Browsing the Bookshelf

What first draws you to pick up a book that you see laying around in the bookstore? Is it the author? The cover? The publisher? Of course content should always be first, and I don't buy something purely based on external factors but the externals can play a role in choosing a book or at least they get you to first pick up a book when you're browsing the bookshelf. For me it comes down to a couple of factors:

Okay, so publishers. I know that for me if a book is not published by certain companies (namely the big name frum book publishers i.e. Artscroll, Feldheim, Judaica Press, etc.) that I have become comfortable with then I tend to avoid reading the book. These companies have made a name for themselves for publishing books that express ideas and values that I am comfortable with so I often narrow down my book choices to those names. Some people might say that this makes me "close minded" or that I'm limiting myself from a large selection of Jewish books out there but these publishers alone have put out thousands of books and I could go well through most of my life subsiding from their books alone so I don't feel like I'm limiting myself. Like authors (see below) people read books by publishers that have made positive names for themselves just like people buy products from companies that are known for creating good products. Marketing 101.

From my years at glancing at the many books that grace the bookstore shelves, it seems that Judaica Press and Israel Book Shop tend to put out the best covers for books, and they usually draw me right in to at least picking it up a flipping through it. Covers give off an impression (whether true or not) of quality and I find myself picking up a lot more books from those publishers in contrast to others. I would say that Feldheim comes in at number three and then comes Artscroll. The Artscroll covers just don't seem to catch the eye as much as some other books do but there are always exceptions to the rule. One example is Miracle Ride, which was a great cover that just jumped out at you.

Authors of course are a huge factor as well. When looking at the secular book world you will notice that certain well known authors just have to put out a book and it is grabbed right off the shelves. At this point, J.K. Rowling could write anything she wants and it will become a number one bestseller. But for authors to get to that point they usually need to prove their capabilities as writers and therefore most people come to the assumption that anything they write will be a quality item and worth the read. The same goes for some of the popular authors in the Jewish world. If Chaim Walder puts out another People Speak I know that I will buy it because the first three have been great hits. For some people anything that says Twerski on it is a must have for their home libraries. Therefore if a new book comes out and it is by one of these authors I will gravitate towards buying it more than certain other books. Most of the time I will first look it over a good two or three times before shelling out the twenty plus bucks for it but the simple fact alone that the book has a particular author's name stamped on the cover gets me one step closer to considering making the purchase.

So next time you are in the bookstore ask yourself (or your subconscious) what factors play a part in your book buying experience?