I’ve been prowling around a little here lately. And what I mean by that is I’ve been checking out to see how authors with multiple works fare. Do all of their books sell well? Do one or two books sell better than others? Here’s what I’ve found out from my very informal research. Yes, it seems that when authors have many books under their belt, there are those stories that just simply seem to sell much better than others.

Take erotic author Selina Kitt, for example. She has over fifty books out for sell, and if you look at the rankings, there are some books that land low on the list, some in the middle, and some are selling like hotcakes. And I’m really not sure why that is, really. Her erotica is what I enjoy reading, yet I only have one of her books (and I got a free one not too long ago). I haven’t bought another one. Now this isn’t to slam her writing at all. Personally for me, I don’t have author loyalty, I hate to admit. I just buy books when I feel like buying them, having to be “in the mood,” more or less.

On the other hand, there are those readers who’ll purchase everything an author puts out, like Nora Roberts or John Grisham or Steven King or Anne Rice. When it comes to trilogies, some readers will purchase and read the whole series, whether they actually love the first book or not. Something compels them to buy the remainder of the story.

Then there’s E. L. James and the Fifty Shades Of Grey series. For as many who loved the trilogy, there were as many who hated it. People complained about her horrible writing, people hated the first book, yet read the rest of the work, and of course there were others who started to read the first book, and put it down with disgust, vowing to never read another one. But I’m really talking about those who bought her work anyway, whether they liked it or not. Why? Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty Trilogy is the same. As for me, I have that series, but I’ve never read another one of her books.

So maybe there is something to that author loyalty thing, or maybe readers are just persnickety, buying what attracts their attention at the moment. Perhaps it’s idle curiosity to see what the hype is all about. When I review a collection by an author, I tend to look at the title first, then the cover.  I tend to go more for a title indicating there’s new twist to a set of fairy tales or a catchy title indicating some romance, perhaps. I tend to steer away from smutty titles, like “Doing Daddy’s Best Friend,” or “Doing Daddy.” “Best Smutty Stories” probably won’t get a buy from me, either. Again, for erotica, I have to be in the mood to want it, and when I buy something in this genre, I don’t mind a light, fun, lusty read. I’m looking for the sexual adventure tied up in at least some form of a storyline, but I want lots of sex. I’m a high-heat kind of gal.

How about my readers out there? What compels you to buy an author’s work? Do you buy everything an author puts out? Do you select only titles that strike your fancy? What makes you buy one story in an author’s collection, but not another? I’d love to hear from you, so drop me a line!