So Misguided

Please check out the survey on Galley Cat.

They want to know “What’s the most likely way a book gets on your to-read list?”

I read about it in a newspaper (print or online).
I read about it in a magazine (print or online).
I read about it on a blog.
I saw something about it on TV.
Someone I know recommended it.
It caught my eye in the bookstore.
I traded with a friend in publishing for a copy.

It would be a shame if only people in the publishing industry answered this survey, which they acknowledge. The call to action is go do the survey, then tell other book readers to answer the survey.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Monique—I followed the link but after looking around the crowded page for a while I still couldn’t find the survey. Is is possible to link to it more directly?

Thanks John.

Here’s the direct link.

I must say it was difficult to get to. I used the email to a friend link then deleted the email code to get to the URL.

Media Bistro, my friends, make the direct links easier to access.

Thanks Monique. I found it.

I’ve gotta say, though, that I found it very limiting.

It’s a shame they don’t allow me to define my own “other” option. None of those options really reflect how I discover new books. For years, my main method has been to tap into the various mechanisms on Amazon to suggest other books based on a book that I like (lists, people who read this also read, etc.). Lately, I’ve been using the recommendations feature at http://www.librarything.com—I’ve discovered quite a few gems that way.

I also use Metacritic sometimes, which aggregates multiple reviews into a single meta-score. Not exactly the same thing as “I read about it in a magazine”.

I agree with you. I selected recommended by a friend but in the notes section wrote that I consider recommended by a friend to be recommended by a trusted source: could be a friend, could be a blogger I read and consider a friend but have never met, could be Amazon or LibraryThing.com.

It’s certainly not a scientific poll, but you raise an interesting point. The poll highlights the limitations of how we (publishers, media) think about the mechanisms of discovery, what we include and what we exclude or forget about.

The survey is somewhat limited, but it does allow you to leave a comment if you need to explain!

When I completed the survey ‘Someone I know Recommended It’ was JUST in the lead by the way…

Just found your blog - and as a book lover this seems like a great place to visit.

The survey raised a good question - how do books get on my to read list?

From my first days in a public library I picked books by “walking around”. Walking the stacks was enough for me to find a book that made me want to read it.

Will have think about this a bit more.

Glad to find your blog.

Keep creating,
Mike