by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA
Readers have power! Power to help an author. Power to affect reading trends. Power to define a culture. If you are a reader, you are in a position of power.
But power is a two-edged sword. When used rightly, it will promote great good. When used wrongly, it will not.
Let's look more closely at the power of readers.
1. Readers have the power to help authors. How? First of all, by reading their books. An author is incomplete without a reader. When an author writes, he most often writes for a reader. A particular reader. A reader who is interested in the kind of fiction the author writes.
When a reader reads and enjoys an author's books, both reader and author benefit. The reader-author relationship is symbiotic. One without the other is only half the equation and won't work. It's like a socket and a plug. Without a socket, a plug is useless. Without a plug, a socket is useless. So is the reader-author relationship.
2. Readers have the power to affect reading trends. Social media platforms today are key methods of advertising books. When readers read and like a book, they post comments about it on social media, thereby affecting what other people read. Readers also post reviews about a book, again affecting what people read.
Along with reader power comes reader responsiibility. By promoting certain books and not others, readers contribute to the next point.
3. Readers have the power to define a culture. It has been said that we are what we read. When readers endorse a book, that book comes into the public eye The public then purchases and reads the book. If enough readers endorse and promote a book, that book will become a force for either good or evil in the world.
Bottom line, readers have clout. Responsible readers will feed their own souls with books that uplift and make them better people. In becoming better people, they become better members of society. And in becoming better members of society, readers contribute to the good of all.
As an author, I want to thank you, dear Reader. I hold you in the highest respect. Never underestimate your power. And thank you for using it wisely for the good of the world in which we live.
Before you leave, check out my latest novel, The Captain and Mrs. Vye, to be released December 1, 2022. It is the story of a 19th-century middle-aged, childless widow who discovers that her late husband has left her destitute.
You can pre-order your copy at the link below:
THE CAPTAIN AND MRS. VYE
Thanks and Blessings,
MaryAnn
____________________________________________
