Do you read excerpts?
I find this a pretty interesting question because it seems that excerpts are pretty common place. They’re on publisher sites, vendor sites, promo blogs, review blogs, author sites. If you want to read an excerpt for a book, either upcoming or published, there are any number of sources to get to it.
But what also strikes me is I wonder how often readers actually take advantage of this. I know that I skip lengthy excerpts entirely and only read those by authors I know -and well it’s always a nice thing to leave a note encouraging authors, after all they work hard for our entertainment. But excerpts mean very little to me honestly.
I find excerpts don’t offer much unless the selection is the very beginning. Picking up in the middle of a random scene frustrates me, even if it’s an obvious scene because I don’t appreciate it. I know going in I’m going to lack the appropriate context so why bother? If it’s at the very beginning it’s too early into the book to know if the voice, writing style, or characters are going to develop or perhaps annoy.
So what does an excerpt offer? It’s supposed to give the reader a glimpse into the novel. Entice you to want to read more. But really, does it ever? I wonder
if the size matters. A smaller excerpt can keep the short attention span we all have but longer excerpts may get readers involved in the story more. Does it matter?
If you read excerpts, you do often buy books based on them?
I honestly think the title, cover art, and blurb are the essential keys to getting someone to buy a book. After that, it’s up to the writing to deliver but I’m curious what others think.
So… what do you think of excerpts? Good, bad, immaterial?
Posted in Ramblings
I understand your POV but I actually crave excerpts, and I’d say they’re the single largest reason for me to buy!
There’s only a handful of authors I’d buy without being interested in the excerpt, and they’re the ones whose high standard of writing I can rely on, whatever the book.
Otherwise I may be intrigued by a cover and blurb – rarely a title, as I forget them v easily *my problem* – but I’ve bought many books on that basis, only to find the writing is turgid and the story doesn’t actually follow the promise of the blurb.
To me, the great benefit of ebooks is the ability to read an excerpt before purchase. I’m not reading it for the story or even to learn about the main characters, so it doesn’t matter as much to me if it appears later in the story – I’m reading to get a feel for the author’s style and whether I’ll like it. I really think I can tell enough from even a short excerpt to know if I’m going to enjoy the read.
Maybe I make that decision earlier on than you do. I decide whether to buy or not in the first place, rather than buying a blurb that looks good to me, then deciding if I like the writing or not. Or I’m not prepared to put the investment in! You’re right, a character will often develop – or not – later on in a book and turn me on/off when I didn’t expect it. But I feel if I at least enjoy the style, I’ve got something out of a book.
I’m very interested to know what other readers think
Hi there!
Thanks for your comment and it seems you’re in great company. A lot of authors (in fact every author that replied here and on my LJ poll – still haven’t figured out word press polls) says that they read excerpts. Most mention different elements but almost all say they read the excerpts … Amazing!
I think one key here is that authors are less willing to try a book blindly. This absolutely isn’t a bad thing but you know the work that goes into a book so you want to be sure your precious time is worthwhile. Whereas I think readers are a bit more loose and several have said they don’t read excerpts at all – like me.
Fascinating difference!
After that, it’s up to the writing to deliver but I’m curious what others think.
Actually, I completely agree. And that’s why I do read excerpts. Because, as a reader, they tell me if the writing is going to appeal to me or not. The excerpt can’t tell me if the plotting or character development is going to work for me, but it can tell me if the writing style or grammar is going to drive me crazy.
(That said, I am very influenced by cover art and titles — in that order. I recently went through the entire MBAM bookstore and added books to my wishlist based solely on cover art and title. I am… pretty much an author’s worst nightmare when it comes to that sort of thing. Oops!)
I love authors. You all say a writing style is important. What I find most interesting is that from a reader POV, it’s not usually the writing style that drives me nuts. I took advanced english courses in college and have graduate degrees but you know, it’s much more likely that a character or a plot twist will have my throwing the book over something else like writing. For whatever reason I can forgive writing issues a lot easier than other issues..
I’m a bit more shallow in my book selection *blush*… pretty cover, flashy blurb, well known author and I click “buy.”
