Figuring Out Buyer Behavior

Alternate Evaluation

I spoke with members of the reading community who fell within the age and genre ranges of the Young Adult fiction category. They said when it came to finding alternatives, it mostly depends on loyalty to an author who created one series, which makes the devotees more likely to read other works by the same author. Either that or recommendations for whatever's trending. Apparently people don't really go out and search for new reads in the dark, so to speak.

How/Where They Buy

Reputable book stores: Books a Million and Barnes & Nobles (for the richer folks) basically. People don't really shop for books from Ebay or Amazon and other online sources unless it's required reading for school, because you can't flip through the book to see if you like it for yourself (reviews from other people don't matter to someone who doesn't care about other's opinions to sway their own preferences). Some sites are generous enough to give previews or snippet sections from random pages, but it doesn't beat in-person stores.

Post-Purchase Evaluation

Honestly, it's really a hit-or-miss whether people like a book they pick. There's so many factors to take into account, from the source of what persuaded them to purchase down to simple minute differences in taste. If it ends up being another overdone trope or even slightly resembles one that's already been made popular, I've been told readers are less likely to transition their favoritism to a newer book, which would fittingly be considered a rip off.

Conclusion

I think alternatives aren't much to worry about because there is no market domination like most industries where three or four major companies are in charge of everything. I think it would be good to sell at both stores and online just to tap into that small percentage of people who cannot reach the larger distributors. I'm not very worried about post-purchase regrets, because they're objective.