What Makes You Purchase a Novel?

[Senusret I]

Thanks for the responses everyone, keep them coming!

In general, I browse the African American fiction and African American studies sections. For fiction, I pretty much look for the authors I am already familiar with. For non-fiction, seeing the cover helps, because I'm not automatically looking for a specific topic. Like this week, I saw the concise desktop edition of Africana, but I didn't get it because I'm holding out for the unabridged edition.

I don't generally purchase mainstream fiction unless it has been highly recommended (like the Davinci Code, which I just bought). I also like science fiction, and if I like the author, I will most likely keep supporting that author until I own all their books, like Octavia Butler.