How My Reading Habits Have Changed Since Becoming an Author
After working as a travel journalist for a few years, I eventually became a bit disenchanted with a career that I think many people would agree sounds like a dream job. I saw how the sausage was made, and the work became less and less appealing. Since becoming a romance author, I now know the ins and outs of self-publishing and preparing a book to be shared with the world. I even half-expected becoming a published author might ruin reading for me, but actually, the opposite has happened. The way I read has changed—but not how I expected, and definitely not in an overtly negative way.
Before becoming an author, I was just consuming books and enjoying them. I didn’t put too much deeper thought into why parts of the story worked or didn’t; instead, it was pure entertainment. Today, I still find that I can lose myself in a book—but I’m also pausing in key moments and taking mental notes of what I like, what works well, and how I can use that to inspire my own writing.
ps if you love romance book discussions like this where I go a bit more behind the scenes, share my thoughts, and even give book recs, you’ll probably feel at home with my newsletter.
Honestly, I find that when I’m reading a book I love, I’m also in a good writing groove. So, being a writer doesn’t ruin good books for me; in fact, the opposite! I can still immerse myself in a story, but I also leave the book feeling energized to become a better writer.
Part of this is simply that I know more about craft. Before I wrote my debut novel,The Half of It, I had no idea about the inciting incident or the dark night of the soul. I just read for enjoyment. Now I’m able to see these beats within a book. It’s true, I can’t really turn off that “craft” side of my brain while reading. But I always love exploring how authors build chemistry between two characters, take beloved tropes and put a unique twist on them, or even just note the beautiful prose they might use.
Being an indie author also means I read more indie books. Before I became a published author, I pretty much exclusively read traditionally published books. Today, I make the best use of my Kindle Unlimited subscription and read as many indie authors as I can, in part because I can fully understand how much work goes into bringing a book into the world. Reading indie has opened me up stories I wouldn’t have otherwise read had I just stuck to the Popular Releases shelf at a bookstore, and I’ve dabbled with interesting subgenres of romance like dystopian and even monster romance.
Reviewing is probably one of the trickiest areas for me as an indie author. I now know just how helpful reviews are for indie authors, so I went from just leaving a star rating with a one-sentence review to more detailed reviews. But, quite honestly, as an author, I don’t feel comfortable writing negative reviews—so the only books you’ll see on my Goodreads or Fable pages will be 5-star reviews. It means that you can know for certain these are books I loved! But my DNFs and lower-star books don’t go public because I also know how much a negative review can hurt, and while I think readers should be free to review however feels right to them, as a fellow author I don’t feel comfortable openly critique someone’s work.
Speaking of DNF…I actually think I DNF more frequently these days because I want to make sure I’m diving into stories I really love. As an author, I understand that not everyone will like my books, and the same goes for me—I might pick up a book that just isn’t a good fit. I’ve come to realize that life is too short to read a book I’m not excited about, and as long as I give it the good ol’ college try, then I’ve done my best.
Overall, though, I try to avoid DNFs by being more intentional about what I pick up. I really try to reflect on what kind of book I’m craving, from the genre to the tropes, and make sure I’m picking up something that feels aligned with what I’m looking for. That often means not picking up the most popular books that just came out, but instead scouring through my TBR to find just the right read to scratch a very particular itch.
So is reading for pleasure different from reading for work? For me it isn’t—which is partially what makes my job so enjoyable. I get to enjoy reading and dive into amazing books, and it’s also a learning experience. Honestly, I think a big part of that is that I am a really gullible person and find it very easy to fall into a story. I don’t need a lot of convincing to become invested in a world and its characters. I love reading romance, and while my brain is constantly tracking notes on craft, I’m also very aware that I am reading something I like to read.
Reading as a published author is an interesting experience, and I’m sure it’s different for every author. But I am so, so grateful that becoming an author hasn’t ruined reading for me and instead deepened my relationship to reading. I can read a book and see all the moving parts that made it come to life—and somehow, still, it’s as magical of an experience as ever.ps if you love romance book discussions like this where I go a bit more behind the scenes, share my thoughts, and even give book recs, you’ll probably feel at home with my newsletter.