I read them, but if they are really long I might not read the whole thing – unless it’s really great of course! Like Clare says, I do it more to get a feel for the prose. Is the writing quality good? Do I like the style?
It seems pretty natural to me. I’d generally do the same in a book store or library before I bought or borrowed the book, take a look at the first page at least.
I want dialogue in my extracts!
If there’s one thing that will annoy me and maybe make me not finish a book it’s bad dialogue. So show me some good dialogue and I’m much more likely to buy.
Oh yes! Good dialogue is critical! Thanks for reminding me I like to see that in an excerpt, too
I agree!! You know JFM if excerpts had more dialogue I’d be all over them. I love great dialogue in books and I think that’s one reason I avoid them. Because a lot of the excerpts I read have too much scene setting – which may be perfect in the context of the book but randomly on its own my mind wanders.
But apparently I have the attention span of a goldfish while buying books so I’m in another category entirely.
Umm. It depends? Gee, could I be any more on-the-fence? LOL
To be honest I used to read them a lot more than I do now. When I just starting out and I wasn’t sure about new authors and if I’d like their style (and back when I had a hate on for first person POV), I would read the excerpts before I bought. Now, not so much. I did not read or look for an excerpt from Vamp Camp, I bought that based on your review (ahhh, the pressure on you LOL) and most books I buy because I already know I like the author’s style, someone I know/trust has said it’s a good book and to be honest, I’m finding there isn’t much out there that I HATE, so if the blurb covers a topic I find appealing I’ll likely get it anyway, even if it’s a new-to-me author.
So I think excerpts can be really helpful for the newbie like I was, maybe not so much for the more experienced reader. Although I have read a couple on blogger sites that have piqued my interest enough to send me shopping and when an author is promo-ing a story I will read an excerpt if it’s posted (steamy is good guys
, but I don’t seek them out when shopping at publishers’ websites anymore as a rule.
I tell you if you hate Vamp Camp, I’ll have to hang up my reviewer badge. I pray nightly you love that book to the depths of your soul. If you do end up hating it, I’ll buy you another book of your choice *promises*
I don’t try new authors all that much without finding some kind of review. In fact I don’t read excerpts because I rely a lot on reviews and my own knowledge of the author. I’m like you… if I like the author, buy anyway depending if the subject sounds interesting.
Steamy is good! Ooo another point. Some readers like sex scenes and some don’t. It’s too bad there can’t be a few excerpts for people to choose hehe.
As a rule I don’t read excerpts. I make my buying decision based primarily on the blurb and sometimes on reviews. If there is an excerpt posted on a blog I follow I may read it but not when I’m out looking for new books to buy.
Thank you Lily. Thank you! Here I was feeling like the lone reader, out in the wind of ignorance never reading excerpts.
I will only read closely if there’s dialogue. Otherwise, I skim. I will know if I want to read it or not and most books only get one chance, unless the dialogue catches my attention. Dialogue is key to a writer’s ability to characterize, pace, structure, deliver information, etc. I have been editing for a while and you can write great prose without writing great fiction. I will overlook some clunky prose in order to get to the characters. On the other hand, crappy dialogue tagging will make me put the author on my Do Not Buy list. (Sorry.
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In general, I pick up a book based on author, publisher, cover, cover text. If I get that far, I skim the excerpt or flip through the book. Reviews do interest me, but generally only if I have seen a number of them from varying sources. The number one thing in a single review that will interest me is when the reviewer has enjoyed a ride outside their comfort zone; the second thing is whether or not the reviewer plans to read, or has read, the book more than once.
Thanks for voting *and* commenting. I’m blown away!
Your criteria are very close to mine. I feel a little more comfortable especially since authors have almost all agreed that it’s excerpts or bust. Your comment about re-reading is interesting because I’ve found readers a lot of the time don’t re-read books. I used to re-read a lot more before I started reviewing. I can remember months at a time I’d take to read an entire author’s backlist again. On a random day instead of heading to the bookstore, I’d go to the shelf and pick at random.
One of the sad things about ebooks is that I don’t read them again as often. It’s kind of an out of sight, out of mind case. They’re hidden away in folders instead of on the shelf to catch my eye. ebooks have to work that much more to be memorable to be read more than once I think.
