1. Title and cover are secondary.
Whether it’s The Hunger Game or Twilight, content is king.
We’re living in the era of advertising and marketing. Every day, hundreds, even thousands of books are being published, very few of them become popular. So, to make it stand out of the crowd, the title and cover are important factor to be reckoned with. Colorful, eye-catching cover along with stunning title are common formula for a wannabe best seller.
But, buying book is for content, and content is always king.
So , remember to take a glance at some chapters before purchasing something like What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex
2. Comment is a good reference
Sometimes it’s called a praise which delivered by other person or author for the content of that book. What they wrote isn’t quite important, just scan for the names. If you see a famous one (Jack Canfield or Tom Peters for example ), their comments are solid proof for quality.
Another trusted brand for comment is Oprah’s Book Club, the titles listed here are all quality-proven.
3. Best seller is just about quantity
There’re so many best seller lists these days. Actually, they represent for the Economics of Scarcity in which producer and publisher must choose the best money-making titles. So, it’s normal to say that you don’t find The Hunger Game interesting because you’re a fan of Conan Doyle, or some niche authors.
Fact is, best seller list is another source of reference, however, it becomes outmoded in Information Age. We have other sources to check providing fast and more accurate result. So, if the book can’t attract you, then forget it. Next time, don’t be fooled by the “Whatever Best Seller” statement on some fancy covers.
Content is king.
4. Pay attention to the repetition
You may recognize a title which is repeated time after time in various book titles. Because the author might read that before, it’s just like someone has already done the review for you. For example, I purchased “Think and Grow Rich” because its name appears in 3 different titles : Dare to Win, Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Success Principles.
Why I chose this ?
First, all of them are written by famous author ( Jack Canfield and Robert Kiyosaki ).
Second, obviously, they don’t risk the reputation to advertise for some good -for -nothing title.
5. What you love is important
It’s seriously important to clarify what topic you want to read most, which would focus the search on most popular titles. Self-help or game, sci-fi or horror. Whatever you love, there’re always books ( or ebook, try Smashwords, a trusted place for independent publishers with many ebooks to choose ) to satisfy it.
Don’t force yourself to read what the crowd read, just because it appears in some best seller list ( again ! ). I don’t like Twilight since I’m madly in love with video game design, so I attend forum to find recommend book titles.
It's easy when you know what to read.
6. Take a glance at "Content" and "Index" section
Do a real good scan at these area always tell you exactly what this book is about. Does it have the answer for your specific problem ? Does it have something that make you "Aha ! That's what I've been looking for " ?7. Take plenty of notes
Here's my motto: "The book is mine, I have my rights to do it". Whenever seeing something interesting, I hightlight it. I also write on my thoughts, ideas, or "light - a - bulb" feeling on the book. Don't be shine, just write your ideas, thoughts, emotion, anything. This habit has two advantage :_ Later, I know which part is important
_ And, if I forget the lesson derived from the book, it can easily be found.
Although this habit make your book a little messy, but just give it a try.
Finally, you may find these two headlines useful:
Ingredient X
A book might be well acclaimed or badly criticized by your friends , but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad ( or good ) title. Maybe the writing style doesn’t fit, maybe it’s just prejudice. That’s what I call “Ingredient X”, can’t say who’s right or wrong here.
The choice is yours.
I often find myself reading books which my friends considered “nonsense, time wasting stuff” because they don’t understand how cool it is. In the other hand, I don’t know why a friend of mine keep reading cheap love stories ( and cry all the way, of course ) in spite of my endless comment about how bad it is.
Expand your horizon
By reading books of different kinds ( one or two of them is enough),they’ll provide fresh new ideas and viewpoints breaking you from the old ways. I must admit that, keep reading books of the same kind for a long time is boring. Jump to a brand new topic is fun because you don’t really know what lies ahead.
It’s like an adventure, risky but worth trying. For example, my favorites are self help and business book, last month I purchased The Holy Bible, and a biography ( Steve Jobs : A Biography ) . Superb, I can’t believe why I didn’t read them sooner.
Resources
Here's list of some recommend books for you, enjoy reading!1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
2. Think and Grow Rich
3. Steve Jobs: A Biography
4. The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
5. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
6. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
7. Dare to Win
8. The Magic of Thinking Big
9. The Power of Focus Tenth Anniversary Edition: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Confidence and Certainty
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