Three Tips to Reach More Readers
by Tonja Taylor

31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself," 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.…John 12:31-33, Berean Study Bible 

Although Jesus was talking about His death on the cross, which is the ultimate Sacrifice by which every person can be born again, when we choose to obey and write to brag on--lift up--the LORD, then we are "sacrificing" to bring Him honor and glory, and He will work with our efforts to draw people to Him (which is why we are on the planet and have been given creative gifts!)

We write to exalt King Jesus, and the more readers for our works, the better!

Here are three ways to draw more parents, teachers, and librarians to choose your writings for their readers: (1) include the ATOS and Lexile levels; (2) publish your fiction chapter-by-chapter online; and (3) add educational value to your work. 

(1) Include the Lexile and ATOS level in your work, at the front on the copyright page, or on another page in the front of the book. You can also include this information on the back copy/blurb if there is room. 

 You can find the Lexile level (which assesses the complexity of the text so it can be matched with the reader's level), and the ATOS, which guides the reader to books that are considered most appropriate for their reading levels. 

These are matched with the core standards for students, which is very important to teachers, and often, to parents. 

(In my opinion and experience as a teacher of English to elementary children in public schools, and now, online (ESL and ELA), it is best to match "struggling readers" with books at their levels at first, then gradually introduce books that are one level above. Have them read these books three times or so, and have them read out loud. Things can often sound differently to our brains than when we read silently.  

That tip works for us adult writers, too, to get clarity and hear the rhythm of our work; to see where changes would improve the flow of our writing.)

Years ago, I used an online text analyzer to determine the ATOS level on my book Spirit Songs and Stories (available on Amazon Kindle Vella). ATOS measures the length of the sentences and the difficulty of the words, etc., and is very important to teachers, librarians, and at least some parents. 

The LORD reminded me as I awakened this morning that I can find and include the ATOS level on every work I do, especially books. So I will! Great is the faithfulness of our dear Father God, to help us excel in the work He has called us to do! 

(2) Publish your work on this FaithWriters site, a chapter at a time, unles the "short story" catagory, as the LORD showed me months ago. 

There are other online avenues to publish chapter-by-chapter too, like certain writers did years ago in the Saturday Evening Post. You can search for "writing opportunities" + chapter-by-chapter," or something similar. 

(3) Add educational value to your book; facts, etc. I did this with several of my fiction works, including short stories. I used footnotes throughout the stories, then included facts and links at the end. I also made a word bank of vocabulary words and meanings, and for "The Butterfly and the Mimosa" (about a butterfly who finally discovers her purpose) wrote a poem about the story's theme using some of those vocabulary words.

The LORD (Elohim) is endlessly creative, so just ask Him for more innovative ideas to bring Him glory through your writing. He will answer! 

 

 



Through books, courses, presentations, service, prayer, worship, and more, Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. Her series for girls, P.O.W.E.R. GIRL ADVENTURES, is now out (books I-V), along with LEGACY; YOUR HOLY HEALTH: VISIONS OF THE KING, and more. See the "River Rain Creative" YT channel.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com







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