What if No One Wants to Read My Novel? (a rational examination)

What if no one wants to read your novel?

This question plagues you. Your family members ask you what you're writing about, they even read it when you get up the courage to ask them if they'd like to, but do they really want to read it?

Your dearest friends might not have time to read it, even if you offer, even if you'd love to know what they think, and that awakens the question as well: If they had time, would they want to read it?

People might buy your book when you advertise it, few people or many people, it makes no difference, because the question remains: Do they want to read it?

Do they really like it?

The doubt you've harbored ever since you started thinking 'I'm might actually be good at this' gets bigger and bigger until it occurs to you that maybe you have no talent at all. Maybe it's all just in your head. Your talent might be an illusion of your overexcited mind.

Maybe your writing only matters to you.

Maybe the only reason any of them read it was because you made them. None of them really liked it. They just read it to humor you, if they bothered to read it at all.

But may I point out just one word.

Maybe.

Maybe they did read it only to humor you. Maybe none of them did like it.

Or maybe not.

We are born prone to mistakes. We are created unable to properly read the signals of other humans, so we can never truly tell what someone thinks or if what they say is genuine. We are destined to forever wonder about some things, to never know the answers to some questions.

So maybe they did like your novel. Or maybe not. Maybe they wanted to read it. Or maybe not.

But what if you thought of it this way:

So what?

Does it really matter if they liked it, so long as you liked it?

Did you enjoy writing the novel?

Yes.

That matters.

Do you still love every piece of it to bits, no matter how flawed?

Yes.

That matters.

If it's important to you, if it's something you love, that makes it important.

You are not measured by the expressions on other people's faces.

Your art is not important because someone else liked it.

Your art is important because you care about it. If it matters to you, other people's opinions have no place on the playing field. If you love it, people just like you will love it too. And if you love it enough to keep doing it, they will come to you.

And they will wonder how you do it.

I know this to be true because I have seen all these things play out in my own life. I've only seen them on a small scale, but in time the scale will become bigger. I know if I keep working at what I love, my audience will come to me. And yours will, too.

Now come on. I've done the work for you. The thought has been presented to you. You only have to keep believing it.

Because you matter. And so does everything you make.

So, what if no one wants to read your novel?

That's okay.

They will.

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