What Readers Gift To Writers
What exactly is the magic bond between writers and readers? Romantics say you’ll never know. Realists say it’s an exchange of money for books. I believe there’s so much more. Today, we look at what readers gift to writers.
The Magic Between Writers And Readers — Part 1
The bond between writers and readers is mysterious. The publishing industry has long pondered why readers binge-read certain books while they disregard others. Why are some books read from A to Z? Why do others end up in the trash after reading the first pages?
If this were a mere question of packaging, and marketing a story, then all books would be bestsellers. Unfortunately, they’re not. I believe that books are successful because they create a perfect bond between writer and reader. Let’s look at how that works.
This is a two-part article. Today, I’ll look at what readers gift to writers.
What Readers Gift To Writers
The answer isn’t the price of the book — that’s payment for a job done. It’s the reason why writers and readers get in touch. What comes after the purchase is much more interesting. Ideally, it’s an exchange of gifts.
1. Interest
Interest is a fickle state of mind. It’s sparked easily but it tends to die quickly, too. Interest is what makes people act because they believe in a positive outcome.
Correspondingly, interest in a book is sparked even before the purchase. It’s the reason why the book is bought. It begins with an interesting title. But to carry a reader through to the book’s last page, the interest in the story must be kindled so that it becomes attention (please read on). That first spark must turn into a fire.
Pro tip: Learn how to craft a good title here. Choose the colour of your book cover wisely. Make sure you know how to keep up the readers’ interest. This is the craftsmanship the publishing industry is looking for.
2. Attention
Attention is more than just interest. Readers pay attention when the writer crafts a story that is so compelling that they want to stay up all night to finish another scene, another chapter, and then, finally, the book. Page turners are mesmerizing because the author manages to uphold the readers’ attention beyond their usual attention span. Ideally, this ends with the urge to buy the sequel of the book. If writers know how to grab their readers’ attention, they can tell them almost any kind of story.
Pro tip: This is what separates the first draft from the finished version of the book. Writers need to apply all they know to keep that attention. They need to know how to plot.
3. Access to readers’ minds
It’s like asking someone inside your house. A writer rings the doorbell, and readers grant access. Reading a book is the readers’ offering of hospitality to their minds. That’s why books do have the power to change people’s lives.
Pro tip: Like any good guest, writers should appreciate the place they’ve been invited to. Usually, writers return the favour by sharing something personal as well. Readers will know when you’re speaking from your own experience. Remember, any writing is personal anyway. It doesn’t mean that you explicitly divulge all your secrets.
4. Time
When readers read a book, they put everything else on hold to spend time with this particular book. That is an incredible gift. After all, when did you last have someone’s undivided attention? It’s this focus that producers of other media (like TV, games, social media) pay experts to create. Writers do it by telling a story.
Pro tip: Make sure that you make the readers’ time worthwhile. Do everything you can to make your book as interesting as possible by crafting great characters, impressive settings, and a breathtaking plot.
5. Gratitude
When readers feel glad that they have read a book, then this book is more than a mere collection of words—more than just entertainment. The readers are glad because that book is meaningful to them.
Pro tip: Gratitude must be earned. Write a book about an inner truth, a message from yourself, the writer, to your readers. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy manual on how to live a perfect life. It can be something as basic as the value of family, or truth, or love. By using it as a theme, you can create a captivating plot! That’s why it’s so important that writers are authentic and honest in what they write. The readers will sense that honesty and believe them. That’s how they discover the value of the book and gift their gratitude.
6. Recommendation
When readers are grateful for a book, they will recommend it to others. This, of course, makes writers happy because that usually shows in book sales. But there is more to it. If readers buy books due to personal recommendation, then selling that book becomes so much easier. The personal connection is already in place. This will overrule any thoughts about titles, book covers, etc. This connection can also carry a reader through the reading process of the book if only to find out why it has been recommended.
Pro tip: Recommendations are invaluable because they create a community. For writers, this means they have a fanbase! So, encourage your readers to share their thoughts. You could do this on your author platform. Here’s how to build one.
7. Feedback
Writers usually get feedback from beta readers and editors. This helps to shape the book before it is published. See how instrumental feedback is to creation? Comments from readers who have bought the book are not so frequent. Of course, sales figures will give a vague hint of the overall picture. But sales don’t tell writers what they did well and what not. Figures don’t help adjust their creation process. No, writers need feedback from readers. It helps shape the upcoming books.
Pro tip: Encourage readers to drop a comment by leaving a message at the end of your book. Give them an email address, or where you can be reached on social media. Talk to your publisher to make sure that whatever feedback ends up on their doorstep is passed on to you.
The Take-Away
Writers have many things to appreciate beyond the money readers pay. Knowing about the magic bond with their readers helps writers be better writers. Why? Because it’s a relationship. And any relationship needs to be nurtured by offering things that can’t be bought for money.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this article about what the readers offer to writers. The next article will be about what writers gift to readers.
