What Kind of Reader Are You?

A Survey of 2,000 Americans Found...

How and why we're attracted to certain books turns out to be simpler than we thought. Our most recent survey with OnePoll asked 2,000 U.S. adults about their reading habits and what they look for in a book.  And what we learned painted an illuminating portrait. Here are some of the broad brush strokes.

1. Turns out, we can—and do—judge a book by its cover. 

Our results suggest that nearly six in ten Americans (57%) have bought or read a book based solely on its cover. And a whopping 96% of those said that these attractive books largely met their expectations.

Eight in ten respondents admitted to avoiding a book because of its outward appearance. The top reasons for rejection? The book cover looked too plain (61%), used a title font that wasn’t likable (56%), featured art that didn’t match the genre (52%), or used the movie poster of the book’s film adaptation (49%).

2. The average American reads eight books a month!

Anyone who worries that reading is falling out of fashion may be reassured to learn that on average, a person consumes nearly 100 books a year. Wow! All the more reason to Sink Into a Series™ to resolve that age-old question of what to read next.

3. We like the book-to-screen thing.

Two out of three people (67%) admitted they only read books that have been adapted into movies or TV shows. If that's you, here are some of the popular titles that have inspired recent or upcoming adaptations:

• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
• The Changeling by Victor Lavalle
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenez
• The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
• Foe by Iain Reid
• All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

4. Daytime vs. Nighttime reading. Do we have to choose? 

If you consider yourself an avid reader, you're more likely to read during the day rather than at night (88% vs. 69%).

Among day readers, nearly two-thirds (65%) attribute their preference to avoiding nightmares based on their reading material, while over half (52%) want to escape to another place during the day. Day readers are also more likely than night readers to prefer to read while surrounded by others (49% vs. 36%).

Nighttime reading may have its advantages, though. Fifty-six percent of those who read at night said it helps them get better shuteye, and 55% noted it helps them fall asleep faster. What if we like to do both?

5. We think books make great gifts! 

We weren't at all surprised to learn that more than half of Americans (53%) regularly give books as gifts to others.

What did surprise us were the factors that influence what type of books people buy as gifts. Books identified as bestsellers are chosen by 44% of gifters. Other selling points included social media buzz (29%) and an attractive cover (29%)—much more so than genre (10%) or even the author (9%).

Our take: "Books make for a great holiday gift, no matter the recipient. From classic favorites and book-to-movie adaptations to short or long stories, there are as many books to choose from as there are types of readers, making it easy to find something for everyone on your list this holiday season."

The top genres for gifted books include:

• Romance (47%) like Happiness by Danielle Steel
• Fantasy (45%) like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• Comedy (40%) like A Guide to Midwestern Conversation by Taylor Kay Phillips
• Sci-fi (39%) like The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
• History (39%) like American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

6. An eclectic mix of covers call to us. 

We asked respondents to name books with the best covers and here are some of the popular responses.

• Misery by Stephen King
• Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Ball Four by Jim Bouton
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Our take: "Our research shows that sometimes, readers can tap into their experience to correctly predict whether they’ll like a book based on its cover alone. Although readers differ in how and when they enjoy their favorites, they all find ways to enhance their daily lives through reading."

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon