Do Avid Readers Make Better Writers?

Aspiring and even established authors read a lot. Reading has so many benefits in your development as a writer. Often book lovers became book authors and publishers. I always reflect on and lovingly remember my mother, as a voracious reader, who read numerous books per week up until to her eighties when she passed. Her favorite outing was to the local library and she exposed us to the same. In later years, when she was unable to physically go into the library, she would send my father or one of her children to go and check out a weekly supply of books for her. We, inevitably, would bring home a number of books she had already read. I’m convinced, as were the librarians, that she read almost every book there. That love of reading was infused in her children and grandchildren. As such, a number of us became individuals who also liked to write.

Reading increases your awareness of what good writing is. The masters will serve as mentors through your reading of their books. Reading boosts your vocabulary. Creatively, you have a front row seat observing how authors develop scenes and engage their readers, including you. You note and admire the turn of a phrase. You love and immerse yourself into the creative genius of those authors.

Reading allows you to research people, cultures and locations that are central to your project or simply to expand your imagination. Reading current best-sellers will keep you apprised of contemporary trends, interests and what your target audience is seeking in the market. It will help you develop and refine your unique voice, recognizing the differences found within you and your story.

On the business side, you will discover where these books are marketed and how. What are competitors doing? What are similar books in your selected genre about? Who has blogged, reviewed or gathered in forums and clubs to discuss the book? How is the book presented on Amazon and how effectively? Was the book accurately represented? What did you learn about the author? How does the author’s promotion, marketing and public relations complement the book-or not?

You further have the opportunity to analyze the cover design. What drew you in? What attracted you to that book? What impact did the title have? How does the actual printing look and feel to you? The binding, the cover material, the paper quality, the ink, the photo resolution, the formatting, and other are all important considerations. Sometimes readers don’t even comprehend how all of the elements work together towards the purchaser’s experience. If the book is self-published, does it look like it is? Tell-tale signs reveal the amateur vs. the professional.

So what are you reading this week; what aisles will you choose to browse in the book store; or what searches are you planning for your next read? There’s so much to learn, while enjoying a great escape, increasing your knowledge, or basking in a dedicated time of personal development, not to mention investing in your skill sets as a writer.