By it's cover? Name? Synopsis? Reviews? Rating? Genre? Or what๏ผ
Would love to know your guys' thoughts :)
How to tell if a novel is worth reading?
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LaneYu_F First the title. Then the book cover. Except for new novels. I used to check in the past.
If both didn't interesting. I might not click them. Then I read synopsis. If it is interesting...
After experiencing Bai...
I will check translator or Author record. Dropped novel or hiatus is a nightmare. Finding a translator like World Defying Dan God would mean gameover. Finding an author like Mad Snails that would mean Mad and Snails.
If it is new novels from new authors, I put in in bookmarks list. I will return 2 to 3 weeks to see whether the update rate is good.
Then read the Bad Review. Except the troll. Troll is ignored. The troll won't list the reason for dislike.
After that the good review. The one on the most liked.
This is how I kept my novels reading time a happy life.
I read; synopsis, reviews, first 5 chapters..
LaneYu_F you read, you like it, that's the worth 
MasterRabbink Wow, that's quite thoughtful.
SweetsTomato lol, I know what you mean. It's just that there're tons here, sometimes you don't know how to choose 
LaneYu_F
1. Read Title and Synopsis. Sound interesting? If yes then go to step 2.
2. Make sure it's being updated regularly or is completed. If yes then go to step 3.
3. Read reviews with a grain of salt. If a novel has very few reviews then it may be skewed positively or negatively. Some novels get bad reviews for dumb reasons. Pay attention to the good reviews. Look for a common theme in the negative reviews to know what people don't like. If you decide to read it then go to step 4.
4. Read 1st chapter. Is the grammar and flow good? If yes then read a few more chapters. You should know after 5 chapters whether you like it or not.
Other factors: Only you will know which genres you like. You may also want to consider length of the novel. Some people like joining from the first chapter and following along. This gives a chance to leave feedback and even potentially influence the story. Others wait for a bulk of chapters to be written before reading. Do whichever way you like =p
LaneYu_F
If you don't know what to choose, then you may want to throw out your favorite genres and books. Then ask for recommendations.
MasterRabbink cover doesn't really count though, some great novel doesn't have great cover, but the new one lately always provide good one no matter if it was bad or good. As the old saying don't judge a book by it's cover. Heck even some novel by different author share the same cover
prime512
My covers are pretty bad haha. I'd like to think my novels aren't... but I haven't really received enough feedback to know for sure one way or the other.
LaneYu_F
But do we really need to know if a novel is bad or not? What we need the most is how to know if a chapter release is important or just full of shit (filler).
I first go to the reviews to see what people say. Another good gauge is how many chapters have been released. If it has a lot, then the author is pleased with their work. Many authors drop a book if it isn't gaining popularity. If an author has over a hundred chapters, then they are pretty damn dedicated to finishing it. I hate reading something only for it to be dropped.
MasterRabbink such wisdom... use mortals dont deserve it
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Dontlookdown The most important thing. Whether there is a pink part with Master Rabbink words on it. Gwahahaha.
Celestial Readers won't be disappointed with the Grandpa in the story. Gwahahaha.