Am I Worth The Read?

So, I find this book at Barnes and Noble. The outside is in good condition and the cover is shiny with no imperfections. I go to a used book store and low and behold I find the same book. The outside is in okay condition even though the cover is beginning to dull and rip a little bit. However, it is half price compared to Barnes and Noble. So now I’m at the library, looking for another book when I run across this book again. The book is in the same condition as it was at the used bookstore just a little dusty. It’s free but I can’t keep it. I have to stay at the library to read it or return it after a week. Now, some people would want to buy the brand new book even though it costs the most because it appears that they would be the first owner and it’s appealing to the eye. Yet, they don’t take into account that the book could’ve been returned. Some people would want to buy the used book because it still looks good and it’s less expensive. It still serves its purpose and even though it is a little worn, its value is not lost. Others would want to go to the library and read it. Even though the book won’t be yours, you can still read it anytime you want to as long as it’s not checked out and you didn’t have to pay anything for it. Now before I buy the book, I open it up and read the preface. Ahhh the preface. The potential make or break part of the book for most. If the preface tells too much, is too long or is uninteresting, I probably won’t want to read anymore. If the preface keeps my interest, I will at least read Chapter 1. Am I talking picking out books? No. So what’s my point you ask? Well, I think often times we fail at selling ourselves as the complete read from cover to cover. We have the bright shiny book cover on the outside but the uninteresting preface on the inside. Or we are not appealing enough on the outside to warrant anyone to even take a look on the inside even though the preface could be worth the read. Or we are good enough to catch the eye with our catchy title but we give everything away in the preface that there is no reason to read the book let alone buy it. If no one is trying to read your book or buy it then one of those reasons could possibly be why. I think we need to stop marketing ourselves at the wrong place and to the wrong crowd. If you are a brand new book, why are you on the shelf with the used books? Or if you are a book of suspense, why does your preface say you are a drama? If you never market yourself in the right place and to the right audience, you will probably always have the wrong readers. Just some food for thought.