Mon
Mar 25 2013 8:23am

Excerpts: Are You Piqued by Peeks?

A recent discussion at H&H HQ yielded some differing opinions on reading an excerpt from a book prior to its release—some of us like to know precisely what we're getting into, whereas others like their interest to be piqued with the back cover blurb, and prefer to read the book when they actually have the whole thing in their hands.

Where do you stand? Do you like to read excerpts from as yet unreleased books, or do you prefer to wait until the book is out?

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5 comments
Heather Waters (redline_)
1. redline_
When it's a book I'm already really looking forward to, I actually prefer not to read excerpts because it's hard to read a bit and then stop! But if it's a new-to-me author or series or something, I do like to read samplers.

I'm a complicated one, what can I say?
Lori
2. LoriK
I feel the same way as redline. If a book is by an author I know then I don't read excerpts because I want the whole book, not a tease. If I've never read the author before then I prefer to read an excerpt and frankly the longer the better. My reading time and budget are limited and I like having a good idea whether I'm going to click with a writer's style before I commit either one.
Kareni
3. Kareni
I almost always enjoy an excerpt; it can make me impatient though to read more and to read it now.

What curious cover art on the book pictured above. It looks as though the woman has only one breast, but I'm guessing she's not an Amazon!
Wendy Lewis
4. wsl0612
@Kareni, yeah shouldn't the author name sort of bulge out if it's supposed to be covering her breast?

I agree with redline and Lori K, peeks are useful when deciding whether a new author's style will click.
Carmen Pinzon
5. bungluna
I'm a spoiler hound and will read everything. Now when it comes to a new author, I'm torn. Sometimes it's usefull to read a bit of the writing to see if I like it, but sometimes the bit is too short and I can't figure out if the story's right for me. I prefer to rely on reviews by trusted people in that case.
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