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Why We Read (And Why So Many Books Get Left Behind)
There’s a moment every reader knows.
That rare, electric feeling when a book reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place.
It’s not just that the book is good—it’s that it connects. It pulls you back in. It makes you want to read faster, stay up later, and ignore everything else just to get back to it.
That’s where this week’s Friday Conversation begins.
A Conversation That Starts Casual… and Gets Real Fast
What begins as a simple catch-up between Steve and Jose quickly evolves into something deeper—an honest look at reading habits, burnout, and the overwhelming flood of books in today’s world.
Jose shares exciting news: he’s been pre-accepted into a PhD program focused on the pedagogy of mathematics. But like many of us juggling life, work, and passion projects, it’s already shifting how much time he can dedicate to reading and content creation.
That tension—between loving books and not always having time for them—sets the tone for the entire episode.
The Modern Problem: Too Many Books
At one point, the conversation hits a staggering statistic:
Nearly half of published books sell zero copies in bookstores.
Let that sink in.
Not “a few copies.” Not “low sales.”
Zero.
We’re living in a time where more books are being published than ever before—but visibility has never been harder.
And that leads to a brutal truth:
Not every good book gets discovered… and not every published book deserves to be.
Why Some Books Feel Like a Chore
Every reader knows the feeling.
You pick up a book. You want to like it. You push through page after page… and it never clicks.
Jose puts it perfectly—sometimes reading starts to feel like something you have to “get through” rather than something you enjoy.
But then, every once in a while, a book changes everything.
A book that makes you want to come back.
A book that reminds you why reading matters.
The Books That Bring You Back
For Jose, that book was Lords and Ladies (Discworld).
For Steve, it was indie titles like The Scroungers and Carpenter in the Elven Forest—books that weren’t just good, but fun.
And that’s an important distinction.
Not every great book has to be profound.
Sometimes, what you need most is:
- Something entertaining
- Something engaging
- Something that reminds you reading doesn’t have to feel like work
The Harsh Reality of Publishing
The conversation doesn’t pull punches when it comes to the publishing world.
From rejection stories (Sanderson, Rowling, decades of struggle) to the reality of indie authors fighting for visibility, one thing becomes clear:
Writing a book is only the beginning.
Success requires:
- Persistence
- Thick skin
- Marketing awareness
- And a willingness to improve
And perhaps most importantly…
Realistic expectations.
Because the truth is, even great books can disappear into the noise.
The Reader’s Dilemma: You Can’t Read Everything
One of the most powerful takeaways from this episode is simple:
Time is limited.
There are millions of books out there. You will never read them all.
So what do you do?
You curate.
You learn your taste.
You DNF (Did Not Finish) when necessary—even if it hurts.
Because every book you force yourself to finish is time you could have spent reading something you love.
Why Variety Still Matters
Despite the overwhelming number of books, the conversation highlights something equally important:
Reading widely matters.
Fantasy, sci-fi, classics, comics, manga—each format brings something different to the table.
And the broader your reading experience becomes, the more you start to notice:
- Themes
- Patterns
- Depth
- Craft
You don’t just read more—you understand more.
Final Thought: Why We Keep Reading
At the end of the day, this episode circles back to a simple question:
Why do we read?
Not for completion.
Not for numbers.
Not even for knowledge alone.
We read for that feeling.
That moment when a book grabs you and doesn’t let go.
And in a world overflowing with content, finding those books may be harder than ever…
But it’s also what makes them worth it.
