Comments on: Welcome Roxanne Rustand

By: Cindy Kirk

Cindy Kirk — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:29:12 +0000

We have three winners!!!

Maureen, Minna and Frana– you’ve each won a book from Roxanne!!

I’ll be contacting you privately on how to claim your prize.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:58:50 +0000

Well, I have a list of authors that I buy no matter what (unless they disappoint more than once, which doesn’t happen often). Otherwise I buy on recommendation or if the cover catches my eye. If the author is totally new to me I will make a judgement based on the back cover blurb, for the rest I prefer my tried and true list.

By: chey

chey — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:42:51 +0000

Hi Roxanne!
When I’m browsing for a book it’s usually interesting sounding titles and back cover blurbs that sell me. I really like it when the first page after the cover is a short excerpt. Kinda lets me know if this is a book I want to read.
I dislike the covers that have no blurb but a bunch of quotes from reviews. Sometimes you’
re expected to either already know what the book is about or just buy it because of the author’s name. Well, some authors write many genres and sometimes I’m not in the mood to read a vampire story, I want to read romantic suspense! (or something else!) And if there’s no blurb on the back, how do I know what the book is about?

By: Minna

Minna — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:50:58 +0000

Cover art, because that’s what I usually see first and it makes me want to take a look at the blurb. Second come the author names. If they are familiar to me and I’ve liked what I’ve read earlier I might buy the book no matter what it says in the blurb or what the cover looks like. Eye-catching titles, not so much. Back cover blurbs helps me to decide whethet to buy it or not.

By: Frana

Frana — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:30:14 +0000

Hi, Roxanne! Congratulations on so many titles!
Cover art is a very important for me, especially when I’m looking for something to read before doing some kind of research before.
Once I pick up a book, the blurb and the excerpt are the things that decide about buying a book.
And when I’m shopping on-line, I always do a research before buying.

By: Roxanne Rustand

Roxanne Rustand — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:21:17 +0000

Hi, Shirley!! How nice of you to remember back to my contest days!

To anyone here who is an aspiring author, I highly recommend contests (there are many, sponsored by RWA chapters) as a way to polish your work and to make contacts with editors and agents. Of course it’s impossible to know, but I think contests, like the one Shirley mentioned, shaved a lot of years from my efforts to become published.

Margo, in some ways it does get a little easier after one has written a lot of books…but then sometimes, a person can just hit a wall out of the blue, and that can be tough!
That happened to me after I’d been on a roll, selling one book after another–then around book #13, I received three rejections. Well-deserved, I’m sure, but I floundered for a long while, unable to produce anything! A wonderful friend, Lyn Cote, helped me a great deal…and another boost was an online class by Jill Barnett, on struggling to change gears in a writing career.

It’s fun to see the process you all use while selecting a book in the store!

Roxanne

By: catslady

catslady — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:42:02 +0000

I think it varies for me. Sometimes I look for known authors but there are times when a cover may strike my fancy and then I’ll read the back blurb. Sometimes I look by genre depending on my mood. I’m a big animal lover so that’s always a nice bonus.

By: Shirley Karr

Shirley Karr — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:03:34 +0000

Hi Roxanne! Wow, has it been 22 books already?!? I was the coordinator of the Golden Rose contest for several years and I remember reading your winning entry and thinking it wouldn’t be long before we’d see you in print. How far you’ve come in just a few years! Congratulations!

As a reader, I find cover art and blurbs are often very misleading so I tend to open the book at random and read a few passages to see if I like the writer’s style and voice.

By: Fedora

Fedora — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:41:32 +0000

Hi, Roxanne! Congrats on so many titles! How exciting!

As for browsing, I think my in-person habits are slightly different than my online habits. In person, I’m slightly more likely to pick stuff up just because the cover’s pretty or the title catches my eye. When I shop online, I tend to be a bit more focused and have titles/authors in mind before I begin. And once I pick up a book, the blurb, excerpt, and first few pages usually tip the scale for whether I buy or put it back on the shelf.

As for plots or settings I enjoy, I really tend to avoid secret-baby stories (unless I’ve read the author before and enjoyed their writing), but love friends-to-lovers or second chances or stories where the “plain” heroine wins the hero. And a good redemption story will also get me every time

By: Crystal B.

Crystal B. — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:42:17 +0000

Hi Roxanne. Congratulations on your new release. Sounds great. The first things I look for are authors names, then cover art, then I read the back cover blurb. If the book sounds good, I want to read it.