I read a fascinating article last week that’s stuck with me.
Apparently, like every other digital device we’re attached to, our ereaders are
a wealth of information about our habits.
While I’m not quite ready to envision a future where instead of
receiving a set of edits, I get a detailed list of where readers left off in my
last book, the article does make several interesting points.
What makes readers stop reading?
Can that be treated as a data point that can be fed back into your next
book?
Are there some books where the buzz and copies sold has nothing to do
with reader enjoyment?
Personally, I don’t have all the answers but I do (as I’m prone) have a
heap of opinions. Most especially, what struck me personally was that there are
lots of reasons I don’t finish a book and, quite often, it has nothing to do
with whether or not I’m enjoying it.
I purchase roughly 3-4 books a week. It’s an addiction and a sickness
and one I gladly own. I love books. And I’m constantly purchasing stories that
pique my interest. There’s the authors I have on auto-buy. The series I read a
great review or blog post on. The book a friend said I had to read. The
books written by friends. Books I already own in printed form that I’d like to
have in digital. On and on, there are these reasons and so many others.
Amazon, for example, recently did a sale on the first eight In Death
books by J.D. Robb. I own the entire series (I am now the lucky owner of Naked in Death in paperback, hardcover
AND e) and likely will skip around in my digital versions of those titles to
passages I love or as a way to pass the time one afternoon. Very little rhyme
or reason to the reading itself, but its certainly not for lack of enjoyment of
the work.
I’m curious to know what others think. I do know I’m a bit of an odd
reader. I have books stashed all over the house. There are books next to my
bed, in my office, in the kitchen, in the living room, in my purse, on my
phone, on my tablet….they are EVERYWHERE! I pick books up and set them down,
jumping into where I left off, sometimes hours later and sometimes months.
There’s very little that’s predictable about my reading habits.
So I’d love to hear what you think. Am I the outlier, or is the idea of
keeping track of where readers start or stop a book not nearly as valuable as
whether or not they continue to purchase them?
Thanks for joining me today!
XOXO,
Addison
Despite early ambitions of
being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison
Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She
lives in Dallas and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can
find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest book, SILKEN THREATS, is out
now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense in February 2015. You can visit her at her
website at www.addisonfox.com
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