Who Reads our Books?

By Adriana Girolami

The aim of most authors is to create a best seller, a dream that seems unattainable to many, and a goal apparently reachable only by a few writers. That is considering the throngs of people that are invested in the literary field.

There are many components that are necessary in order to achieve that coveted goal. First and foremost a captivating well written story, combined with a good deal of luck and proper timing. Of course advertising and the maximum exposure possible is the lifeline of marketing, reason why so much energy is geared in that direction.

The question is why so many people choose to be authors, which is a very difficult and challenging road littered with disappointments, painful rejections, and the scarcity of rewards?

I believe the intense need to go forward is spurred on by passion and the overpowering need of channeling our creativity through the beauty of the written word.

However there are many ways to calibrate the measure of success, as we strive in that elusive road toward achieving the pinnacle of a best seller.

How many people out there are actually reading your books? Are they in the thousands, millions...? Or just a few hundreds who truly love what you have written.

Sometime a wonderful story is like a beautiful flower that blooms in the forest, but is lost in the lush greenery. Only a few birds have the privilege to see it and enjoy its loveliness and aromatic scent. However as the plant grows and new flowers bloom it will become more visible and perhaps someday it may be transplanted in a beautiful garden. No longer isolated from view and now admired by many people.

Since the advent of the Internet we can reach people in the furthest corners of the Earth. From different cultures and places we may never visit in our lifetime. And yet through our writing we can connect with them and become friends.

I often wondered if a lovely Geisha from beautiful Japan is reading one of my books, since I was fortunate to have it published and translated in Japanese. Presently my "Knights Templar Trilogy" is being translated and will be published in Mayalayam in India, which is one of their many languages spoken in the beautiful state of Kerala.

Recently I received a special and wonderful gift from one of my European readers, the image of a beautiful doll, which she has created in honor of the heroine of my Trilogy, "Polyxena of Nemours".

I believe that we should appreciate and be grateful to all our readers, regardless of the number, and be proud that each one of them has used their precious time to read our stories.

My experience in writing has validates my beloved mother's valuable teachings, when she said that the world is filled with friends waiting to be met...

Hopefully all the flowers in our literary garden will continue to grow and multiply, so we will be able to share their variety and beauty with readers and new found friends throughout the world...

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Adriana Girolami was born in Rome, Italy and credits the ancient beauty of her native country for her love of history. She is a talented writer of historical fiction and a gifted visual artist. She immigrated with her family to the United States and later attended The Art Students League in New York City. She is a professional portrait artist who loves to write and express her creativity not only with a brush, but also with the power of the written words. She is the author of the beloved historical romance series, The Templar Trilogy:  Mysterious Templar, The Crimson Amulet, and Templar’s Redemption. As the illustrator of her book jackets, she paints intricate, visually rich characters that match the complex personalities she creates with her equally well-drawn words. Her novels have also been translated and published in Japan. Her trilogy presently is  being translated in an Indian language and will be published there. She is currently working on her latest novel, The Zamindar's Bride, which will be published soon. Adriana loves to travel with her husband and has been privileged to visit many beautiful places in the world. Since her work is sedentary, she exercises faithfully, loves to jog, plays racquetball and has a black belt in Kenpo Karate. She always looks forward to a special tomorrow and writing her next exciting novel. Her social media links are: www.adrianagirolami.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01AX0QTNI?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_0000_ft   https://www.facebook.com/adriana.girolami.3  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAdrianaGirolami/