I discovered what might be my all-time favorite book, Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler, while surfing the Amazon website many years ago. I’d heard of the book and, curious, I used the “Look Inside” feature to read the first chapter. I immediately fell in love – with the language, the characters, the humor. Consider this snippet from page one:
In 1872, the residents of the asylum for the insane in Steilacoom, Washington, were thrown out of their beds by earthquakes resulting from volcanic activity in the Cascade Mountains. The event was so profound it cured three of the patients instantly. These cures were responsible for a brief and faddish detour in the care of the mentally ill known as shake treatments.
She had me at “shake treatments.”
These days, Kindle gives me a similar option to sneak a glimpse into a book before I decide to purchase it. But some books that sound intriguing or thrilling or thought provoking in the write-ups, fail to pull me in, and the sample languishes on my e-reader until I eventually delete it, usually after revisiting it once or twice because I’ve forgotten what it was about. Then I’m disappointed all over again.
I probably have dozens of dead samples on my Kindle: books that sounded good but didn’t grab me. Maybe they moved too slowly. Maybe they painted a violent picture much too graphically. Maybe I just didn't care about what was happening in the book. Whatever the reason, I decided they weren’t for me.
Some of the dead and dying samples currently on my Kindle:
- Sexually, I’m More of a Switzerland – great title, just didn’t pull me in
- When We Were Strangers – probably well written, but I wasn’t in the mood for the story line
- The Distant Hours – so many people love this book. I might, too, if I could just get into it.
- The Sisters Brothers – I actually plan to buy this one. It definitely grabbed me, but I had too many other books already queued up.
- Cool, Calm & Contentious – I thought I would love this, but I didn’t.
And now three that I did purchase after reading the samples:
What about you? Do you read samples? What is it that makes you bite, and purchase the book?
I don't think I have ever bought a book based on a sample. The samples I have read were always an excerpt from the first chapter and very few books have an opener that moves you like "shake treatments" do. I have, however, purchased a book based on a cover blurb or recommendation by another author I enjoy. Sadly, I have discovered that a great author does not always make a great recommendation. Blurb fail?
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