To Buy or Not to Buy...How do Romance Readers Decide What to Read Next?

by Jennifer St George

I recently finished reading fellow LoveCat Amy Andrew's Taming a Tycoon (yes, I'm quite behind on my TBR pile!). Obviously the first thing I wanted to do was buy another one of Amy's books...which I could do instantly with my trusty iPad. It got me thinking about how romance readers make the decision of what to buy or read next.

According to research commissioned last year by Romance Writers of America, the top overall decision factors when deciding on a romance are:

• the story
• the author
• it's part of a series
• back cover copy

It was interesting to note the book covers are not a factor listed in the top four. I know I worry incessantly about my covers.  Are they sexy enough? Enticing enough? Is my hero hot enough? Looks like I should be more concerned about nailing those short paragraphs on the back cover.

I also found fascinating (I know it's sad, but I love statistics) the numbers on where romance buyers find information about what they read. The bookstore was still the number one information source. Now, this research was commissioned last year, so things could well have changed...a lot.

My key influences are other romance writers, friends and romance blogs.

Being predominately published in e-format, the top "online" factors in influencing purchase decisions were of particular significance. These were:

• Online bookseller websites (Amazon, BN.com etc)
• Reading about it/seeing it online
• Seeing it on a best-seller list
• Author website.

The saying goes 'lies, damned lies, and statistics' so I'd love to hear how other people make their romance buying decisions.

Jennifer is the author of three romance novels from Destiny Romance. To find out more visit -  website, twitter, facebook or goodreads. Her latest release, The Love Deception is available at Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Destiny Romance.