Since I usually check out library books or get mine on discount, even the more expensive ones go like this:

Title, author, summary, cover, reviews/opinions.

Title: Titles are what draw people in. Without a good title, why would anyone consider the book? Look at it this way: Let the Right One In was also publish as Let ME In in America. When I first saw the book, I wasn't interested because of the title, but when I looked up Let The Right One In and found out that yes, they ARE the same book. The new title is less... interesting. So I didn't want to read it as much.

Author: Of course someone is more likely to read a book by an author of a book they previously enjoyed. I am more likely to pick up Darren Shan or David Wong then Stephanie Meyer based on my experiences with their other books. But that doesn't mean I will completely shy away at first. I took The Host out from the library because of the next two reasons. (did not enjoy it that much either).

Summary: The cu de gras. If your book has a stupid/tacky/over done/boring summary (or tagline or blurb) then most likely... people won't read it. Just read a summary or blurb for a Stephen King book. Even if you don't like him most likely you think "hey, now THAT'S an interesting idea". However, even if the summary is a bit sub par, that doesn't mean I will put it down.

Cover: The drawing point of the book, sometimes even before a title. The cover. If a books cover looks hideous (like a few I will not mention, except maybe ... LOTS of the Babysitters Club books, which I do like by the way) then most people are not going to want to read it. But look at popular books. Beautiful Creatures, Twilight, Misery, these all have AMAZING covers that draw you in (even if you think the book inside is bad after).

Reviews/Opinions: This is mostly for books I want to buy and I take these with a HEAVY grain of salt, but if 75% of the people who read a book said it was bad... MAYBE it is bad.

Sometimes I'll pick a book based [/QUOTE]on a recommendation. If I've heard good things about it (and can actually remember the title/author), then I'll give it a shot. That can kind of be hit or miss though because sometimes what someone else likes doesn't catch my interest. xD;;

I'm pretty guilty of picking a book by the cover. If the cover art is nice and it has appealing font then I'll be more likely to pick it up. Sometimes this method works out okay, but other times it can be a let down. Even if the cover is nice though I still have to read the summary/a few pages of the actual book before buying it.

First I look for authors I like, and then I look for books with interesting covers and titles. :)

But after I find any book, by an author I like or not, I read the back and possibly skim the first few pages.

Usually I see the cover and fly at the book. I read the summary and check the author. Then I skim through it to check out the writing style. If I like the style, I will get it.

Title: I have to admit that this is generally what will initially draw me to a book. There have been times I've read a book where the title didn't appeal to me and loved it, but those have been rather rare occurances.

Author: When I was younger, I would only read things from authors I knew. Which, admittedly, got a little repetative, but then a friend introduced me to another author, and ever since I've been willing to experiment. And I'm glad I do, there are several books/authors I never would have found otherwise.

Cover: No, actually. I rarely look at the cover other to see the title and author unless I've decided to read the book, then, I look to see if there might be any secrets lurking for someone to find.

Back Blurb: YES. If this doesn't pull me in, I wont give the book another look. In my opinion, this has to appeal to the reader or it's never going to get off the shelfs.

First page: I'm one of those rare readers who also judge a book by it's first page. It's the final test for me. If the title and back blurb have drawn me in, it's up to the first page to keep me there. If I find it dull and hard to get through, it sets a tone for the rest of the book, and I don't read to be bored. I read for fun.

So yeah, that's me ^_^

I usually choose based on what the cover looks like, because usually the pictures give some clue as to what the book is about, but my decision to read it is often decided by the blurb on the back, if something draws me and nothing turns me off of it, I'll usually try and read it.

I am quite ashamed to say this but, I do unfortunatley judge books by their covers. But not all the time. If I hear that a book is really good then I do not really care of what the cover looks like. To get my attention a book does need to be flashy or just look a little interesting. For example if the title is odd and unique then I will look at it and see what it is about. So I guess I do judge a little on the cover as well. Now that I think about it, I do take quite a few factors into mind to choose a book. But most people do look for authors that they recongize or have heard of some where. I guess I do that too. Like this one author I read about in a magazene, so I bought the book. Then a few weeks later at the library, I saw a few books by the exact same author. Turns out she has like 28 books in the whole series. And I have them all and i am working on reading them all as well. So my decision is based on author, title, and somewhat the cover art. Also books that have like a little peice if the book on the back, I typically read that. If it seems good then I might be tempted to read or buy it.

