So, I’m a Legend of Zelda fan. (Stay with me here—I promise this connects to writing!)
Games in the Zelda franchise are auto-buys for me. But wouldn’t call myself a superfan. You don’t see me creating elaborate cosplays, I don’t have a collection of Zelda merch, and I’ve never even slightly entertained the idea of starting a Zelda-related podcast or blog.
So why is keeping up with this series not even a question for me, even though I’m not such a huge fan that I revolve my entire life around it?
I realized while playing Tears of the Kingdom that it all comes down to trust.
First, I trust Nintendo as a company. When Tears of the Kingdom was delayed, I knew it was for a good reason, because Nintendo has never in my entire life developed a glitchy, subpar game in one of their hugest franchises. (I see you eyeballing Pokémon Scarlet/Violet and remind you that while Nintendo was the publisher, those games were developed by Game Freak!) I trusted the would be worth the extra wait. And it was, by the way!
And second, I trust in the games themselves. Yes, there are definitely games in the franchise I’ve liked more than others. But I’ve never outright hated a Zelda game. I’ve never felt like one was a waste of my time. When I buy a Zelda game, I know I’m going to have fun, even if the game doesn’t turn out to be one of my favorites.
When readers pick up your novel, you have a chance to make them trust you and your other books the same way I trust Nintendo and the Zelda franchise.
Why is reader trust important?
Just like my trust in Nintendo and in the Legend of Zelda franchise makes me come back for game after game, trust is what keeps readers reading, and it’s what keeps them coming back to you when they’re looking for their next great book. Yes, entertainment and curiosity pull a reader through a single story, but trust is what keeps readers coming back for more.
After all, why do you keep going back to your favorite authors? Because you trust that they’re going to tell a good story. You trust that you’ll like what they write.
In the author-reader relationship, there’s nothing more powerful than trust.
How do you get readers to trust you and your books?
Simple: Don’t break the trust they’ve already given you, and give them reasons to trust you more.
Readers already come into a book with a certain amount of faith: They’re trusting that what they saw on the back cover is an accurate hint for what’s inside the book. As they’re reading the first few pages, they’re trusting (usually unconsciously) that what you set up is going to be carried through the story.
For example, if the back cover has a jokey tone and you start the story with a hilarious opening scene, readers are going to automatically trust that the rest of the book will have a lot of humor in it.
The key, then, is not creating trust from scratch, but rather not breaking the trust that’s already been given to your novel automatically. Ask beta readers to read your back cover blurb and let you know if they think it matches the story in plot, theme, and tone. If your book is generally serious instead of lighthearted and funny, then make sure the first few pages are also serious-toned, so readers know what to expect in the rest of the book.
Most readers who pick up a book because they think it’ll be funny will not be happy a couple chapters later when the tone switches to all doom and gloom and nothing’s funny anymore. At that point, your reader’s lost trust in the story and may decide to quit reading.
In short: Deliver on the experience you promise to readers.
Then, of course, is all the other good writing stuff that I’m sure you’re already doing: write a good story that’s engaging and entertaining, do as much editing as you can afford and have time for, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Want to learn more about writing great books? Check out my From the Editing Files series on this blog, where I dive into story issues I come across while editing novels written by authors like you.
If you deliver on your promises and write good stories, then getting readers to trust you as an author will be a lot easier. The readers who like the types of books you write will already be looking for more from you. You’ll have some of their trust already!
The next thing to do is keep writing great stories. As long as you keep fulfilling your promises and writing books that are true to you as an author, your readers will follow. It’s okay if a couple here and there don’t go over as well, as long as your body of work overall is still good. Very few readers will love every single novel an author releases, but as long as they trust that the author can write a good story, they’ll keep coming back.
Outside of the writing, it’s important to honor your other promises, like releasing books on the release dates you announce, delivering the bonus materials you said you would, showing up to events you signed up for in a good mood and ready to interact with readers, and generally keeping consistent and punctual. Like me not minding the Tears of the Kingdom delay, your readers won’t mind a delay here or there as long as they know the story will be worth the wait, but being flaky can lose you some trust.
TL;DR: Keep putting out great books, plus be as reliable as possible in everything else you do as an author.
This blog post is an expanded version of an email that originally appeared in the Story Sanctum, the Edits by Toni email list, back in 2023. **Want content like this directly in your inbox twice a month? Enter the Sanctum for pep talks, writing and revision tips, and fun anecdotes (that always tie back to writing, promise).
