Reader Invitational

Most of what I've blogged about so far has been either chronicling my thoughts and experiences on writing and self-publishing.  Hopefully, these posts have been either helpful or entertaining to other writers or readers who aspire to write and publish.  The greater question, however, is what about the pure reader - the ones who just want to enjoy good books?  What I mean is this: there are a lot of great blogs for writers by writers, or dedicated book review club blogs; but what about platforms for readers to share their advice to the writer?  Without the readers there would be no books, period.  The great thing about self-publishing and ebooks is the notion of being able to be more responsive to one's readers as a whole.  So why not acknowledge this advantage/freedom and embrace it?

So I thought to myself, why not create that platform for readers to share their thoughts on what THEY want from the types of books they read and authors they follow.  The goal is to share this information, on this blog and with fellow authors, to not only create a healthy dialogue between readers and writers, but also help writers deliver the kinds of stories our readers are seeking.  Literature is so subjective that two people reading the same book may walk away with differing opinions about the themes and key characters.  So, as a writer, it's helpful to get that kind of subjective feedback and see whether it meshes with the original intent behind the work.

Therefore, dear reader, the pleasure of your correspondence is hereby requested to share your thoughts and opinions for this Reader Invitational.  In short, I'm asking you to share your feedback on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to:

1. What draws you to an author's blog in the first place?  (i.e. Are you a writer, or aspiring writer, yourself?  Are you looking for tips and advice?)

2.  What are your thoughts on the indie author movement vs. traditional publishing?

3.  What areas do you wish writers would devote more time to: descriptive narrative; dialogue; plot development; or character development?

4.  What is your favorite genre and what types of innovations (i.e. new directions) do you wish authors would start taking?

5.  What is your favorite book?  If you could sit down with the author, what changes would you suggest to the author to make it an even better book?

6.  For those that enjoy horror books, what is it about the genre that attracts you to scary stories?  Which books have scared you the most?

7.  What do you think is lacking in villains of modern books?

These are just some topics.  The point is, writers want to hear from our readers.  So feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the Comments section below.  I'll be sharing this information with other authors and, hopefully, they'll extend the Invitational to the fans of their blogs.