Sunday, July 19, 2009

Poll Results Are In!

Not as many people took part in this last poll, and I don't blame them because it was rather ho-hum, even if I do say so myself. In it, I asked what the deciding factor was in purchasing a book by an author of whom you'd never heard.

The synopsis on the back or on the flaps of the dust jacket took the lead out of the gate and never looked back. Unfortunately I can't get more specific than that because, when doing my switch-over to a new blog template, I forgot that the poll wouldn't transfer over, too. Duh!

What was my answer? It's a combination of factors for me. I will admit that the cover is often the reason why I do or don't pick up a book. My answer to tomorrow's Musing Mondays post covers this topic in more detail. But when I make that final decision to put money on the counter for a book by a new-to-me author, I base my decision on the synopsis and a sampling here and there of the writer's style. Speaking of synopses, doesn't it really get up your nose when there isn't one? When all you can find are testimonials to how wonderful the book is? It really gets up my nose, and since my husband sometimes refers to me as "No Nose" (because it's so small), this is a big deal. The only time it wouldn't bother me is if one of the blurbs was mine, since that would mean I'd read the book. I don't foresee that happening any time soon!

And now for something that doesn't have a thing to do with the last poll! Have you taken my new blog template for a test drive? Clicked on things to see where they lead? Taken a good look at all the elements? What do you think? The jury is still out on my verdict, so any feedback (good or bad) is more than welcome. Chances are, if your feedback isn't entirely complimentary, you'll be giving voice to something that's bothering me a bit!

Okay...time for a new poll. Let's see what I can come up with this time!

10 comments:

  1. I love your new look, Cathy!

    And yes, I do hate it when there isn't a synopsis. I find it normally happens with really popular authors, kind of like an assumption that you like their writing so much you don't care what they're writing about. Which is the way I feel about some of them, others, not so much!

    Another thing that irks me a little is when you discover the synopsis doesn't really reflect what the book is actually all about. It doesn't happen that often, thank goodness!

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  2. Hi Cathy! I always enjoy reading your posts and answering the polls. I have to say that i do judge a book by its cover, if the cover looks boring i pass it on , not even reading the back to see what its about. I know :( i'm bad!! Great stuff, looking forward to your Musing Monday ...
    Natalie :0)

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  3. Hm, I think I am going to like it when I get used to it, but I don´t like when good blogs change :)

    I would like posts about your travels now and then (because you write so excellently), but what I am most interested in is posts related to crime fiction.

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  4. I like the new look Cathy...and it loads MUCH faster too which is excellent.

    As for the content of your posts...I voted that you should do what you want. I can always choose not to read a post if I don't feel like it...then we're all happy. I keep my blog very much on topic more as a challenge to myself than anything else.

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  5. I love the new look and I love the new painting on top. Perfect for summer and fits my husband and I to a T.

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  6. The new blog comes up instantly. It looks great. The only thing I miss is your scrolling array of books from Library Thing. Everything else looks clean and airy and cheerful.

    I'm one of the yes, you betcha's on the travel piece question. I like the way you write and your photos are excellent. Together they are A-1. Go for it.

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  7. I really like the new template a great deal! Lovely. The links are great...did you create this yourself?

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  8. I think the look is clean and easy on the eyes. The font used in your latest book review was a bit small for my old eyes, but reading glasses took care of that!

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  9. Yes, it loads faster and is easier to read. Can you make the comment window any bigger?

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  10. Belle--Thanks for the thumbs up on the new look. And what about the synopsis that is full of spoilers?? Grrrrrr!!

    Thanks for stopping by, Natalie. It's always a pleasure to see all of you here!

    Dorte--Somehow I knew your focus would be on crime fiction! :)

    Bernadette--That's one thing I love about it, too--the faster load time. I'm not sure what was slowing down the old one, but it really bothered me. You think like I do about posts. If I see something that doesn't interest me, I just don't read it. :)

    Psmith--I'm like you like "Casting". I love Dewit's art--perfect for readers!

    Margot--The LT widget was one of the first things I transferred over. For some reason, it didn't want to play for over 24 hours. I was wanting to kick it to the moon! Thanks for the vote of confidence on my travel tales. :)

    Serena--Thanks for the thumbs up! I'm not smart enough to make this all on my own. I found one I liked and modified it.

    Beth--Sorry about that font. If you take a look, you'll notice that any old posts that transferred over are in micro-print. :(

    Jeanne--That's weird. I don't notice the comment window being any smaller than any other one I've opened, but I'll take a look at the HTML and see if I can make adjustments without the whole thing blowing up in my face! LOL

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!