How to be a Magical Reading Elf

Over the past several months I’ve heard a lot about the decline in reading and what should be done about it. A lot of the things I’ve heard (first- and second-hand) from publishing professionals run along the lines of “people aren’t interested in reading about the past,” “we can’t set up barriers for readers,” “readers don’t want to work too hard,” “books need to be shorter to keep readers’ attention,” “books need to only have one or two characters because more than that is confusing,” etc., etc.

The latest buzzy thing in my world is a recent New York Times article describing how publishers of children’s and young adult books have taken to “modernizing” them upon reissue years or decades later. This involves updating outdated technology, if it’s referenced; removing unfamiliar brand names and replacing them with current ones; even switching out a specific television show reference for TikTok or changing names of celebrities that were popular when a book was published for names of celebrities popular now. Etc., etc. This is all being done, apparently, in that same old fear of making reading too hard for people today. Of dumbing it down.

I know this is all born of desperation. The truth is everyone is selling far fewer books today than they used to (save for a few huge outliers every season), and readership is declining. But I don’t think dumbing everything down is the answer. I really don’t.

I was a precocious child reader. I read books way above my grade level but did enjoy the popular children’s series of the time, back in the 1960s and 1970s. And a lot of these popular series—the Ginnie and Geneva series, Betsy, Tacy & Tib series, the “Shoes” series by Noel Streatfeild, the All-of-a-Kind Family series—were written and/or set in a different time. These books were not modernized for me, a child of lava lamps and mood rings. And you know what?

I loved them.

I didn’t find the unfamiliar references daunting. They weren’t these “barriers” that everyone is talking about. Instead, they were enticing breadcrumbs, leading me to learn more about history and that, in turn, led me to where I am now: A bestselling historical novelist.

I’m worried about everything concerning reading and publishing today. I’m exhausted by so much of it, to tell the truth. I just want to write my books, man!

Mainly, though, I’m deeply worried about this fear that people don’t want to learn anything about the past and that we authors can’t challenge our readers anymore. I don’t know what that means for future generations of both readers and writers, but it can’t mean anything good.

And right now, it means that the books I love to read and write are harder to find and harder to sell.

OK. Enough of my rant! I have this one more chance to put on my marketing/self-promotional hat (a hat I despise and can’t wait to retire!) to remind everyone I have a book coming out on Tuesday!

I promise The Windsor Affair is a layered—but fun!—novel about history that doesn’t dumb it down for you readers. You know all about it by now and it can be preordered here or at your local bookstore. But I want to ask a question:

Are you Team Wallis or Team Elizabeth?

Let me know after you’ve read the book! And I’m just going to point you toward my website where I list upcoming events (and am adding more soon), the fun “World of The Windsor Affair” page with tons of background info, the book club page where you can find out how to ask me to speak with your club and enter for some goodies, including this sweatshirt that just arrived and that I love –

One more thing. Authors need to be marketers and have street teams today. I don’t know what that means, though. I guess you guys are my street team? So if you can talk about the book among your friends and family, on social media if you’re there, and ask your bookstore or library if they have it or if they’d like to do an event with me (and they can contact me through my website), I’d appreciate it. The one certain thing that sells books these days is word of mouth.

The only trouble is, nobody knows exactly how that happens. Except through magical reading elves, I guess.

So be a magical reading elf for me, please! I’d really appreciate it so I get the chance to write more books.

And I promise, I won’t dumb them down.