What draws you to an author?

This forum is for discussion about authors. You can discuss specific authors, types of authors, groups of authors, or any other topics related to authors.

Related Special Forums: Author Articles | Author Interviews

If you are an author or writer looking to discuss writing and author-related issues, please use our writing forums instead.
Post Reply
katliegh
Posts: 12
Joined: 08 May 2014, 11:35
Favorite Author: George Orwell
Favorite Book: 1984
Currently Reading: Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-katliegh.html
fav_author_id: 1746

Re: What draws you to an author?

Post by katliegh »

The thing that grabs me the most with an author is how closely they define their characters, or how psychological a book is. Something that explains an element of human nature while still holding an interesting plot is to me, the heart of an excellent book. Other important factors would be use of language, the more eccentric and unique the the better, or with nods to history, philosophy, or the like.
Elizabeth Rogers 47
Posts: 77
Joined: 12 Apr 2014, 12:54
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-elizabeth-rogers-47.html

Post by Elizabeth Rogers 47 »

I find that it's much like finding a new friend. You have something in common, or you feel like you know him or her. They are interesting, intelligent, and you want to spend time in his company.
SWilder
Posts: 37
Joined: 09 May 2014, 17:35
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by SWilder »

Writing style, voice, subject matter. When I was young, it seemed that authors 'spoke' to me, people I couldn't see who actually existed, proving that other realities and possibilities outside my own bleak-seeming situation existed. That other people had experienced similar feelings and thoughts about similar interests as me. It made me feel like I had friends. I did have actual friends, don't get me wrong. But few of the people around me - save couple that have stuck by me through time -held a match to the depth of feeling, a soul-mate kind of feeling, that I felt with authors who could capture my attention and take me on journeys in books. So I think it's a gift, to do that for people. That's why, in the past, I've tend to read everything that my favorite authors write, over discovering new material.
pharmerdani
Posts: 10
Joined: 12 May 2014, 21:49
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by pharmerdani »

Humorous writing style, and an addictive storyline. I'm also a huge fan of strong, yet flawed, characters who grow personally throughout the piece.
chiliabowl1998
Posts: 64
Joined: 12 May 2014, 20:06
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chiliabowl1998.html

Post by chiliabowl1998 »

It depends on if the author has good books. If I have read a good book by that author, more than likely, I will read more of their books.
Alexsandra
Posts: 116
Joined: 18 May 2014, 22:37
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-alexsandra.html

Post by Alexsandra »

You know that's a good question. I have never really thought about it.I don't believe it's just the cover and title but then again sometimes it is.I have picked because of it and then I went back and read a book that the cover wasn't as good and it was the best out of the last 3 I picked because of the cover and title.Sometimes it is because of the author,I tend to go back to the ones I like because like a old friend they fit what I like over and over again.Not that I don't like other author's because I do but I think it's the style of the writing and how they pull me in that matters more.Make me feel it and believe it and I am in love with it to the end and on,:)
User avatar
LittleWilma
Posts: 247
Joined: 28 Feb 2014, 02:10
Favorite Author: Jeff Melton
Favorite Book: Dark Destiny
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-littlewilma.html

Post by LittleWilma »

The first thing that draws me to an author is the genre. What keeps me coming back to an author is their ability to tell the story. I will return to mystery writers if they have the ability to keep me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what is coming next and are able to provide a suitable resolution to the mystery.
"I like liquor — its taste and its effects — and that is just the reason why I never drink it."
-Stonewall Jackson
Inishowen_Cailin
Posts: 98
Joined: 09 Apr 2014, 16:35
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-inishowen-cailin.html

Post by Inishowen_Cailin »

First of all the genre and then the book description. I then check out the book reviews to see what the general consensus is.
I've found a few authors through recommendations on book forums as well.

