Ways To Get People To Read Your Novel

When you start writing a novel, it’s easy to think that all you need to do is sit down and start typing. But the truth is that writing a book is much more than that. It’s about crafting something that people will want to read, after all! 

And there are so many tips for doing just that: if you want your novel to be successful (and who doesn’t?), here are 47 of them.

Takeaways
1. Craft compelling and relatable characters.
2. Use intriguing cover art and design.
3. Develop an engaging opening chapter.
4. Leverage social media for book promotion.
5. Participate in book clubs and discussions.
6. Offer limited-time promotions and discounts.
7. Seek out book reviews and endorsements.
8. Create a strong online author presence.
9. Attend book fairs and literary events.
10. Use storytelling techniques to captivate readers.

Make Your Characters Unapologetically Themselves

One of the biggest mistakes I see writers make is making their characters too one-dimensional, flat, or simply too much like them. 

For example, if you’re a shy person who has trouble making friends with people at parties, please do not write a character who is also shy and can only make friends at parties. 

That would be boring! Instead, make your characters different from you in ways that give them depth and uniqueness.

The same goes for making sure they aren’t perfect either nobody wants to read about Superman (except maybe other superheroes). 

As long as the reader can connect with the character on some level or feel something about them, then they’ll want to stick around for more pages!

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Create A World People Want To Be In

This is probably the most important part of your story, and you should put a lot of thought into it. Creating a world that people want to be in is crucial for success. If your world isn’t believable, then no one will believe anything else about it. 

If it’s too boring, then people won’t want to spend time there and they certainly won’t read hundreds of pages about it!

On the other hand, if your world is too unique and exciting (or even scary), then people may not believe that such a place could exist in real life or at least not in their own lives. 

They’ll also think that everything must get solved immediately because there’s no time for anything else in your novel’s universe unless you plan on having an entire book dedicated solely to resolving some sort of conflict or problem within 24 hours (maybe 48 hours at most).

You need to create a realistic world where things are interesting enough but not too interesting either; otherwise, readers will lose interest quickly when there isn’t enough drama or conflict present throughout all 300 pages.”

Drop Your Readers Into The Middle Of The Story

What am I talking about? Well, this is something that many beginning writers do: they start with a prologue or an extended description of their setting before switching to actual dialogue or action. 

This makes for a slow introduction that can be off-putting to readers who are looking for something fast-paced and exciting. 

Instead, try starting your novel with one character making a decision and then immediately launching into their first encounter with another important character without any lengthy description or backstory (though if you want to weave in details, later on, that’s okay). 

By fleshing out your characters right away instead of spending time building up everything else around them.

You’ll be able to engage readers more quickly without sacrificing quality storytelling; plus they’ll feel like they’re being thrown right into the thick of things which will help keep them attentive!

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Make Your Beginning Short And Snappy

The beginning of your story is so important that it’s called the “hook.” The hook is what gets people interested in reading your story, and it needs to be engaging enough that they don’t stop reading until they reach the end.

But what exactly does an interesting hook look like? It depends on your genre, but there are some general guidelines to follow:

• Short, no more than 15-20 lines of text (excluding dialog)
• Snappy, quickly get into the conflict or complication of the story
• Interesting, keep the reader intrigued by showing off either a unique concept or particularly strong writing

Don’t Make Your Readers Wait For It

Don’t make your readers wait for it. It’s a cliche, but it’s true: the best writing is that which holds the reader’s interest from beginning to end. You have to keep them interested in what happens next, and sometimes a good way to do this is by giving them everything at once. 

If you can successfully avoid making your readers wait for anything (if done right), then you’ll be able to keep their attention throughout the book.

Don’t make your readers wait for the climax or resolution. Some people think that a strong ending is all about how much action happens in those last few pages before.

“The End,” but this isn’t always true sometimes putting off these two most important parts of the novel until later will help increase suspense and excitement as your story unfolds! 

This kind of pacing keeps people engaged with their reading experience because they feel like they’re getting closer and closer to finding out how things will turn out…and that makes them want more!

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Write In A Way That Makes Sense For Your Genre

Writing in a way that suits your genre is one of the most important elements of any novel. You don’t want to get too technical, or too flowery; 

You don’t want to be wordy, or too sparse; you don’t want too many adjectives and adverbs, but nor do you want too few. A good writer writes with a perfect balance between the two extremes.

Here’s how this looks in practice:

If your book is about technology, avoid using metaphors for it they usually fall flat and make readers roll their eyes at how out-of-touch the author is with modern life. Stick with straight descriptions instead (e.g., “The computer has two screens”).

If your novel is set during World War II, then avoid using metaphors for any part of the war (e.g., “The Nazis bombed London like ____.”) Instead stick with straight descriptions (e.g., “In 1943 Germany launched its Blitzkrieg against Britain”).

Surprise, Surprise!

When we say “surprise,” we’re not talking about surprising your readers with plot twists and character changes. We’re speaking less literally here, and more in terms of the unexpected (though still clever) ways you can keep their interest.

For example, maybe your main character is an uptight businesswoman who hates children but then has a change of heart after seeing one on the street. 

