What are readers looking for in a book? I was reading a BookBaby post, that detailed what award judges are looking for in a book, when it struck me: isn’t this exactly what readers are looking for in a book, too?
The five most important characteristics mentioned were :
- a creative and original plot,
- a coherent and distinctive writing style,
- believable and dynamic characters,
- realistic dialogue, and
- flawless copy editing.
A second group of attributes, described as slightly less critical were:
- a proper balance between description/narration/exposition,
- compelling episodes/scenes,
- a professional-looking cover and interior layout,
- a catchy title, and
- a length appropriate to the story.
So here you have it, authors: do your best in all these regards, and you may end up not just with a great fan base, but with an award as well!
That’s the perfect checklist you have there, Nicholas! Excellent! I’ll reblog later in the week.