I read them all the time, especially if the book is by an author I haven’t tried before. I do believe that an excerpt can give you clues into writing style, voice, and characterization. Major ones. If the writing is inconsistent and flat, if the the POV wanders…well, these are all turn-offs for me.
But I have to agree that excerpts that ‘begin at the beginning’, as it were, are by far my favorite. I’m a big believer in the hook. If the first chapter or first several pages don’t tempt me, no blurb, no matter how enticing, is going to convince me to buy.
This goes for all formats, by the way. In all my years, I’ve never bought a book at a bookstore without reading at least the first several pages.
See I totally agree with you but I guess I’m just more generous. If the POV wanders, it may tighten up. I’ve read books where it does and I’m ok to forgive that. I guess I have the biggest luxury of time to allow a book that may not catch me on the excerpt to catch me in the overall picture. Authors don’t have that luxury of time it seems like. And you all are just smarter book buyers!
I read excerpts… sometimes. I think I should more. I have a friend who downloads samples for her Kindle all the time and reads the samples before buying, which seems smart. Every time I buy a book I just can’t get into or that I don’t like for stylistic reasons, I think, “Man, I should have read an excerpt. Then I would have known!” I make a lot of my buying decisions based on reviews, though, so that’s what influences me the most. If I have time and the excerpts are posted in a convenient place (on a blog I read regularly or to a mailing list I follow, for example) I will read them, and sometimes they sway me into buying or not buying a book, but I often don’t seek them out.
I hear you. Everytime I say “I hated the writing style” someone will comment, couldn’t you read the excerpt? I always feel like smaping the smart ass. Yes I could have but why ruin the surprise! Or something like that… *cough*
Just think of it as a way of gambling hehe… just on books!
I read them when the author is new to me or when the blurb doesn’t convince me 100%. I prefer the excerpt being the first few pages, because this is what I’d read in a bookstore as well. If I like that, I’ll buy the book. If I don’t, then I won’t.
However, if the excerpt is a sex scene it puts me off the book immediately. I don’t like sex scenes without context (and a certain connection between the characters) and in an excerpt it seems like random sex to me (even though I know better).
At some sites the excerpts are too long. Nobody needs a whole chapter to see whether they might like the book.
I tend to agree. If the excerpt is too long, it immediately puts me off. I’ll read 5 page blog entries but a 6 paragraph excerpt, what are they doing to me!
In a bookstore I’ll read the back and then usually the small dialogue based 2-3 paragraph excerpt on the front flap. That’ll do it for me. But apparently a lot of other people take more advantage of it and shop smarter, as it were.
Excerpts are an absolute make-it-or-break-it “must” for me…unless, as others have said, I already have implicit trust in the writer.
I don’t care if the passage is dialogue-heavy or narrative-heavy; I don’t care from what part of the book the section is plucked (well, the copyright page doesn’t do me much good *g*). I just want to get a sense of the author’s facility with language, character-drawing, and pacing. The blurb will clue me in about the story as a whole.
Thank you for commenting *and* poll voting! You’re in very good company. I swear I may change my excerpt reading habits now that almost every author seems to shop smart. I always thought that if those issues you mention are bad in an excerpt, they may level out or get better in the whole. I mean I read books where they get slow then pick up. Although the caveat to that is the excerpt should show a *good* example of the book so if it’s bad, that doesn’t bode well.
I think what I’ve learned is that if authors are doing it, it’s probably a smart idea to follow.
I tend not to read excerpts. I rely more on recommendations of people I trust. If excerpts were always from the beginning, I might read them more. But since they can be from anywhere and thus might contain spoilers, I skip them.
That’s a great point. I never considered they could contain spoilers. I just “assumed” they wouldn’t. I also think it’s interesting because you don’t always know that the excerpt is from the beginning either, even if it is. It doesn’t always say “chapter 1″ before it.
I read excerpts when it is a new to me author and I am thinking about purchase. If I have read an author before they are either an auto buy or I will decide from the blurb.
I am very character / dialogue driven in my reading. I do not care even so much about spoilers. I am not necessarily reading for the ending I am reading for the fun along the way. If the author can peak my interest with a few pages in that respect I am very likely, much to the detriment of the budget I pretend to have, to buy.
