“I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss- you can’t do it alone.” John Cheever. It is pointless to write without an audience in mind; without thinking about the people you’re writing to and for; and without understanding what they like or do not like. It is pointless. Readers give authors a feeling of satisfaction. Just writing is not enough. Writing and having people enjoy your work is the ultimate goal. It is an unexplainable feeling. The more people enjoy it, the better. For authors, this should be among the guiding principles: the reader.
Understandably, the reading culture, more so in Kenya, is demanding. To some extent, authors have played a role in downgrading that. The die is not cast yet. The good thing is that they have the ability to reverse it and improve the reading culture in the long run. What can authors do to improve the reading culture for good? What can they avoid?
Here, we look at four aspects that authors need to have in mind every time they get down to writing and, eventually, publishing. The elements include the design of the book cover, identifying and evaluating the audience, the book volume and writing style used, and embracing eBooks.
Book Cover and title
A common adage goes that ‘do not judge a book by its cover.’ For authors, that should not be the case, literally. A good book is as good as the cover. A book cover should not be good. It should be great. That should always be the thinking around book cover as well as the title. A great book cover is just like a good reception at an office. It can dictate whether a person will settle for the book or not. It is the author’s responsibility, together with the publisher, to come up with a good cover that will not only help sell the book but also make it easy for a reader to settle on the book.
Jo Linsdell, a best-selling author and illustrator, argues that a cover is always the first sales pitch of every book. It is the face of the whole book. Some people will opt to settle on a particular book based on just the cover. She adds that a book cover should be striking enough to capture the attention of the readers at first sight. If not, there is a likelihood that the reader will settle for a different book with a more exciting cover.
The title of the book, on the cover, matters a lot as well. It is the first piece of literature that your readers get to see about you. Undoubtedly, it will inform their decision on whether to read or not to read. It should be as enjoyable as possible lest you risk pushing readers away.
In the end, how does this affect the reading culture? If, as an author, you get the book cover right, chances of having more readers, thus changing the reading culture, are high. You will have played a role in attracting and retaining a reader throughout a book. Also, this practice comes in handy in the business facet of the book. The chances of attracting higher sales are very high. To improve the reading culture, authors need to make sure that the ‘packaging’ of their book is perfect. By doing so, they attract readers.
Target Audience
Before embarking on the writing journey, it is always a good practice to know, from the word go, whom you are targeting. Whom are you writing the book for, and why? How will they relate to the topic of choice? These are some of the questions that every author should have at the back of their mind. They help dictate the writing style that you will employ.
Identifying the target audience helps the author focus on a specific topic as well as in maximizing sales later on. With a concise target audience, you will be able to tailor the book in a way that the readers will be able to identify with it.
Nancy L. Erickson, an author, and popularly known as The Book Professor, outlines that any author who thinks that his or her book is for everyone is setting himself/herself up for failure. She adds that regardless of the quality of the content, not every reader will like and want to read it. When authors curate the right material for the right audience, there is a likelihood that it will have an impact on the reading culture, a ripple-effect type of effect. Always have in mind that readers, most times are not the same as authors. Therefore, as an author, you need to learn how to fit in their shoes and not the other way round, whereby you require the readers to fit themselves in the content you write.
Book volume and writing style
Reading habits have changed over time. The concentration span has reduced drastically over time. It is another aspect that authors should have in mind every time they think of publishing.
It has a direct impact on the book volume as well as the style you and the publisher choose. Nowadays, people rarely read big books as they used to a couple of years back.
Authors need to reconsider the volume of the book, and, with the help of the publisher, the style to adapt to ensure they enhance a positive reading culture. By taking note of the volume of the book, you seek to address the reading trending characterized by people wanting to read relatively less bulky books.
Embrace eBooks
Technological advancements have sent waves in almost, if not all, industries including ours. Authors should ignore technology at their peril. Any business that ignores technological advancements slowly commits its business death. Most people are always glued on their mobile devices or their computers. As a result, the authors should consider eBook versions of their books.
Incorporating an eBook version will see you cater to the readers who prefer to use their devices as opposed to reading hardcopy books. It will promote a reading culture, in that you will have tapped on the people who spend much time on their devices and prefer to read from there.