The Purposeful Prose Advice Column: Readers Count, Writers Count

Dear Purposeful Prose, 

As an author and reader, my algorithms have taken great pains to emphasize the 120 books in a year celebration. Of course, social media is as social media does. Reading has turned into a contest or something to count. On the other side of things, as an author, I’m finding a lot of issues with this discussion that a lot of people aren’t talking about. I’ve written self-help, and I’ve written fictionalized accounts inspired by events from my childhood. I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I wouldn’t call them on par with classic prose. According to several of the comments that have gone against Armah, who was sharing her joy [and I believe that’s all it is], many of my books and those of my colleagues would be considered trash. If I feel like that as an author, how does it feel as an editor? What should I do with this information as an author looking for motivation in all of this?

When I was much younger, I remember being a part of a Reading Counts program in my school. When a student read a book from the approved Reading Counts list, we logged into the program on a school computer, took a comprehension test associated with the book, and a score of 7/10 or higher would earn us points for that book. Those points earned students prizes, and if full classes earned a certain amount of points, we earned full-class rewards. 

Thinking back on this program, I like the incentivized reading. For those who were able to read and take in information quickly, this program was highly rewarding. For those who found reading to be more challenging and were still learning, I don’t feel as though this program was as ideal. Finding a way to reward students for their progress in reading, something that met them where they were, would have been much better. 

I bring this up because the highest-performing students in the Reading Counts program were celebrated throughout the school. In these foundational years, as our brains were growing and developing, reading became something to compete over.

The post and advice that Armah shared on her reading habits (read for context) did make its rounds to me, and as soon as it did, I knew not to check the comments section. I agree that Armah was sharing her joy and, as a reader, I liked the strategies that helped her achieve her goal. Purposeful Prose offers their congratulations as well. 

As a reader myself, I know that there are certain books that are for me and books that are not for me. By this, I mean that just because a book isn’t for me, that doesn’t mean it’s not for someone else or that something doesn’t count as valid literature. 

In previous articles (one of which was from our guest writer), we’ve discussed how romance novels have commonly appealed to the wants, desires, fantasies, explorations, etc. of women. Due to biases surrounding the interests of women, swathes of people have talked down about romance novels, particularly dark romance, otherwise spicy romance, or, broadly, contemporary romance. 

You can imagine my nonexistent shock upon reading the comments that referred to parts of Armah’s book list as “smut books.”

My view on this is that books are books. Problems arise when reading books that promote or encourage harm to oneself or others, but that’s a different issue. 

One comment that made its way to other articles discussing this post, among gatekeepers putting down e-books and audiobooks read as follows:

“There is no flex in proving you read 120 books. Congrats to that, but let’s be honest, are you better than academias/students who spend more than a year reading textbooks, articles, journals, to become experts in their field which obviously adds value to the society? I love to read too but you gotta socialize a little bit. Don’t be this lonely, go out, watch a movie with a friend or two”

Parts adjusted for grammar.

Unpacking this, let’s start with the fact that Armah shared something that she was proud of and happy about. Saying that, “there is no flex” in having met a victimless goal that makes her personally happy enough to share is a little silly.

Second, I struggle to see where Armah said that she was any better than anyone else, student or otherwise. What does Armah do outside of reading? Do they know for a fact or are they assuming a lack of time on her part based on their own reading habits?

If I dwell on the last couple of sentences that assume her social life, each piece brings us to the same conclusion. This person, in particular, is projecting. Armah didn’t set out to make others feel inferior. She set out to be happy, to post about her books, and to share that she’s proud of herself. If that makes someone else feel inferior, that’s another issue entirely.   

I was a reader before I was an editor, and I am an editor because I am a reader. 

I take joy from reading in all its forms. I have a tablet for reading, I love specific books performed as audiobooks, and I love reading a physical book when on transit. As an editor and a reader, my hope is that people continue to explore the joy they find in reading whether they read 2-3 books or 230. 

As an author, my advice to you is to put yourself in the shoes of your ideal audience. There will be people who read to boost their numbers, who might see reading as a chore, but your ideal audience will never be the competitors. Regardless of who your audience is, your audience will be the one that chooses your work because they see value in it. If your book is in someone’s count for the year, that won’t necessarily mean that they are a competitor.

They might be like Armah, someone who’s set a fun reading goal for themselves, and you’ll happen to be a part of that. If a book of mine, edited or written, were ever in her reading list, I would be beyond honored. 

Maybe, in the future, Reading Counts will return to schools, new and improved, incentivizing reading with a system that rewards those who explore their personal goals and interests through literature. Perhaps they'll find ways to live up to the name as all reading does count.

If you have a writing or editing-focused question, I would be more than happy to dedicate a post to you. Contact us with any questions you might have or to schedule a free consultation with yours truly!

All submissions will remain anonymous unless you explicitly request for me to include your name.