This week I was asked how a writer can know if they have written a “good” book.

I paused for a moment. Trick question?

No, she was serious. 

So, I began my answer by stating the obvious:

Your Beta Readers love it.

Your editor thinks it’s a winner.

Your initial sales are good.

Your reviews are stellar.

But here’s the not-so-obvious answer: You’ll know it in your gut.

That’s right. Authors want to produce emotional reactions in their readers.

If you write romance, for example, you should feel the electricity between the couple. You should find yourself cheering for them to get together. When they have a blow up and all seems lost, you should feel upset, too.

YOU, the writer, is the YOU I’m talking about.

If you write chilling suspense/mystery/horror/thriller, then you should be looking under your own bed at night!

I’m guessing that those of you who write fantasy and humor want your readers to feel a release of emotions and uplifting of their spirits.

The genre doesn’t matter. But, you must write it to evoke an emotional response in YOURSELF.

Because you are the best person to judge whether you have written a “good” book or not.

My theory is that if YOU feel it, your reading audience will, too.