A Series of Series

I mentioned a week or so ago that people in my writing group have convinced me it is okay to work on my fantasy series, because series are in and publishers are more willing to accept them from new author now. It is funny that after that conversation I have seen tons of new articles and blog posts about series. And yes it definitely seems true that series are the new it trend. I had to sit and think about how did I miss this. True I am a broke student and haven't been able to afford to buy non-school related books in a while, but have I been this oblivious?

Now that my blinders are off I can see the trend clearly, The Divergent series, Heist Society, The Hunger Games, Graceling, the list goes on and on. I really had to stop and think where the craze came from.

Once I gave this series of series a thought the reason seemed clear on where the excitement came from. Harry Potter is over Twilight is over, even Hunger Games is over, so it makes sense that authors and publishers are duking it out to see what series will next reign supreme.

This is great to me on twofold. One, I love series, and two I get an excuse to work more heavily on the series that has a grip on my heart.

What are your favorite book series? Mine are a tie between Harry Potter, The Lioness Quartet, and The Jessica Darling series.

What Attracts You to a Book?

We all like to say that we pick books based on how amazing the blurb sounded, but the book has to attract your attention enough to make you read the blurb first.

I know the saying is "don't judge a book by its cover," but I can't help it. I am a very visual person so the first thing about a book that is likely to grab me is the cover. If the cover is interesting enough for me, I move on to the title.

The title of a book can tell you a lot about the novel. It isn't always helpful, but that is still the second thing I take notice of.

I then check out the author to see if it is someone I recognize. Generally this does nothing for me. If it is an author I know and have enjoyed in the past, great! If it is someone I have never heard of, doesn't matter, I will still flip it over to read the back. The only time the author's name really affects me is if it is one of the few authors I just can't stand to give my money to. Really there are only two authors I can think of off the top of my head that fits into this category (Orson Scott Card and Cassandra Clair, both for personal reasons), but it still matters to me. Only after all of this will I read the blurb.

If the blurb is interesting I will either grab the book to buy or put it on my To Read list. If it is only mildly interesting, I will still put it on my To Read list, but will check out reviews later. Of course with blurbs that don't interest me, I quietly put the book back.

What make you want to pick up a book? Do you go through a process like me?