Five Ways to Read More

I used to read so many more books a month than I have been lately. People used to ask me how I could write and read so much. Since I want to get back into my old habits again, I decided to share my secrets with you.

Secret Number One: Listen to audiobooks. I used to listen to at least two audiobooks a month. Often, I would buy both the ebook and the audiobook, so I could go back and forth between them. Audiobooks make tedious tasks like unloading and loading the dishwasher so much more enjoyable, and they make waiting--whether in traffic or in lines at the bank, grocery store, or school pick-up--so much more tolerable.

Almost all of my books are available in audiobook, including The Gatekeeper's Saga and Spin-Off Series (and The Gatekeeper's Bride, the prequel), The Purgatorium Series, The Mystery Box, The Mystery Tomb, and all the books in The Mystery House Series. In fact, French Quarter Clues just became available, so if you've been waiting for it, you can find it here:

Secret Number Two: Take Avantage of Amazon's Kindle Match Program. If you prefer paperbacks, you might want to take advantage of opportunities to get the Kindle version of any paperback for free or at a discount. Many authors offer this, so that readers can easily go back and forth between the two mediums. If you're like me, you like reading at night from a paperback but don't like lugging it with you during the day. Having the ebook version makes it easy to read a chapter or two on my phone while I'm waiting around for something--like my food to be served at lunch when I'm eating alone.

All of my paperbacks are enrolled in the Kindle Match Program at free. This means that if you bought one of my paperbacks from Amazon, you can get the ebook at no additional cost.

Secret Number Three: Keep a Reading Log. I used to faithfully keep track of everything I read, which not only gave me a sense of accomplishment, but motivated me to want to read more, so I could add more titles to my list. When I used to review books (I stopped reviewing once I became an author), the log would also help me keep track of which books I'd reviewed. If you're looking for a pretty printable reading log to keep track of your titles, feel free to use mine. I'll send you the pdf via Facebook messenger. Just click here to let me know you want it.

Secret Number Four: Buy series in box sets. Nothing motivates me to read more than having the next book in the series as soon as I'm done with the first. I did this with The Mortal Instruments, Twilight, and so many other books from my favorite authors. It means you have to wait for the whole series to come out, so it won't work for those brand new series you might be eager to start. But, if you don't mind waiting, or reading something that has already been out for a while, getting the digital box set will help you breeze through an entire series. Plus, buying the set is usually cheaper than buying the individual books.

All of my series are avilable in digital box sets, and buying them over the individual books will save you thirty percent. Click on any of the images below to be taken to that set's product page. By the way, The Gatekeeper's Trilogy is free through the end of February, and The Gatekeeper's Spin-Off Box Set releases on March eleventh.

Secret Number Five: Enter Giveaways for Books and Gift Cards and Find Free Books. Reading several books a month can get expensive. I used to be vigilant about entering giveaways and keeping my eyes out for freebies. You can search hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to ebook bargain sites to keep abreast of the deals.

I'm currently running a giveaway that ends in a few days. You can enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card and The Gatekeeper's Trilogy in paperback. If you're interested, click on the image below.

I hope these secrets help you to better reach your reading goals! Happy Reading!

Do you have secrets for reading more books? Please share them in the comments below!