Factors influencing readers' interest in new book releases: An experimental study

Readers are exposed to an enormous number of new book releases each year of all genres and subgenres (fiction, reference, technical, art, religious, children, etc.). In this context, getting their attention while they are wandering in a library and stimulating their interest for a new release are issues of great importance for publishers. The study presented in this article used an experimental approach to examine the impact of five variables on readers' interest in a new book release: the reputation of the author, that of the publisher, the attractiveness of the book cover, the degree to which the cover represents the content of the book, and the type of book (a novel or a technical book). The results showed that the first three variables had a statistically significant impact on readers' interest. However, the effect of the author's reputation was observed only in the case of books with a technical content. These findings are discussed and their implications for the marketing of new books are addressed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.