Free to Read You and Me

Everyone will tell you that you should be well read in your genre.  There’s no better way to learn what works - and what doesn’t - by those who have ventured first.  I make it a point to read everything from best sellers to the books lurking in the bargain bin (I’ve found some gems there!)  Sometimes, I feel the lack of success a book may experience may be more related to poor marketing than poor writing.

Just as important?  Reading outside of your genre.  Let’s face it - sticking with what you know and what you like is…comfortable.  But great writing isn’t confined to your favorite genre and there is much to be learned - and incorporate into your own work - within the pages outside your normal reading list.

Towards the latter half of 2017, I discovered a perk with Amazon Prime that I didn’t even realize I had called Amazon First Reads.  It entitles you to one FREE Kindle book at the start of each month.  Don’t have the Kindle proper?  Not to worry – if you have the Kindle app on your smartphone, it can be delivered there.

At first, I wasn’t terribly impressed.  As I mentioned in the past, I tend to gravitate towards hardcover books so eBooks were not on my radar.  Besides – I have so many titles on my reading list at the moment, I’m not entirely certain I’ll even get through them before I die.  Side note:  one of the books on that list is “Girl Waits With Gun” by Amy Stewart.  It was released in 2015, but after reading the first few pages, I was hooked.

The dust jacket hooked me, as well!  It has a vintage newspaper look and feel to it.

In October, I gave First Reads a second look.  They offer up several different genres from mystery to thriller.  Contemporary to literary fiction.  My first instinct was to grab a mystery book, but then I had a thought - what an extraordinary opportunity to get some research material outside of my genre.  I know myself enough to know I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase a book in the literary fiction genre, but a freebie?  Count me in!

It has been an enlightening experience.   As I said above and in a previous post on poetry, there is plenty to learn – and incorporate into your own writing – to be found outside your standard go to genre.  Amazon First Reads gives you FREE opportunity to do it.

The best part?  No excess books hanging about the house!  Since these are for research, they can hang out on my phone taking up relatively minimal space.  This allows you to reserve space on your shelves for the books you truly treasure.

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, be certain to check it out!