I can tell right away when a book is self-published by a writer who does not read (or does not do it often enough).
No shade to audiobooks, but when I say reading is how we study how to write, I mean reading physical books.
And when I say study, I mean don’t just read the book, but also:
- Take notes as you read.
- Highlight important facts or things that catch your attention.
- Look up the definitions of words you don’t know.
- Notice the structure of the paragraph, line breaks, and dialogue.
Consider picking up a copy of a physical book at least once a month and reading it through till the end. It will help you to become a better writer.
And if you don’t have time to read at least one book a month, you have no business writing books in the first place.
And don’t try and fake it because your writing will give you away!
If reading is how we study how to write, our writing also displays how much or little we read.
The PBS Blog 