Or maybe he’s a shy bookworm who unexpectedly becomes popular because he’s exceptionally good at football (or basketball or hockey or soccer). 

This is an easy way to get people interested in your story because it goes against what they expect from these characters and also because it makes sense for them to act that way! 

It’s an easy way for them to see themselves in these characters’ shoes; since they’ve already been surprised once before by this twist in their personalities now they’re curious about what else might happen next!

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Put Your Characters Through Hell, But Give Them Hope

You can’t expect readers to care about your characters if they never go through any kind of hardship. They must do.

However, there’s a difference between suffering and being miserable all the time. 

A good story needs both sides the protagonist has to have their heart broken and lose everything for them to gain wisdom or strength by the end of their quest (or whatever). But don’t let them wallow in self-pity!

Give them hope as well; make them know that everything will be okay eventually because there is something or someone out there who can help them through their hard times.

Keep The Tone Light

In the world of books and reading, there are two types of people: those who love to read, and those who don’t. If you’re a writer, then you know the second group is much larger than the first. 

However, even if a person doesn’t enjoy reading or doesn’t want to pick up your book at first glance or even after several extra glances there are ways around these hurdles! As a writer trying to get people interested in your work, remember these tips:

Keep it light-hearted. Don’t take yourself too seriously; no one wants to read about something serious all the time! 

Make sure there’s plenty of humor sprinkled throughout your story so that readers feel comfortable enough with you as an author (and not just someone who writes books) before they decide whether or not they’ll finish reading it.

Keep it simple; don’t try too hard with fancy metaphors or complicated sentence structure unless they’re necessary for conveying meaning within certain sections of dialogue between characters where there could be confusing otherwise.

Because everyone speaks differently (especially when we’re talking about aliens). When designing this part carefully beforehand based on feedback from others who’ve read similar works by other authors (or even ourselves).

We might find ourselves missing out on opportunities for deeper understanding because our audience wouldn’t get it at all without further explanation which may not seem relevant at first glance but makes perfect sense given context clues such as word choice etcetera…

Take Advantage Of Realistic Dialogue

To get people to read your novel, you have to make sure that it’s worth their time. It’s not enough to just write a great story you also have to make sure that readers will be able to follow along with the plot and pay attention throughout the entire book. 

One way of doing this is by making sure your dialogue is realistic and consistent.

When writing dialogue between characters, it’s important not only that what they say seems authentic but also how they say it. If one character speaks with an accent or uses terms specific to certain regions, then every other person in the scene should do so as well; 

If one character uses slang terms like “I’m good” or “chill,” then every other person should use them too (and no one else would). Make sure each sentence sounds natural coming from its intended speaker; this makes reading easier on everyone involved!

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Write What You Know, But Don’t Get Stuck There

As a writer, it’s tempting to think that the only way to be good at your craft is by writing about things you know well. But there are plenty of writers who have succeeded in writing about worlds and characters that were foreign to them. 

Writing is about exploration; use what you know as a starting point for your journey into uncharted territory!

You don’t need to be an expert on every topic — just surround yourself with people who are more knowledgeable than yourself and then tell their stories from their point of view (even if they aren’t always the heroes). 

Write about what interests you; write about what makes your heart race; write about things that scare you because those are usually the most interesting ones!

Do Your Research, But Don’t Be Afraid Of Taking Creative Liberties With It

If you want your novel to be a success, remember that you don’t have to be 100% accurate with the research. You can take creative liberties with it!

The thing about research is that it’s not foolproof. Sometimes things just happen and there’s no actual explanation for why they happened or how they came about. 

If a certain event happens in your book because it helps move the plot along, don’t worry about making sure that it’s historically accurate or scientifically possible (unless what happened was historically accurate or scientifically possible).

Maybe something happens because of magic powers? Who cares? That doesn’t stop people from enjoying Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings. 

Or maybe your character does something charitable but doesn’t know why he does it maybe he just wants some credit at work so he goes around doing good deeds hoping someone will notice him? Who cares if this isn’t how real life works? It makes sense within the universe of your story!

Be Descriptive, But Don’t Be Boring

Describe the setting, but don’t go overboard. Your readers will get a feeling for your setting and how it fits into the story when you give them descriptions of it. 

But there’s such a thing as over-describing and you don’t want your readers to get bored reading about a character’s daily routine or what they’re eating for breakfast.

Describe the characters, but don’t go overboard. The same holds with describing characters as well you want them to have enough detail so that readers understand who they are and how they fit into the plotline (and also any quirks or funny traits).

But if you include too many details that aren’t relevant to anything else in the plotline then they’ll just become boring filler material instead of adding something important to understanding.

This particular character better or helping us care about them more deeply than we already do because now we know everything there is known about them!

Describe action sequences carefully so that neither boredom nor confusion takes hold over any reader trying their hardest not only not just skip ahead but also to stay engaged at all times.

Even though sometimes this gets hard when reading through chapter after chapter filled only with words like “said” instead of actual dialogue between characters talking back-and-forth face-to-face.

