WHAT READERS DO? READERS GONNA READ, READ, READ

Real readers handle books different than than rest of us. Who is that real reader?

I watched a librarian friend pick up a book and go through the process. From contents to index, then everything in between, he handled the book like a pro.

He was a pro, but what about the rest of us?

Is it the cover that lures the reader? The title? Or, for the more daring, the first sentence?

What’s it take to make someone pick up a book, buy it or check it out of the library, and actually read it?

What’s it take to make a reader care?

I’ll take a stab with trust and curiosity. Is the author a familiar name? Is the topic of interest?

If it’s a name brand writer on a book, and you want to learn more about the topic: Jackpot. That book is in the bag.

It’s also works if your favorite writer endorses a book you’ve never heard of written by a writer you don’t know.

For example, back in 1981 Norman Mailer, as famous a writer as any, wrote letters back and forth with a prison inmate. He was interested in rehabilitating what he thought was a writer diamond in the rough.

Jack Abbott, whose letters became the book ‘In The Belly of the Beast’ turned out to be too rough for proper society, and any other society outside Cell Block D. Even though he had a book that would pull readers and money, he still dealt with problems the old way.

Keep conflict in the book

In a disagreement with a waiter, instead of shorting the tip, he killed the guy and went away again while the waiter’s widow sued and won. She collected millions in large book money; the author got a $12,500 advance and killed himself in jail.

Murderpedia tells the story from many points of view:

In 1965, aged twenty-one, Jack Abbott was serving a sentence for forgery in a Utah prison when he stabbed a fellow inmate to death. He was given a sentence of three to twenty years for this offense, and in 1971 his sentence was increased by a further nineteen years after he escaped and committed a bank robbery in Colorado. Behind bars he was troublesome and refused to obey guard’s orders and spent a lot of time in solitary confinement.

In 1977 he read that author Norman Mailer was writing about convicted killer Gary Gilmore. Abbott wrote to Mailer and offered to write about his time behind bars and the conditions he was in. Mailer agreed and helped to publish In the Belly of the Beast, Abbott’s book on life in the prison system consisting of his letters to Mailer.

Mailer supported Abbott’s attempts to gain parole, which were successful in June 1980 when Abbott was released. He went to New York City and was the toast of the literary scene for a short while.

Readers, Writers, Not Killers

A better way to push a book is Oprah giving an anonymous writer’s book a break by including it in her book club. This is opramag.com listing thirty of the most anticipated books of 2020. It’s a great list for readers to find intriguing voices.

What I like about the Oprah list is that it’s not click bait. All of the books are on the same page. Scroll down for the next one.

My readers know about the research end of writing blog posts. Have something to say, and back it up. I’ve even invited a facebook friend to join boomerpdx as a writer. They’re happier throwing stuff on their wall than participating in a more formal online format.

Facebook’s big hook is “Free and always will be.” A self-hosted blog is never free and never will be. Bloggers register domain names and rent space from hosting companies. And we plug along.

This blog is more than a standard bitch-list of complaints and hurts. I want smart readers. Here’s a task: see if the most famous author in each state matches the most famous book set in each state. It’s a mental exercise for all ages, like your age.

And it’s fun. You remember fun? It’s spelled F – U – n. Just like that. Be sure and read the actions in dealing with coronavirus recommended by health officials you trust. And don’t forget good sense.