When you buy a book, what influences your purchase?

  • Hardcover, paperback or eBook?
  • The cover?
  • The synopsis?
  • The author?

What is it that influences you to purchase a book? For me, I like a cover that expresses what the story is about – if it’s a thriller, then the cover should convey that feeling to me. Some people need to know more about the story or know the author before making a decision. And others who read frequently, they buy books because they love to read.

 

Selecting a book to enjoy is a personal choice and the reasons for choosing are many. For an author, this means designing a cover, writing the synopsis (one of the hardest things to do, especially when the manuscript is huge) and what format to supply the book in all become big decisions. As a self-published author, I chose to have a graphic designer do my book covers and supply them in formats for paperbacks and eBooks. My books are available online globally, in various bookstores and some libraries in Sydney.

My debut novel, The Decision They Made, is a #familysaga #historicalfiction set in Italy, Russia and Australia. It is available in English and has been translated into Italian. My next novel, Two Men in a Shed, is about a male friendship and their love of the same woman. It is a #contemporaryfiction novel with adult themes. I also write in the #sciencefiction genre and have a trilogy being published in 2021. The Xenure Station Trilogy is set on Earth, Xenure Station and a planet named Arisis. It is a #scifidrama with #familythemes and #dystopianthemes.

 

As an Australian self-published author, my stories always contain a body of water – sea, ocean, lakes – and these bring solace to my characters and their tortured lives. Family themes are also part of my stories as are relationships, some of which are very dysfunctional. Please consider buying a book written by an Australian author next time you’re browsing for what to read and let me know in the comments what it is that influences you to read a book.

 

Happy reading

Maria P Frino