Games. A table devoted to crap for dad that I'd never read. I want a good bookstore. On-line I have to trust the people here and at GoodReads.

06-08-2012, 04:41 PM	#19
RDaneel54 Aging Positronic Brain Posts: 633 Karma: 2155452 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Aurora (when off-Earth) Device: Amazon Oasis; iPhone, iPad Mini	MobileRead has led me to discoveries: books mentioned by forum members, websites mentioned by forum members that lead to other books. Browsing the virtual aisles of Amazon and Baen. Podcasts like the New York Times Book Review (rarely) and The Geeks Guide to the Galaxy. Bookstores - not any more.

06-08-2012, 07:58 PM	#20
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,609 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	Book blogs, goodreads, friends' recommendations, some bookstore browsing. I also check some online bookstores/publisher sites for new releases and browse 'em. One thing not to discount is the online fan community. You can get hooked into genre fandom through lists/blogs/sites and find out what books other people are interested in discussing. I find Tor has done a great job of hosting a site (along with its editors hosting Making Lite) that promotes a community revolving around the books. (so has Baen).

06-08-2012, 09:22 PM	#21
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I, apparently, discover books way to easily, from way too many places. I have well over a thousand books in my to be read pile, and they are books that I own and are cataloged in Calibre.

06-09-2012, 06:53 AM	#22
applesauce Addict Posts: 387 Karma: 3553492 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle oasis	I had not read a book in 10 years so my first call was to all my old favourite authers and the books they had released in that time span. My second was The Game Of Thrones books from watching the tv show. A huge surprise to me as I normally would not touch fantasy and loath reading things I have seen on tv. Next came some recomendations from friends clearing their ereaders. Then came this site and goodreads. I now have enough books to keep me busy for years. But I know this will grow as I can not help myself. applesauce

06-10-2012, 03:09 PM	#23
ebusinesstutor Star Gawker Posts: 526 Karma: 6944314 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Spruce Grove, AB Canada Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I used to discover a lot of new authors via used book stores and libraries, but now most are from downloading free ebooks the authors/publishers have released from places like Baen Books. A great way to tell if a new author/series is worthwhile.

06-10-2012, 06:05 PM	#24
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	Goodreads and my friends on Goodreads...

06-10-2012, 07:13 PM	#25
6charlong friendly lurker Posts: 896 Karma: 2436026 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: US Device: Kindle, nook, Apple and Kobo	Oddly, I browse my local library. When I find one worth investing the time to read (I'm a slow reader) I go online and get it in digital. I've tried browsing bookstores but it never works for me. Also from reviews on the radio, Goodreads, Sword and Laser, friends and family, Amazon reviews and from reading blogs.

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06-10-2012, 09:42 PM	#26
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I used to go to Borders every Friday afternoon. Many of my book purchases were impulse buys from the discount tables that they had throughout the store. I also liked their recommendation shelves. I don't know why but I'm not tempted by the equivalent options at B&N. I rarely visit a bookstore these days, and typically it's for a specific purchase rather than browsing. I recently visited B&N for the first time since Christmas since I had a gift certificate to spend and the MR Literary Book Club picked a paperbook this month. There are no used bookstores near me. I used to enjoy browsing Half Price Books on the weekend, but our local store closed many years ago. It's too far to visit the other locations in my area. Now I rely on the Amazon "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" recommendations. I've also found some great reads by viewing the Amazon Listmania Lists that users have made. I like the website whatshouldireadnext.com. Another website that I like is BookBrowse. Otherwise, I read the reviews at GoodReads and browse the "Reading Recommendations" forum here on MobileRead. Occasionally I will seek out the book sections of major newspapers in the US & UK. However, I don't have much success that way. I also check out the Edgar Awards, Orange Prize and Man Boo, Prize lists since I know that they often have books aligned with my tastes.

06-11-2012, 10:42 AM	#27
usuallee Media Junkie Posts: 278 Karma: 2039392 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Device: Kobo Libra H20, Kindle PW	I still go to my local Barnes and Noble for browsing and to get a beverage even though I love my kindle and rarely read dead tree books anymore. (Books do still make nice gifts for those who do not have or want an ereader). This is an interesting thread because I recently did a sort of experiment with Amazon's online recommendations. At B&N recently, I discovered a very intriguing new release, The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner. I then went to Amazon and clicked on various books I had read recently, and combed the "People who viewed/purchased this also viewed/purchased..." I could not get The Man from Primrose Lane to pop up at all, even though Amazon is indeed selling the book in both ebook and physical editions. This book is by no means a high profile bestseller, but nor is it obscure. It was published very recently in hardcover by an inprint of a major publishing company. I would have missed it if relying solely on Amazon. To me, my little experiment reinforced the value of discovering books by going to bookstores, aside from the inherent pleasure I still get from doing so.