What Kind of Reader Are You?

Ok, so a lot of people go to the library, and try to figure out what to take out. What people do not know is that there isn’t one type of reader. There are many types of readers, and it helps to figure what kind of reader you are. What kind of reader are you? Well, let me give you examples of readers. 

The Genre Reader- This is the type of reader who picks a genre and dedicates their reading life to it. A genre reader fills their shelves with fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, mystery and sticks with it. Some of the best readers I know are genre readers, because they often read more than all of us. Going to the library or bookstore isn’t a problem for them. They go to the fantasy or science fiction or mystery section of their library or store and stack up on them. They know the authors and the upcoming authors of their respective genres. They already have a path for what they are going to read.

 
          The Picky Reader- This is the type of reader who only reads the best. No Twilight or James Patterson for this reader’s list. They don’t want to turn pages; they want the Pulitzer Prize winning novels, the literary novels and the classics. They don’t want bestsellers, and they don’t want to just turn pages with a good story. They want to be affected, and think deeply about the book. They want strong prose and details. The total opposite of that is…

      The Bestseller Reader- This reader does not want to read a book no one has ever heard of. They want to read a bestseller. Something they can talk to other people about around the water cooler (do they even have water coolers anymore? I don’t know) but the point is they want something that’s popular. Something that’s known and something that won’t look weird when they are reading it. The one catch to the bestseller reader is that just because something’s popular doesn’t mean it’s the best, and they often miss out on some great books.

          The YA Reader- There’s nothing wrong with reading YA novels, even when you are an adult yourself. However, I don’t think an adult should only read YA novels and nothing else. The Harry Potter generation is growing up, and YA novels are still as popular as ever. Some of our most iconic and best written books are YA novels, but don’t be a YA reader who reads one bestselling series after another. Don’t just jump from Potter to Twilight. “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” are great, but also be sure to read new YA novels no one ever heard of because often those are the next “Hunger Games.” It’s important for a YA novel reader to keep up with the new authors coming out there. This brings me to another reader who needs to keep up with the newest information.

          The Writer Reader- Every writer needs to be a reader, and there’s no excuse for you as a writer not to read. For a number of reasons, including you will need influences; you need to like books to write them. It helps to know what’s going on in the writing world. How are you going to be a successful writer if you don’t know what’s going on? A person who doesn’t want to read but wants to be a writer is like a musician who doesn’t like music. 

          The Page Turner Reader- Basically, this isn’t the biggest type of reader. This is a person who reads to be entertained, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This is the opposite of the picky reader.  This reader just wants to pass some time. James Patterson will have plenty of books for you.

      The Passionate Reader- This person will read anything, and everything. Reading Twilight and reading James Joyce is not above this person. In my opinion, that’s a really good kind of reader because they are open to enjoy a good story and get serious about an affecting one. Appreciate Edward Cullen and Lizzie Bennett. Stephanie Meyer and Jane Austen all have a place on your shelf. So, I say any of these readers are good, but it’s the passionate reader that keeps the books moving. And finally, the most important reader…

      The Young Reader- Getting a kid to read is important, and that’s where it all starts. Remember to bring your critical judgment down a notch, and let them read “Twilight” or “Harry Potter.” The best children’s books are entertaining and magical ones. Remember, if you can get a kid to be a reader, that’s where it all starts. I remember being at the library and seeing a little girl with a bag of books. A kid who spends a lot of time reading will be better prepared for life. Also, a kid who spends their time reading will probably not get into as much trouble as a kid who doesn’t. With all the outside influences today, a kid with their head in a book will be more likely to ignore them. How much trouble can you get if you spend all your time buried into a book? A library is hardly a place where trouble happens. You want your kid to hang out at the library. That’s the most important reader of all.

How To Write On The Web

We all know the story of Stephen King living in a trailer, and how he finished the manuscript to “Carrie.” He threw it away in the trash, thinking to himself, that he knows nothing about teenage girls. He must be nuts, until his wife fished it out, read it and said “You really got something here!” So, against his own thoughts, he submitted it to publication, and it sold millions. Now, he is Stephen King, one of the great storytellers of our time. However, things are different these days. You don’t need to guess with your manuscript. Take the story of Amanda Hockings, a young woman from Minnesota. She wrote a dozen novels, only to see them get rejected from one publisher after another. Instead of simply giving up, she took them to the web, and now she is a millionaire author. She started by selling them as downloads for ninety nine cents. Now, her books are selling from a major publisher, and she is raking it in. Not bad for a self described “John Hughes mourner, Muppets fanatic.” The point I am trying to make is that if Stephen King had the internet, he might have not thrown away the manuscript to “Carrie” so fast. He would have maybe posted a sample of it online and seen if it had gotten any hits. All the readers are now online, and it’s often the internet that determines what breaks out of its digital box and right onto the page. Traditional media is still the goal. We all want to still be on TV, movie screens, syndicated to newspapers and in a book you can hold. However, that doesn’t always happen right away, so we turn to the internet to see if we can get any reception there. It’s often as a last resort, but none the less. So, here are my tips for people beginning to write online.

1.  Keep a Blog- That’s very simple. You set up a blog on Blogger or Word Press or any of the dozen free servers out there. However, there is a catch.

2. Make Your Blog Quality- No one wants to read about what you had for breakfast or how great your boyfriend or girlfriend is. People want to read about a topic: books, movies, or if you are going to write about your life, make sure it’s interesting or funny or relatable. However, your blog shouldn’t be a place you post everything that pops into your head. Start each blog post like it was an article. Write it on a word document and not automatically on a blog. This is good for two things. First of all, it’s good because it leaves a backup copy on your computer’s local server and second of all, it makes you feel like it’s an article. Don’t think of these as blog posts. Think of these as articles.

3. Stories- If you aren’t doing reviews, columns or articles, and you want to write fiction, I suggest you set up a account on a fiction website, or submit to the dozens of online fiction magazines. Fiction isn’t really in print anymore as far as magazines go, unless you are trying for the Paris Review, which only accepts the most top notch quality. There are great online fiction magazines like Word Riot or 3AM Magazine. However, Figment.com is good too. That’s a bit more for the teenagers out there writing, but I don’t see the harm in it.

4. Decide Your Name- Decide if you want to use your real name or a pen name. A lot of people use pen names on the internet. However, that doesn’t mean you post up something embarrassing online even if it is under a pen name. Remember, the internet doesn’t really go away. It just kind of sits there. Don’t say something online you wouldn’t say in real life.

5. Don't Comment On Stuff That's None of Your Business- A lot of people online comment on stuff they don't know about. If it's something that you aren't a expert on, don't comment on it. It makes you look bad, and know just because you can doesn't mean you should.

6.Keep Your Accounts Separate- Your stories of fiction, your reviews and columns and your Facebook. Don’t mesh them together. It’s easy to mix personal and professional online. Try not to.

7. And finally, Good Luck- May we all be Amanda Hockings.