Why Do You Read My Books

I have been talking to other writers and I watched a video this week about reaching  readers. One of the points made (by Becca Syme) is that there are a lot of books out there and finding new readers is about curating. That’s why Booktok is popular. Readers discover books they will likely like from favorite Booktokkers who’ve done the work of discovering if the book’s good or not and who will like it or not. It saves readers time and money. Now I think this applies to books that are not in something like Kindle Unlimited, where the reader pays a monthly fee and reads whatever she wants. It’s easy in that case to just stop reading, since you can move on to the next book without losing money.

I’m trying to figure out how I can get my books into the hands of new readers. Obviously if I get reviews on Booktok or other places, new readers might see those and take the chance. But what other ways are there? I’m not entirely sure. One thing that did occur to me is to wonder why readers read my books and what makes them come back. When they see a Diana Pharaoh Francis book, what are they expecting? So that’s what I would like you to answer: Why do you read my books? What brings you back? Do you have a series that you prefer and why?

I have thoughts on why people might read, but I’ve never really asked actual readers. It feels a little squicky, honestly, like I’m digging for compliments or something. I’m not. It’s a genuine why do you read my books question. I’m also trying to decide if I want to know what turns you off about my books. I’m not sure I’d change anything and knowing that might make me paranoid as I write and I might freeze up wondering if readers will hate something. So I’m trying to be careful about that, since as I told you, I’ve got depression and I’m doing all I can to maintain my writing. I’m afraid thinking about what people don’t like would derail me.

But knowing why people do read my books could help me figure out how to direct advertising or help me figure out how to get my books curated to new readers, which would really help me be solvent. I would really appreciate everybody who can take the time to answer.

In my next post, I’m going to ask how you find new books, but if you feel like mentioning that here, please do.