Do you pre-order books? What would make you pre-order a book?
I often pre-order ebooks, but almost never pre-order a paper book. Because I’m mostly an ebook reader, I tend to only buy nonfiction in paperback, or novels I want to gift or loan to other people.
So what entices me to pre-order an ebook?
If it’s cheap.
If I see an advertisement for a book I’m interested in and it’s on pre-order for 99 cents, I’m likely to click on that pre-order button. My rationale is that it supports the author, I’m not likely to get it cheaper, and I’ve only lost a dollar or so if I end up not enjoying the book (although I’m less likely to click on pre-order next time if I don’t enjoy the book).
I may even pre-order at $1.99 or $2.99, but then it will depend on how much I have liked the author’s previous books. If it’s any more expensive than that, I’m more likely to wait until after it’s released so I can check the sample before buying.
If it’s a favourite author.
I’m more likely to click the pre-order button if a book is by a favourite author, especially if the pre-order is the sequel to the book I’ve just read (and even more so if there is a short sample to whet my appetite).
This has been known to backfire. I recently pre-ordered the third book in a series from a favourite author, then realised I hadn’t read the first two books in the series. As it happened, I already had the second book, and the first book was currently free, so I downloaded it.
I started the first book, but didn’t like the main character. I started the second book, but didn’t like either of the main characters. So I cancelled the pre-order. I now see it has 100+ 5-star reviews, but I’m not tempted. I’m glad a lot of people like it, but it’s not for me. And that’s okay
So what makes me (or entices me) to pre-order a book?
Basically, it’s price, genre, and author … author if I’ve read their books (or especially that series) before, and price if it’s a new-to-me author.
