Why no Friends Want to Read My Story? Do I Suck? What to do?
Why no Friends Want to Read My Story? Do I Suck? What to do?
Have you ever tried to hand a story to a friend of yours and they didn’t read it?
You asked them if they could help you and… crickets?
Or, even worse, they ASKED to read the story.
The time passes, you needed their advice quickly because you’re planning on publishing it… but, then, nothing.
You even asked them how they were doing, some excuses about being busy but that they would read it soon, and, that’s it. You never hear of it again.
Why no Friends Want to Read My Story? Do I Suck?
No, you don’t suck. It happens to everyone. We ask a lot of friends to read it and one does, if your lucky enough to find this person.
I used to have a friend that literally MADE us read it. She gave the scene to us in class and kept asking the whole school day if we read it. And, then, she used to praise herself since people read her story.
Come on, you don’t want to be this person.
Your friends don’t read your story for some reasons and I hardly doubt that it’s because you suck.
It’s because THEY HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO!
Your book is your baby, we know that. You put so much effort and time into it. Then, when you hand it to someone you love and trust, you expect that they have the least respect with you and read it (or at least say that they won’t). However, your friend doesn’t want to disappoint you… and they also don’t want to read it. So, they keep procrastinating and you keep waiting.
It’s normal and, the thing is, you shouldn’t rely on your friends reading it.
It’s not cool to pressure someone to go out of their routine and day to day lives to do something as hard as reading a book.
Nowadays, people that read are getting more and more scarce.
Reading is hard and takes time.
Your friends have a busy life as we all do, and they are not obliged to go out of their normal ways to read your baby book.
You can get mad at them. Even if you would do this for them, you shouldn’t expect anyone to do the same for you.
This is a hard truth… but the person that you asked to read might have just got a new baby, they might have college and work chores, they might not even like to read.
It would be very nice if they read, and you should thank a lot those who do, but, if they don’t, you can’t start thinking: nobody reads my book, so I might suck.
What to do instead?
Instead, you should look for your readers. Your true readers.
You can’t expect to make a full-time income selling only to your friends and family.
You have to go out there and look for people that will actually buy and read your books.
How?
Marketing strategies.
You have to find where your readers hang out online and join them. On forums, Facebook groups, Tumblr, Wattpad, social media in general.
You can also create an author’s blog and start to grow your traffic and personal image, so you get more visibility and eventually find people that want to read you.
Yep… it all comes down to the marketing part again, right?
But this is mandatory. You can’t rely on your friends to pay for your living.
I need it read before I can publish it
You can try to find beta readers online. A beta reader is a person that reads and comments your book to help you before the book is ready. There are many people that will do this for free (simply because they love to beta read). The difference between them and your friends is that most beta readers love to read. For them, having the chance to read a book for free and even comment on it, it’s a true joy. Especially if they already know you and would love to get more interaction with you.
You can find beta readers online again. On forums of your genre, on Facebook groups, Twitter, asking around, Goodreads.
There are some beta readers that ask for payment and this can actually be a good option since now it’s their job to do it and they can’t take long, you’re paying them.
You can also pay for an editor to help you develop your book before it’s ready. This would be even more effective, it would perfect your book in a great way, and you would never need to beg another friend again. This is the ultimate way to make your book professional. However, not all of us can afford this luxury. If it’s in your budget, do it.
Sometimes, not handing your book to a friend is a GOOD thing
My view on this topic completely changed once I read Six Figures Author by Chris Fox.
He explains how you shouldn’t announce all around that your book is out.
If only random people like your uncle and your childhood friend buy your book, then it can mess up Amazon’s data.
You ideally only want people that read a lot in that genre to buy your book. Then, Amazon will know for whom they should tell about your book. It will improve your data, your sales, and you will get recommended to more relevant people.
I highly, highly, highly recommend checking this book out. It really changed my perspective on the matter:
