When I browse the shelves, I'm looking for anything that catches my eye. And not a lot does. What about those books that don't interest me? Is it because they aren't good? What makes a good book, good? What makes it a bestseller? SOMETHING is appealing to the wider audience. The writing style? The storyline? The characters?
My guess? It's all about presentation. I see a book that looks like it was published back in the eighties and my mind immediately skips over to the next book. I see a really thin book? Voom! My mind is racing by. I see a thick book that looks interesting but it doesn't click. It's got a really weird cover.
You've got to admit that we all do it. We all break the ancient saying: don't judge a book by its cover. We all fall victim to it. Don't say you don't because you'd be a liar. Anybody with any sense who sees a crappy-looking cover and set up, you ain't gonna give it the time of day. We should all know by now that presentation is everything. It's what sets apart books that get the opportunity to shine. If you see a book with a fantastic looking cover, you're gonna pick it up and look at it and give it a chance. You see a crappy cover? Mooooove on.
I was at the bookstore a few days ago and I was there on a mission: find some obscure books that I normally wouldn't give the time of day. Bring them home. Read them. On the next go around, find books that I wouldn't touch merely because they are "oh-my-gawd-so-popular!" See what makes it tick. See if it ticks at all.
That's my mission for the foreseeable future.
How bout you?
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