I’ve heard for a long time that we need to aim our writing at readers at the sixth grade level. As a former college English professor, I’m afraid I have to agree. Recently I heard about the Gunning Fog Index, where you to put in a chunk of text and get the grade level necessary to understand it.
I uploaded the description for my next golden retriever mystery, Dog of Secrets.
Oops. You need to read at a 10th grade level to understand it. That’ll have to change.
Then I uploaded the first page of the book, and whew! Only need a 6th grade level for that.
It’s not that I want to underestimate my readers. I just don’t want you to need a PhD in literature to understand me.
A good way to look at this is the difference between complimentary and free. Both words mean the same thing. If a hotel offers complimentary breakfast, it means the meal is free. If an author offers a complimentary short story, it means readers don’t have to pay for it.
But nobody talks that way. Nobody tells a friend, “I got a complimentary cup of coffee this morning.”
The Words We Learned First
English is unusual because it has two large vocabularies living side by side.
The Latinate words aren’t wrong. In some situations they’re exactly right. But when you’re trying to connect with another human being, the shorter, older words often win. They feel more direct. More emotional. More real.
Why This Matters to Creatives
Writers sometimes use big words because we’re trying to sound professional. Business owners want to sound sophisticated. Marketers think bigger words sound more impressive.
But customers aren’t impressed by effort. They’re persuaded by clarity.
If you’re writing a book description, a website headline, a newsletter signup page, or even an Amazon ad, ask yourself: Can I replace a formal word with one people actually use?
Whether you’re selling books, consulting services, handmade crafts, software, or dog treats, your customers don’t want to read a corporate memo.
They want to hear from a human being.
And speaking of free, I put my 2025 MM romance, The Big Race, up for free for five days (ending today, June 29.) I’ve given away 485 copies so far, and popped up on several Amazon free charts.
Why give the book away? First, I love Ray and Jeffrey’s story and I want people to read it. Second, I hope that if a reader likes it, they’ll give it a good review, which helps boost popularity and sales. And third, if they like the way I write, I hope they’ll buy some of my other books.
And it’s nice to give people things!
With love and gratitude,
Neil
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