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| Photo credit: guzzphoto on Flickr |
- Trust the Focus by Megan Erickson
- Focus on Me by Megan Erickson
- Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
- Half Wild by Sally Green
- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
- More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
- Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Which is to say I’ve done a lot of pre-ordering. At least for me.
I’ve found that there are two main scenarios that lead me to pre-order:
- I absolutely love the author and/or the prequel and must have the next book. (This was the case for Trust the Focus, Focus on Me, Half Wild and Made You Up. This was also the case for just about every Harry Potter book after Azkaban and all of the Grisha books after Shadow and Bone.)
- The book is getting a lot of buzz from people I trust and just sounds friggin’ amazing. (i.e.: Made You Up, Simon vs. and More Happy Than Not).
I’m curious, however, about what gets other people to pre-order. Is that reserved only for your favorite authors? Are exceptions made for debuts that sound amazing? Something else? What gets you to pre-order?
Twitter-sized bite:
When do you pre-order books? Do you pre-order often? Rarely? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
11 comments:
I actually really rarely preorder, mainly because I like to see more reviews first and/or wait and see how the Book Depository prices change. I did regret not preordering V.E. Schwab's ADSOM -- I read her earlier The Archived and enjoyed it enough to keep an eye out on ADSOM, but didn't expect so much hype that meant I had to haunt TBD's page for a while before it was available again.
And more recently I ordered ACOTAR, which was actually my first SJM read, but so many people in the book blogging community seemed to be gushing over it I couldn't resist!
It's funny because it used to be that I would RARELY ever pre-order (for years, Harry Potter and Ted Dekker books were it). But...now I must admit hype has gotten me to pre-order more than usual. That said, I haven't regretted a single purchase so far (of the ones I've read)!
Also, ACOTAR sounds super awesome. And I've heard SO MUCH about ADSOM!
I've only done it twice. Once was to get to a certain amount on Amazon to get free shipping because it happened to be a book I was waiting for anyway. The other time was way in advance for an author I wanted to support because she posted about how important pre-orders were. In both cases, I would have gotten the book more quickly if I'd just gone to the store to pick it up. However, perhaps if I'd done the pre-order through a brick-and-mortar store instead of online this wouldn't have been the case. I'll probably do it again if another author friend asks, but it's not something I make a habit of.
I'm really stingy, because when I buy books I tend to want them NOW not when they come out, so I actually don't pre-order often. However, when I do, it's usually for my absolute favorite authors (Megan Shepherd's THE CAGE is the most recent pre-order of mine). But if a book from a debut author or from an author I've never read before is getting rave buzz from people I know/respect/read the same things I do (and if I have the cash to spare) then I'll take a chance on it and pre-order.
I only pre-order my absolute favorite authors/series. I pre-ordered Harry Potter, the last Tana French novel (I love her), and A Dance with Dragons, the last Game of Thrones book to come out. But in that last case there was a hold-up with them, so I ended up cancelling my pre-order and just buying at Borders (RIP :( ). I don't think I'd do it for a book just because it got lots of buzz because popularity doesn't necessarily mean a good read for me (cough 50 Shades cough)
I rarely pre-order books because I'm really cheap and generally like to wait until a book is on sale. The books I do pre-order fall into three categories: 1) Books in a series that I'm already in love with (Harry Potter, Lunar Chronicles). 2) Books by authors I've read and loved several books by (Cora Carmack, Dahlia Adler). 3) Books that remind me so much of my life that I have to read them as soon as possible (Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo). That third category is rare, but it does happen.
Interesting! I wonder if part of the reason I've pre-ordered more is because as of late, I usually buy books online (at B&N.com) anyway, so the shipping wait isn't a big deal for me since I'd be waiting no matter what. I've never tried pre-ordering through a brick-and-mortar store, though...hmmm.
Sounds similar to my methodology. The main reason I've done so much book buying as of late is because of gift cards—when those run out I tend to be much more careful lol. But this year is the first I've done so many debut pre-orders, but as of late there have been a lot of incredible-sounding buzz books...
Oh, I definitely agree about popularity—the only time I buy buzz books if it sounds like I book I really want to read and it's getting great early reviews. I don't generally read anything just because it's popular, because you're right—popularity doesn't mean it's a good read for me, necessarily.
Also, semi-unrelated, but I also remember the very last book I bought from Borders...so sad. *sigh*
I like your categories! I also kind of love how many people have mentioned Harry Potter as a pre-ordering must. :)
Also, I get the cheap thing. I wait for coupons all the time ha ha.
Oh, yes, I did pre-order Deathly Hallows! I started reading the series just after Half-Blood Prince came out, so that was my sole HP pre-order, and I managed to get one of those Time Turners that's rusting away in my drawer.
ACOTAR has glorious worldbuilding but is so far a little slow on the plot side. But ADSOM is all shades of brilliant and I am throwing it into everyone's faces, and for good reason.
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