There are hundreds of new authors who make their debut every day and most of them go into oblivion because their impression does not impress the readers enough. These authors, in general, are the authors just because they want to be the authors. They seldom have any long-term vision in their mind and that becomes a problem, in the long run as well as the short run. As a reader, I am writing my opinion on who might be the authors that I would love reading and why.
- The authors with a nice blurb on their books: Most of the authors miss this part. They need to tell the story in short and it should either be on the front cover of the back cover. Front cover is reserved for the artwork and so, blurb becomes the right place where you should ideally put your summary, USP or reviews, dear authors. Many authors miss this and I miss them too!
- The authors with a website: Yes, I tend to pick up the books by authors who are having a website. Having a website ensures that a reader can know the details about the author from the best sources, from the most authentic source. Also, a website ensures that the author will interact personally with the readers should they have any queries and readers will also know about books, events and details about the author as if something from the primary source, unspoiled and unadulterated.
- Authors with social media account & regular updates: What can be better than having all the readers together? I don’t understand why are some authors not very active on social media platforms like Facebook, twitter and Instagram. This will only aid to their presence on the web and their readers will be even more friendly with them once they begin interacting with them on a frequent basis. The authors who are not very active or absent from social media platforms, and they happen to be modern writers, I will not read those! Period.
- The authors with no other people saying them authors: Yes, there are many new authors who call themselves authors and no one else from the literary community, book bloggers community or anyone in the book circle call them or acknowledge them as an author. On the contrary, if many people are offering their regards to someone as an author and are taking about that person’s writing in general, irrespective of the book, I will read that person without a second thought. Creating a buzz among the reading community is something that I can call a big achievement for an author! For example, we someone to be one among the Indian English poets because not only he or she says it, many people say it too!
- The authors who write only one book: Yes, there are many authors who write only book and sit silently for years before producing another and that comes out as not so impressive! Such authors are either not serious about their career as authors or they fear their own creations. In both the cases, I avoid such authors.
- Authors who price their books at more than 250RS: Yes, I cannot spend more than 250 rs and that also in extreme cases only. I usually buy books, paperbacks, under 200 rs and ebooks under or at 99 rs unless I know the author personally or it’s a benchmark book. So, dear authors, price your books wisely and enjoy my readership or you may lose one reader.
So, dear readers, these were the six qualities that I look for in an author and obey these most of the times. I don’t know how do you judge authors before reading or shortlist them based on what qualifications. However, I am sure that there must be something that we use to look for before we get our hands on the books by a particular author. Let me know yours if you can. Thanks and happy reading!
And authors, you can use services by agencies or work yourselves, but you do need to ensure that readers know about you as well as your book. Otherwise, you will end up with most of the copies of your book around yourself! There are many agencies which offer Author Branding services etc. You can check them out.
Post by Kaushal for The Best Books