Dear Reader,
I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but you hold all the power in our relationship. When I put my heart out there, it’s in your hands…on your bookshelf I am accepted or rejected.
If you like my books, you can leave them five stars on Amazon. If you don’t, you can leave them one lonely star.
Other readers listen when you speak. Even the cold, hard robotic algorithm has eyes only for you when it decides who to show my work to. What you say, who you say it to…it changes us authors.
You are the heartbeat of Goodreads.
I think of you often. I shape every story and word with you in mind. I do this for you.
In fact, I can never truly read my own books except through your eyes. I’m not shocked by the plot twists, I can’t erase my knowledge of the characters and meet them all over again…I’m not delighted by ideas I’ve never considered before.
The power you hold is unheard of. Reader’s Choice Awards…NYT Bestseller lists…Write Your Own Adventure books…the list is lengthy.
I am not writing to warn you to yield this power well. I am writing to tell you of your freedom.
Readers are a force to be reckoned with, but I am not afraid. I am cheering you on.
- That book you loved? Shout of it from the rooftops.
- The one you didn’t? It’s okay.
- Dog-eared pages? Do it with abandon.
Reading is not a one-size-fits-all sport.
Some people read to escape the worries of life. Some people read to engage with them.
As G.K. Chesterton said, “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”
Stories are, inherently, about what it means to be human. And those of you who love my stories…my gripping, whimsical, prose-filled stories…I’m nothing without you.
Thanks for being here.
-Vella
P.S. If this sounded like an angsty love letter, let me know in the comments!
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P.P.S. To be extremely clear, I’d still be a valued child of God if no one read my books, but I wouldn’t consider myself an author.