Why am I sneaking into my ten year old daughter's room to switch off her  light when she's fallen asleep, book in hand? Or striding into her room well past  lights out, to demand she hand over the book this instant? She loves reading, that's why. But this wasn't always the case. I used to read to her every night - then I figured it was time for her to step up and take over. After all, my mother had proudly informed me once, she had NEVER read me a book - it was up to me to learn how to read for myself (now that's a tough love approach!). 



Nearly two years ago, I decided M should start reading on her own. But this idea wasn't embraced with enthusiasm. So much easier just lying back and letting Mum do all the hard work. Plus, its  frustrating when you have to figure out words all the time. So reading fell by the wayside a bit.

Then two things happened: Mrs GS (her wonderful teacher) and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Most teachers don't seem to read aloud to their students after they turn 9 or so. Just like I did, they think its time for them to read for themselves. But what I forgot, is that you still have to inspire kids to WANT to make the effort.

When I started hearing what an AMAZING reader Mrs GS was and when M demanded I buy the books she was listening to in class, I realized reading aloud was still important. I have heard Mrs GS read to her kids and YES M, she is brilliant (possibly even better than me, but I'm not admitting it). She reads with passion and drama and the kids hang on her every word. She reads whole books, extracts from books, (so they have to finish the book themselves) plus poems and plays. She's covered an amazing breadth with her kids, which inspires them to read for themselves. They've done Shakespeare and classic poems as well as many contemporary stories. What a treat its been for all of them. 

Now the other reason for M embracing books, is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. She discovered this series and has read them all. They are rude and funny and silly and very easy to read and completely in 'kid speak'. BUT there is something to be said for books that kids just whizz through easily. They enjoy them and gain confidence in their reading. They're great for boys and girls and without a doubt, they work best with reluctant readers. I guess there's nothing like an endless stream of fart jokes and embarrassing accidents where you GROAN for the hapless main character.  

M now reads all sorts of books, many of them quite challenging (so not just the rude and easy ones).

Just last night (at ten o clock - MUCH TOO LATE!!) I had to go and remove Skulduggery Pleasant so she could get some sleep.

So in hindsight, I think the smarter approach for me, was to keep reading bits of stories with my daughter taking over the reading - once she was "hooked'.  To other parents wanting to get their kids reading on their own, I'd say a bit of a mix of you and them to start, and some easy fun books to give them confidence. Sharing the reading with a bit of you and them makes for a shared experience they love at any age (well till the teenage years).  

Now we're squarely in the age of e-books is print dead? More people still read hard copies then digital, JUST. BUT you have to admit that it's mighty convenient taking a bunch of books away on holiday on one little tablet. Plus e-books are cheaper - although the cost of print books in stores has come down significantly (more is the pity for the poor author whose margin on a print book is just a few cents).

I've become a kindle convert this year. Why? I ran out of room on my bookshelves. Of course I still read real books in print too. But it has been easy and convenient clicking on those new ebooks. There are drawbacks though -  I find reading a screen at night means I read for a much shorter time and reading in the sun - forget it. Also not everyone wants to get a tablet/kindle for every member of the family. 

Will books survive? Will bookshops still be flourishing in five years time? A US survey earlier this year said most people preferred a combination of e books and print books - read the results here...
https://www.surveymonkey.com/blog/en/blog/2013/03/25/print-books-vs-e-books-whats-the-future-of-reading/

Nostalgia, comfort and convenience were the main reasons given for buying print books. Yes there is something comforting about curling up with a real book. A printed book also makes a MUCH better present than an email saying download your $1.99 book here. 

For authors, the growth in the e book market has meant a tsunami of self published books appearing on Amazon Kindle and the like. The downside for both authors and readers is that the sheer number of new books daily has meant that the majority of books never see the light of day. It's a guess, but an educated one, that 99% of books on Amazon probably only sell a handful each year and most of those sales come from the author's own network.  

Yes there are a ton of reviews on line these days but how many are really discerning? And how often do you even find the book amongst the zillions of others so you can read those reviews? The advice from a well read salesperson in a bookstore cannot be underestimated. How often have we bought a book on their recommendation?

I hope bookstores remain viable and popular and we can combine both e and print books on our shelves for a long time yet. 
     

Very exciting! Harriet's Hotel was published this week and has just gone live on Amazon Kindle. The more people that read it (and ideally review it well) the more it gets noticed by other readers and hopefully the book becomes a success.  

Wahooo.

It's been quite a journey getting to this point. Not just writing the book but also being the publisher has been a big learning curve. Who knew there was just so much to it?

Now its time to start writing the next adventure of Harriet Honeyman and I have some great ideas for that.