I have pretty high standards when it comes to books. I have a certain criteria that a book should fit into, if the book doesn't meet all my expectations then it's safe to say that I probably won't give it the time of day.

Title: In all honesty, the title of a book is very important. If a book has a really lame title then it won't grab a lot of attention. If the title gives away the whole plot of the novel then I'll also be inclined to leave it. Though saying that, the title of a book can also be rather unimportant in the great scheme of things. I mean I know that some books with truly cringe-worthy titles can be very good reads.

Paperback/Hardback: I think that this has to be one of the most ridiculous reasons to shun a book that I've ever heard, no offence to those who feel that way was intended by the way. But the majority of books will come out onto paper back eventually and the majority of books start out on hardback. It really doesn't put me up nor down.

Blurb: I feel that the blurb is extremely important and the majority of my decision is based off of that. If I find a blurb interesting then I'll be more inclined to look further into the books. Sadly if a blurb is boring I'll leave the book unless I have been recommended to read it. The Harry Potter books are a prime example of blurbs that are awful. They basically just say what year Harry's in at school and that some dark dangerous surprise is in store. To be honest, that's not enough to hook me.

First/Last Pages: If a book has passed the title and blurb test then I will move onto the first page and the last page of the book. Before I buy or borrow a book I have to read the opening and the ending. If the opening and ending of a book is good then it's usually safe to assume that the middle of the book will be good too. Also if gives me a good idea of the writers writing style and whether or not I will enjoy the book.

Cover: I feel that the cover of a book is somewhat important, because if I'm browsing a shelf looking for a new book to read then it is the cover that I first notice and it will be the cover that grabs my attention. However, the cover does not impact my decision to read the book or not. Twilight for example often have very nice covers (in my opinion) but the books are complete garbage (again, in my opinion) and Treasure Island has a fairly bland cover but is a great read. The cover only provides first impressions, in order to get to the bones of the novel you have to look deeper. Hence, why it does not effect my decision to read or discard a book.

Author: Usually this is quite an important factor. If I like the author then I'll more than likely enjoy the book. Alternatively, if I dislike the author I'll more than likely dislike the book. There are some authors that if I see their name on the book I will not read it, Stephanie Meyer and Stephan King are two prime examples of this. Other than that who the author is doesn't tend to impact my decision too heavily.

Opinions: Other peoples' opinions can also impact my opinion on a book. If several people I know say that one book is an absolute bomb and to steer clear from it, normally I will. If several people who I know recommend the book to me then I'll be more likely to look for it. I don't normally put too much hold in reviews published in newspapers or online though unless I respect the person who wrote it as a good judge of literature.

the cover art helps draw me to the book, but essentially its the preview on the back or inlet that helps me choose.

I don't know, I don't have very high standards when choosing books. I'd buy or read basically anything and make up my mind when I'm done. The only thing I really dread is chicklit, I just don't appreciate reading them and they are easy to discover by their mostly pink covers... No offence..

Disco~, you have a variety of strategies, hehe. As for me, it is really hard to choose a good book to read. I like the horror, scaryish books, but I can rarely find those. I love to read R.L. Stine books, he is my favorite author. He writes scary books, with a thrill at the end of every chapter. If you enjoy reading those types of books, you should try reading his books. They're fast-paced, non-stop-thrilling experience. (;

the cover helps draw my attention but i usually flip to the back cover and read the lil paragraph about the story and if its interesting and i think that it will be a good book to read then i check it out and read it.

Usually when I'm at the library or just looking at books at the store and not looking for anything specific, I'll usually pick a book out if it has an interesting cover, or an interesting title, or I'll flip it open to a random page and read.

Content is queen for me -- if it is thought-provoking, philosophical and deals with how to see and interpret truths, I am all for it. I also look for funny books -- books that will make me laugh out loud...