The Reader's Spotlight

Hello everyone! It seems to be the norm for writers to interview other writers and then post those interviews on their blogs. All this is great. Those that read the posts get to learn more about an author as a person, as well as their latest books or works in progress. But we authors need to say thank you and give a huge round of applause to the READERS!

I continue this week with another “Reader Interview” and will do so on Thursday’s over the next few weeks. I have asked several avid readers who I’ve seen leaving comments regularly on Facebook, if they would be so kind as to let me interview them and then be a guest right here on H&N. Our readers are the biggest part of the equation when it comes to our success in the literary world. Without them, we would simply be writing words for our own amusement.

Sit back and get comfy and see what the readers think about how we writers are doing…

Reader Interview ~

Name: David Raymer 

Age: 41

Location: Chicago, Il

Savannah: How often do you read?

Dave: I’ve been reading every single day for as long as I can remember.

Savannah: Do you prefer one genre (horror, romance, mystery, etc.) over the others, or do you mix it up?

Dave: Well, if I had to pick a preference, it would be the fantasy genre, however, that’s by a slim margin. I tend to mix it up a lot.

Savannah: What first attracts you to a book?

Dave: It’s hard to say. It can be anything from word of mouth, a known and respected author that I’ve previously read, the art work on the cover tempting me to read the back cover and it sounding interesting. Many things.

Savannah: And then what makes you purchase the book?

Dave: Curiosity and the hope of finding a new series or author that I’ll enjoy.

Savannah: Do you take into consideration before purchasing a book, its reviews or ratings?

Dave: I usually consider them, but I’ve read so many books that were unknown or received bad reviews, and ended up enjoying immensely, that they only play a small part in my decision.

Savannah: What stops you from purchasing a book?

Dave: Honestly, not much. It has to be completely uninteresting to me for me to give it a pass.

Savannah: What will cause you to not finish a book?

Dave: Not much. I almost always finish a book once I’ve started it because it will bother me forever if I don’t! I’m funny like that.

Savannah: Do you prefer print or eBooks?

Dave: If you had asked me that 2-3 years ago, I would have said print in a heartbeat. I have more than 2,000 books at home at the moment, with more in storage. However, around that time I was given an E-reader. I must confess, the ability to carry 100+ books with me at all times and the ease of use has converted me.

Savannah: While we’re on the subject of eBooks, how do you obtain most of yours? Do you purchase them, wait for them to be “free” or try to win them in a give-away? Any other way?

Dave: I usually purchase them.

Savannah: Do you use one outlet for purchasing books more than others? (Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Book Store, etc.) The reason?

Dave: I usually buy them from Amazon, just because I own a Kindle, so it’s more convenient, but I do purchase from small online publishers for the different content they provide.

Savannah: How do you compare books put out through a publisher, to those that are self-published? Do you see a difference and if so, what?

Dave: Professionally published books tend to have a more “polished” feel to them, although I have encountered the occasional exception.

Savannah: Do you as a reader follow any Publishers, looking for what’s new from them in both newly published books as well as new authors, or do you primarily follow individual authors?

Dave: A little of both really. There are a couple of online publishers that I check with on a regular basis, but for the most part I go by author.

Savannah: As a reader, in what areas do you think eBooks could be improved?

Dave: A universal format would be nice.

Savannah: Would you or have you, purchased a book by an author you’ve read previously, just because it was written by that author? Do you watch for and purchase all their books?

Dave: Absolutely

Savannah: With all the social networking these days, do you “follow” any authors and if you do, what prompted you to do so?

Dave: Not particularly, for the simple reason that there are too many authors that I’m fond of. I do go to some of my most favorite author’s websites occasionally to see if there’s anything new in the works

Savannah: And where/how do you follow them? (Ex: Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, blogs, etc.)

Dave: see above

Savannah: Are you on any authors emailing list for updates? If not, is this something you would be interested in?

Dave: Probably not. As I said…. Too many authors.

Savannah: In regards to social networking, do you as a reader feel it matters if authors are always “professional” or would you rather see the “real” side of them?

Dave: I’d have to say the “real” side. It provides a kind of insight into how and why they write their stories, and in some cases, insight into the stories themselves.

Savannah: On that note, if you saw a book you’d love to read, but saw on line that the author wasn’t someone you clicked with as a “person”, would that stop you from purchasing the book?

Dave: Absolutely not!

Savannah: In your opinion, what marketing tool(s) for books, grabs your attention the most? (Ex: Facebook threads, blogs, ads on the FB sidebar, word of mouth, recommended by a friend, etc.)

Dave: Recommended by friend.

Savannah: Let’s talk about blogs! Do you read/follow any blogs?

Dave: To be honest, not many. Only one or two.

Savannah: How often do you read them? Do you leave comments?

Dave: The blogs that I do read, probably a couple times a week. I’m usually don’t leave any comments.

Savannah: What sort of things would you like to see blogged about? Their books, personal life, things unrelated to books or writing, etc.?

Dave: Any and all of the above.

Savannah: Does the “look” of someone’s blog make a difference to you? (Ex: too much going on/ distracting or boring)

Dave: Not really

Savannah: What do you think we writers could do to reach more readers?

Dave: Having and MAINTAINING a website seems to be the best idea to me, although having a blog is the next best thing

Savannah: Do you watch book trailers? Where? (Ex: Youtube, when posted on Facebook or their blog)

Dave: not really

Savannah: Does the trailer make a difference whether you will purchase the book or not?

Dave: not sure

Savannah: What annoys you the most in regards to writers/books/marketing?

Dave: Hard to say. I try not to let things annoy me much.

Savannah: What is the best book advertising you’ve seen as well as the worst?

Dave: I’d have to say the best AND worst advertising is in the book covers. A good eye-catching cover makes me want examine it further and possibly buy it. Conversely, a bad cover makes me gloss right over it.

Savannah: If I had a new eBook coming out, what could I do as a writer, to convince you to purchase it?

Dave: That’s hard to say. E-books have an inherent marketing problem as opposed to print books in that I’m not able to browse a bookstore and come across them. I would have to say that having a good, well-known online publisher that knows how to market your book would be the best way.

Savannah: Is there anything overall, you would like to see changed in the world of reading?

Dave: No, I’m quite satisfied with “the world of reading” as is.  J

 Thank you Dave for sharing your thoughts with all of us today and for being a guest in The Reader’s Spotlight!


Hugs & Nightmares from,
Savannah