Hahah.. budget? With books? What’s that… Excerpts may be good for that and I think authors especially encourage readers to take advantage. My cc says go for the shiney.
If an author can be interesting in an excerpt, it does say very good things about the book.
I read excerpts by authors I haven’t tried before, for much the same reason as Clare, to get a sense of the writer’s style. I can usually tell within a few paragraphs whether a book is going to appeal to me, just based on the style of writing. Scary, right? I probably wouldn’t like to be judged by my own criteria! The appeal of a book is such an individual thing — having an excerpt helps me make an informed decision.
It’s like a snap decision but you know based on information lol. You’re in great company. Most authors feel the same whereas us lazy readers just go for the bling. Such a sad commentary on society these days *sighhh*
I read excerpts more and more often these days. They help me make the final decision about whether to buy or not, especially if I’m umming and arring.
There are two things I’m look for in an excerpt. The first is whether or not, after reading it, I’m intrigued enough to want to read more.
The second is hard to describe. It’s the piece’s readability. That is, do I think the style of writing, etc is something that will work for me. There have been a number of occasions where I’ve not made the purchase because I know the writing will drive be batshit no matter how much the story itself sounds interesting.
I never really got into reading excerpts but I tell you after hearing everyone’s opinion I may try. I say… well may but you all make some really good arguments. It may actually have me liking more books and bring my batting avg up again.
Damn you for making sense.. but thank you for commenting since I know how busy everyone is.
Yes, I always read excerpts if they’re available – I know within the first few sentences if I’m going to like it or not. There’s no need to read the whole excerpt, I don’t think.
Axxx
Oh interesting. You just read a little bit of the excerpt. Not the whole thing. Now that’s a thing I could get into. Maybe I’ll follow your path, read just a little bit and see if it helps.
Thanks!
It does save time, Kassa!
Though sometimes I get hooked and can’t stop myself – those are always the ones I know I’m going to love! Axxx
Okay, skootch over and let me on this bandwagon.
E-excerpts! The longer the better. When I’ve read enough to make a buy decision, I can stop reading. In a physical bookstore, I usually read a few short bits from various points in the novel to get a feel for the author and the voice.
Blurbs, reviews and excerpts are mostly how I choose an ebook. And, either page count or word count — the publishers who are coy about the count irritate me, and that sends me to seller sites like ARe where they post word count. (Sometimes I also shop by “heat content,” which isn’t always reliable, but I still appreciate the pubs and sellers who post that).
There is such a flood of m/m e-books out there these days, that I want lots of info before I invest the time and money in a purchase. So many blurbs sound so much alike and are so minimally informative and occasionally misleading, that I seldom buy a new author on blurbs alone, unless the blurb is so intriguing that I will just close my eyes and jump. As for length — in a physical bookstore, I can hold a book and see if it’s a high-priced novella or a weighty tome that will be a big time commitment, and I want the same knowledge for an ebook.
P.S. Kassa, really? You don’t read excerpts?
It’s the one way a reader can end run the marketing and get right to the author, without an intermediary. It’s so interesting that a critical and careful reader, such as yourself, would avoid the excerpts. Vive la difference! Maybe you prefer to purchase a book full of hope, and then unwrap and relish it in privacy, uninterrupted. Maybe it’s a little bit like buying a lottery ticket, where the fun part is hanging on to it and knowing there is a possibility that something very good is coming your way. The odds are SO much better with buying a book than with buying a lottery ticket. 
No, I don’t read excerpts. I really base my purchase on the blurb. Even if the book is part of a series I’m following, I don’t read the excerpt… I want that next book to be a complete surprise. So, nope.. no excerpts for me.
I do read alot of exceprt and set a great amount of stock in them drawing readers to a book – I set a whole day on my blog for excerpts..
However
As one person commented – there can be too long an excerpt and I will admit i’ll just read until I stop or if it clicks with me – then off course I am hooked and will read to the end..
It’s also a nice thing when a eagerly awaited book is introduced through little excerps here and there on an authors website..
For me – Good..
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