The best way is to figure out reading the blurb. Any sane and literate man on Planet Earth would vow along with me that all the "Best Seller" tags are good for nothing. (All species who differ please do let me know :P). Luckily for me in last one year, all the books I have picked after reading the blurb have turned out exceptionally well. Though my conscience argues with me, I believe this is more of an expertise I gained rather than pure luck. And to convince my stupid brain (which actually does a superb job unknowingly), I pen this blog on how I pick the good ones:
Non-fiction
1. Facts: A non-fiction should provide a lot of facts and supportive arguments on why the fact is the way it is. If the blurb does not give indication that it discusses any of this it might be a sugar coated fact book or a fiction-in-guise.
2. Articulate: The best authors are very logical in the way they present the facts. They do not create a surge flow of 'gyan' but give them one at a time while connecting/sequencing each of them in a way. This way of writing makes sure that the 'gyan' is well assimilated and remembered for lifetime. If there is no sign of this logical flow in the blurb or in the initial few pages then the book is just an album of all facts relating to that topic.
3. View point: By end of the blurb reading, the reader should be able to point out on which side of the line the author is. Remember objective view is also a stance, and need not necessarily be left or right of the line. But the author should pick one of these stance. If you cannot make it out by reading the blurb, do not waste your time in reading the book, the author himself does not know what the theme is.
Fiction
1. Language: Though colloquial language is quite easy for comprehending, it is cannot capture all emotions/feelings. Avoid books which use a lot of this. Most Indian authors (including Chetan Bhagat) have succumbed to this temptation. Such authors can be a hit, because of other factors, like gripping storyline but they can never be repeatedly successful like a Rowling, John Grisham or Jeffery Archer.
2. Depth of description: Read the sentence "Wind is blowing and I cannot see beyond three feet from where I am". Now read "There is a whirl wind across the street. From the ground, the dried yellow leaves of the mango tree and the dust are picked. They are swirled in circular tantrums. I try hard to keep open my eyes but the dust and force, shut my eyelids. From in between the eye lashes I squint to see through the opaqueness a few feet away. But forces of God are more powerful than will of a man!!". The same idea is conveyed through two sentences. In fact there would have been a flash of same image in front of your eyes when you read both of them. But when you read later, the image is recalled and restored before the eyes for a longer time. It is zoomed in and zoomed out for the details. This creates a lasting impression and a plays the story before you.
3. Storyline: This is last, because every reader would read it from the blurb without fail before deciding on the purchase.
So now the factors a reader should consider are before us, the immediate question is how an author can realize the importance of these and connect with the readers. Anirudh and myself had a long discussion on a book "Immortals of Meluha", which is a fiction based on Lord Shiva's life. The only positive point about the book was a compelling storyline. The rest two factors were sidelined. So though this book was an amazing read, it was not as fun as a 'Harry Porter' or 'Rainmaker'. We then argued out which is 'the way' an author can build his capability of becoming an adorable author. I might sound cliche here... but you have to bear me.... We figured out that being an avid reader for themselves is the only way out.
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