Read More Books This Year
12 books.
According to the Pew Research Center, the average adult American reads 12 books a year, with half of Americans reading 4 or less. One more time for the people in the back: half of Americans read 4 books or less a year. Ouch. If you want to elevate your writing from amateur to professional, you have to become an avid reader. At Author Coaching, we want to help you read more books this year. That’s why we put together 3 quick and easy ways to read more books in 2024.
Here are 3 tips for reading more books this year.
#1. You’re doing it wrong.
The easy answer for why people don’t read more is they don’t have time. We get it. Everything is busy. But, there is an easy way to prioritize reading: audiobooks.
You might not have time to sit down with a book, but you might have a commute to work or work out at the gym or time in the pick-up line for school. Many moments in the day can be used to listen to a book while you do other things. A typical audiobook is 10 hours. Using those moments throughout your week, you can easily listen to 2-3 books a month. If our days aren’t filled with enough time, they probably have transitional moments or times that can be redeemed to help us read more books.
The issue isn’t time - it’s format.
The same goes for always having a book on you. We’re willing to wager that you always have a phone with you. The Kindle app is free, along with a variety of other reading app choices. It’s never been easier and more convenient to have a book always with you. If you’re going to spend time looking at your phone, why not use it to read a book?
#2. Join Goodreads.
If you want to stay accountable to your reading goals, a good place to start is to find a community of readers. That’s where people who love books live online. Every year Goodreads has a reading challenge. You can track your books, comment on what your friends are reading, write reviews, and discover new books.
Not sure what to read next? Spend a few minutes on Goodreads and you’ll have plenty to choose from.
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“Not All Readers Are Leaders, But All Leaders Are Readers.”
- Harry S. Truman
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#3. Quit at any time.
At an early age, we’re taught that quitting is for losers. High school English & Literature classes bend towards endurance instead of enjoyment. To not finish a book could be detrimental to your grade. It’s ingrained in us that not finishing a book is bad. Many adults still carry this shame that every book must be finished. Sometimes readers will trip over a bad book and it will halt all of their reading. They can’t move on because they just can’t finish a particular book. That’s no good. Give yourself permission to quit books. No explanation is needed. There’s no shame in your reading game for doing that.
Remember: Life is too short to spend it slogging through a book you don’t enjoy.
To be a successful writer, reading needs to be one of your core values and habits. If you can make good use of your time by varying your format, join a community of readers to help support your habit, and quit books that aren’t cutting it, you’ll be well on your way to having your best year of reading.
Take Action: If you're serious about writing a book, you've got to take our e-course, "How Do I Know If I Have a Good Book Idea?" We'll teach you exactly what you need to know: how to identify, shape, and position the RIGHT book idea. Click here to learn more.
