A Book’s Purpose

What makes a great story or book? Or better yet, what makes you want to read a book? Is it the characters, the setting, or the plot? Or is it something that can help you be a better person, an opportunity to learn from another, a way to imagine a new place, or someone else’s life? More than likely, it’s a mix of some, if not all, of those elements composed in an engaging escape from reality with emotions, tension, and conflict resolution sprinkled into the concoction regardless of it being fiction or nonfiction.

Conflicted

You might be thinking, how can a self-help book have conflict resolution? The very reason the reader picked up the book in the first place, to resolve their own personal conflict. Even the dictionary fills the need for defining words for its reader. And that is simply what a book does; it fills a need for a reader. (One could easily argue that is the purpose of every product, and they would be right. A book is nothing more than a product of someone’s intellect transcribed into written form for others’ consumption or themselves.)

What makes it great

In the general sense, all great books have an emotional connection with the reader. Think about it. Every person who has recommended a book to you had some experience with that written work enough to talk about it with you and possibly recommend it. Good, bad, or otherwise, there was some experience that made it memorable. The broader the audience that emotional connection can make, the more likely the popularity of the book. That’s not to say that emotional connection is the single reason a book is popular. Timing, circulation, advertising, and many other factors play a part in how quickly a book is adopted into a market. Frank Herbert’s Dune was written in 1965. While still award-winning in 1966, it didn’t reach popularity until the 1980s. It is regarded as one of the most influential science fiction novels of all time.

It’s the basic rule of any written work; it needs to connect with at least one reader (which can also be the author) and serve that reader’s need.

Are you looking to fill that need as an author? Modern Quill can help. Click “Contact,” and we’ll schedule a time to learn about your project confidentially.

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