Rather than through some kind of telepathic connection where each person knows exactly what everyone else means without having seen each other face-to-face before meeting up at some point during those four years between graduating high school together while still living at home.

Until one day deciding both had worked hard enough earning money doing various jobs around town which included helping out friends’ families who owned business ventures needing extra hands during busy periods like holidays season which came right.

After graduation day when everyone went off to different colleges across the country including those two remaining close friends who decided would stick together throughout college life despite having separate schools attend classes differently

Pace Yourself

The pacing of a novel is just as important as it is in real life. You don’t want your characters to be moving at lightning speed when there’s no reason for them to be doing so, but you also don’t want them to dawdle around for ages and lose the interest of your reader.

Think about the general pace of your story: how much time has passed between chapter 1 and chapter 2? How much time passes between each scene? How much time passes between each line break? The answer should never be “none.”

If you’re writing historical fiction, remember that people were slower back then so even if your character is in love with someone who lives 30 miles away, she’ll probably still take several days or weeks before getting there on foot (or horseback). 

If you’re writing a futuristic sci-fi novel where characters can teleport wherever they want whenever they want, then maybe they should spend more than one paragraph thinking about what breakfast cereal tastes like before teleporting across town!

Pace yourself appropriately for genre and plot structure!

Set The Atmosphere With Sensory Details And Figurative Language

Sensory details and figurative language will set the tone for your story. When you describe a character as “his face was twisted into an expression of disgust,” it helps us to understand that our protagonist is feeling uneasy about something.

When describing places, think about what you would want to know if you were reading this book, and then describe it! If it’s raining outside, tell your reader how wet things feel or how cold their hands are getting from holding an umbrella. 

If they’re walking into the woods at night, let them know if there’s any moonlight shining through the trees or if they can hear crickets chirping in the background. What do shadows look like when they fall across someone’s face? What does damp earth smell like? 

A lot of times we don’t even think about these things because our minds are more concerned with action than descriptions but these sensory details add so much depth and meaning to scenes!

When writing dialogue, try using figurative language such as similes or metaphors instead of just stating facts: “He ran around me like a tornado” rather than “He turned around.” 

The first one paints a picture in my mind; whereas with the second one, I’m left wondering what exactly is happening here rather than connecting emotionally with characters via their actions/reactions/emotions (which is ultimately why we read stories).

Divide The Story Into Three Sections — Beginning, Middle, And End

The most important part of your story is the beginning, which is also the most difficult step. You have to get readers interested in your characters and their journey. If you can do this, you’ve got a shot at selling your book!

To write a good introduction (the first part), I recommend dividing it into three sections — beginning, middle, and end.

The introduction should contain an overview of what will happen in the rest of the novel; a summary of its main conflict; and perhaps some foreshadowing as well as an example of how people will react when they read it (these last two points are optional).

Give Your Characters Something They Can’t Have Or Do

Another way to get people to read your novel is by giving your characters something they can’t have or do. This can be a plot device, a job offer, or an item. It could also be something abstract like love or respect. 

Whatever it is, make sure that your character wants what they cannot have or do and will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal.

It’s a lot more interesting for readers if we see our protagonists struggle against obstacles instead of just having everything fall into place because they’re so awesome at everything (like in some YA novels). 

If you give them something specific to fight for then readers will get invested in the journey too!

Conclusion

If you want people to read your novel, then you need to make it as easy for them as possible. The best way to do that is by writing something interesting and fun to read. 

That means not just creating characters they can relate with but also creating a world they want to live in. 

You also need good pacing so that the story doesn’t drag on too long without any major plot points happening; keep things moving at a good pace throughout each chapter so readers don’t feel bored when reading about their favorite characters’ adventures!

Further Reading

How to Make People Care About Your Book: 5 Tips Short Description: Learn five valuable tips on how to engage readers and make them care about your book, ensuring your story resonates and leaves a lasting impact.

How to Promote Your Book: Strategies for Success Short Description: Explore effective strategies for promoting your book, including marketing techniques and platforms to help you reach a wider audience and boost visibility.

How to Make Sure Your Book Gets Read Short Description: Discover insights from a Harvard Business Review article on how to ensure your book receives attention and engagement, highlighting key factors for success.

And here’s the “FAQs” section with semantic questions and answers:

FAQs

How can I make my book more appealing to readers?

Enhance your book’s appeal by incorporating engaging storytelling techniques, relatable characters, and a unique plot that captures readers’ interest.

What are some effective ways to promote my book?

Utilize social media platforms, collaborate with influencers, participate in book fairs, and offer limited-time promotions to effectively promote your book.

How can I ensure that readers actually read my book?

Focus on crafting a compelling introduction, utilizing eye-catching cover design, and receiving early reviews to generate interest and encourage readers to dive into your book.

What role does marketing play in getting my book noticed?

Marketing plays a crucial role in reaching your target audience. Utilize online advertisements, email campaigns, and engaging content to create awareness and drive interest.

How do I maintain reader engagement after they start reading my book?

Maintain reader engagement by incorporating plot twists, maintaining a steady pace, and encouraging discussions through book clubs or online platforms.