Why Readers Need Your Books
I recently attended a virtual event where a few authors shared about their books, and the moderator asked who they write for. This is a question every author has likely asked themselves at one point or another, and it is inextricably linked to the question of who needs the books authors are writing. As a reader and editor, both are important, but I think authors can lose sight of who needs their books; they don’t always realize the impact their words have on readers, and their stories are often a guiding force in readers’ lives.
Above all else, it’s essential that an author writes for themselves. I have not yet met an author who doesn’t feel some sort of calling to their craft. No one would choose to do the extremely difficult task of creating a story without feeling some deeper motivation for wanting to do so. So, first and foremost, writers should always write for themselves. At the end of the day, your opinion of your work as an author is more valuable than anyone else’s.
In addition, many authors from marginalized backgrounds recognize that their work brings a sense of comfort and belonging to people from similar communities, especially those writing for a young adult audience. Authors that write the stories they needed to hear as an adolescent are changing the world one book at a time. In this way, their work is more meaningful than many people can express in words.
Finally, and I think this category is often overlooked, authors’ stories often have a significant and lasting impact on readers who either don’t know they have something in common with the author or who don’t have much in common with the author at all. I personally found my place within the LGBTQIA+ community and the neurodivergent community through reading (and no, books did not make me queer, they gave me a word for what I was already feeling). I’ve had the chance to interact with a couple authors whose books changed my life, and I always feel like I can’t quite convey how much their books mean to me. They are a part of me.
Similarly, we all have different experiences in this world, and sometimes our experiences do not teach us about the beauty of diversity. Again, this is how I felt growing up. I live in a predominantly white neighborhood, went to school with only a handful of students who weren’t white, didn’t know any openly queer people until college, and wasn’t exposed to religion much after my first communion (after which I gently informed my parents that I had learned everything about Christianity because the classes were becoming repetitive). Much like Jasmine in Aladdin, I experienced the world through books. Did the authors of the books I read write them for me? No, and they shouldn’t have been writing for me anyway, but I did benefit from them nonetheless. Having access to diverse books gave me a better understanding of the world and all the different people in it. Are real-world experiences more effective? Probably, but when I didn’t have that option, books were there for me.
So, for all the authors out there wondering if your books have an impact, they do! If you wrote a book from your heart, a book that you put a piece of yourself into, then someone somewhere connected with it on a deeper level. Whether it helped them feel less alone in the world, helped them understand themselves better, or helped them learn about other people, it made a difference in their lives. Writers should always write for themselves first, but never doubt the effect they have on readers in the process.
