It is not easy to live the life of an author. People may think that being an author is about coming up with an idea and giving it shape and form with words. However, you can understand that being an author is much more than scribbling words.
From writing the first draft of your book to typesetting and sending it to the publishers, there are so many steps an author must take to make their hard work pay off. All these endeavors can become exhausting and overwhelming at the day’s end.
Before a reader pays attention to the words written in your book, they will inspect it visually. Of course, if the book does not look welcoming, they will dismiss your work without much thought. Most readers can have a short attention span, so you need to make your work readable at first glance.
If you are unsure about the ways of making your work readable, here are a few essential tips that can help you.
Make Your Book More Readable
Table of Contents
1. Choose Your Words Carefully
One of the most off-putting things for a reader can be grammatical errors and inconsistencies. After all, there are not many people who would rely on someone who lacks a basic grasp of the language. Therefore, you need to weigh and recheck every word in your book.
Make sure that all the personal pronouns fit well and that your nouns sit comfortably with your verbs. This practice can ensure a certain smoothness in your text.
In addition, make sure that all your punctuation marks are in place. Inconsistent and unnecessary punctuation marks can hinder the sense of your words. They can also overwhelm the reader and affect the readability of your book.
2. Focus on Typesetting
Your book is a work of art. It’s not about the words alone, and many more things make or break the deal. That is why even the most successful authors worldwide never hold back from hiring the services of professional typesetters.
When readers pick up your book, they are not just looking forward to connecting with the words. They also want to connect visually. Therefore, you must focus on everything from the font to the text size and spacing.
Professional typesetters have years of experience in their field. They have an in-depth understanding of what makes a work visually appealing. After all, typesetting is one of the main factors separating your work from field freshmen.
3. Give Depth to Your Characters
Every reader seeks to connect with the book in one way or another. They want to find relatability within your story and characters. Of course, this does not mean you must have a general mindset that makes your reader settle for the normal. Everyone admires a bit of conflict in their story.
Therefore, you need to make your characters unique but relatable at the same time. Your readers will always prefer dynamic characters over passive ones. Make them feel one with the protagonist to increase your readability for every reader.
Make sure that every character, major or small, creates an impact on your reader. It’s up to you to make your readers care for your characters, fear for them, and understand their feelings. If there are no feelings, how can you connect with the reader?
4. Work on the Dialogues
Whether you are writing a book for the first time or already have experience in the field, every writer can agree that some parts are harder to write than others. And writing dialogues can be one of the most challenging for many.
Dialogues are a great tool to pass information between characters and the readers simultaneously. They may seem harmless, but the truth is that dialogues can get repetitive. This way, it can decrease the readability of your book.
However, working on your dialogues can become the most powerful in keeping the reader engaged. The key is to avoid small talk, lengthy banters, and long speeches. Keep your dialogue to the point and poignant.
5. Rectify the Sentence Structure
Every sentence that you write makes up your book. Each sentence helps you maintain a healthy balance and weightage in your book. If some sentences are too short and others are needlessly long, your book’s readability can be disrupted.
Therefore, it is important to consider the length of every sentence you write. Make sure that all sentences in your chapters follow the same pattern. Make sure that your sentences are not long enough to confuse the reader.
Many well-acclaimed writers may even recommend using active voice sentences to keep the reader engaged. It is because passive-voice sentences can limit your reader’s understanding and readability. So, it’s better to keep things simple.
6. Check Your Pace
Well-written literature is filled with surprises. If you use a monotonous tone or do not grow your characters, the reader may get bored and move to another book. Therefore, you need to stay focused on this aspect to increase the readability of your work.
The pace you choose to describe a scene in your book can define a lot for the reader. For example, if your protagonist gets in a fight, you must give your reader some time to adjust to the change.
Of course, it does not mean that you need to leave blank pages to give your reader a rest. Instead, you can calm your reader with a change of tone and pace. This practice can make the reader feel held and sympathized in the situation.
7. Drive the Plot
It can be hard to create a shift for your readers while staying invisible in the scenes. It is not possible to keep the reader engaged with a stagnant plot. You can increase your work’s readability by introducing an ever-changing plot.
Whenever your characters face unique situations or go through a certain event, you can cater to that as per their character traits. However, adding conflict and resolving it can add more depth to your plot and keep it from becoming too boring for the reader.