--
User avatar
autumnmarie
Posts: 150
Joined: 21 May 2014, 12:36
Favorite Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Bookshelf Size: 45
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-autumnmarie.html
Latest Review: "December Rain" by A.L. Goulden
fav_author_id: 2471

Post by autumnmarie »

I find it especially appealing when an author takes from his or her own life in some way. For instance, Sophie Kinsella was herself a financial journalist and her main protagonist in Confessions of a Shopaholic is doing something similar. I just find it particularly brave of them to share something personal like that with the world and makes me feel as the reader like they are particularly passionate about what they do.
Latest Review: "December Rain" by A.L. Goulden
User avatar
kasi33
Posts: 100
Joined: 19 May 2014, 12:38
Bookshelf Size: 2
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kasi33.html
Latest Review: "Men's Guide To Trouble Women" by Jonathan ago

Post by kasi33 »

Sometimes I enjoy gimmicky Authors, like one trick ponies. As long as they keep the story going, I will follow them. I vastly admire Authors who have a wide range of topics and settings for their books. My favorite author writes all means of fantasy and science fiction, taking place in the past, present, and future. Some of them are magic, some of them are military, some were even set from the Bible! His range is amazing, and I am never disappointed!
"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them." — Neil Gaiman
Latest Review: "Men's Guide To Trouble Women" by Jonathan ago
User avatar
klucey
Posts: 21
Joined: 18 May 2014, 11:24
Favorite Author: Stephen King
Favorite Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Currently Reading: Game of Thrones
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-klucey.html
fav_author_id: 2376

Post by klucey »

I think what draws me the most is an author's ability to portray humanity in a realistic way, even when(often especially when) it is ugly. There are a few authors for whom I've finished their first book and said to myself, I will buy every book this person writes. These include Khaled Hosseini(The Kite Runner) and Kathryn Stockett(The Help).
jenlb7806
Posts: 39
Joined: 26 May 2014, 12:14
Currently Reading: The Heart-Shaped Box
Bookshelf Size: 10
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jenlb7806.html
Latest Review: "The Gaming Revision Guide" by M.P.Thomson

Post by jenlb7806 »

I love a good book cover and title. I love an author that can surprise me. I don't want to see the ending coming. I love twists and turns. I want the characters to draw me in and care about them. I want someone to love and someone to hate. I want to be able to visualize the main character. And most of all, I want a story that can take me away from my life and transport me into their world - even if it is something happening just down the street. But I also want something a little bit familiar in every story that I can relate to and imagine myself in the story.
Latest Review: "The Gaming Revision Guide" by M.P.Thomson
User avatar
emveleva
Posts: 10
Joined: 31 May 2014, 09:56
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-emveleva.html

Post by emveleva »

First I pay attention to their style and if I like it, I start thinking about the plot, the characters and how they are developed. Basically those are the three elements that make me love an author - style, plot, characters.
User avatar
AnnieFulton
Posts: 5
Joined: 03 Jun 2014, 12:49
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by AnnieFulton »

Scraig12 wrote:What makes you select the authors you recommend most? Is it their story? Is it the way they write? Or is the the genre? Who is everyone's favorite author?
One favorite author is a toughie. But I am definitely drawn to writing style, something that just makes the book that much more beautiful. On the other hand, I will not read a book if I do not like the writing style, even if the story itself is good.

-- 03 Jun 2014, 14:00 --
User avatar
221Believer
Posts: 2
Joined: 03 Jun 2014, 15:46
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by 221Believer »

It comes down to writing style for me in the end (part of what I find so compelling about the Hannibal books, as well as Daughter of Smoke and Bone), as well as something much less simple to define - does your book evoke something in me? If I had read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman before I'd read American Gods or Neverwhere or Coraline, I probably wouldn't adore him as much as I do; I didn't get as much from AB as I did the rest. Rowling, of course, is the foundation on which my entire reading life has been built, because I started so young that her work is what taught me wonder. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - well, I identify a lot with Sherlock Holmes for a variety of reasons, and he was written with such humour even then that I always get a good chuckle. "Yes, you do always find it very difficult to seize upon the facts..."
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss Authors”