As has been noted previously, today marks 11 years since I started putting things up on teh IntraWebs as The Irresponsible Reader. Inspired by A Literary Escape (and some others that I forgot to note), I decided to do a little AMA to go along with last year’s anniversary. I had a great time doing this—and hope at least one other person enjoys reading this 1/8th as much as I enjoyed the questions.
Thank you to Allyson Johnson, Paul Nydegger, Bob Germaux, and Bookstooge for these questions.
About what percent of your blog’s subscribers are friends/family? What’s your most effective way of recruiting new subscribers?
asked by: Allyson Johnson, http://allysonjohnson.com
I’m pretty sure most of my nuclear family subscribed early on just to help out my numbers (and still occasionally reads the posts). To the best of my knowledge, there are two friends who subscribe to this (at least they were friends pre-subscription/following, I’d like to think I’ve reached at least Internet-friend status with a few others). Less than 5% (likely much less).
The most effective way of recruiting is doing those things that Carol talked about in her recent guest post, Don’t Be a Stranger: How to Make Connections in the Book Blogging Community. My Saturday Miscellany tends to attract some people (especially when I link to the post of someone who isn’t familiar with me)—but interacting on Social Media platforms (Twitter and BlueSky are the best for me, but individual results will verify) is the most effective way that I’ve come across. Like Carol says, “Yes, this takes time and is uncomfortable for introverts at first, but if you want to find your people and have people find you (a community), you need to promote yourself consistently.”
Have you ignored any other writers up close and personal as you have Craig Johnson?
asked by: Paul Nydegger
HA! No.
For those of you who aren’t Paul, this goes back to Johnson’s appearance in Boise in 2018. While Paul and I were waiting in line to pay for parking, I see a gentleman walk up wearing a large hat. I mutter something to myself about hoping I didn’t get stuck behind this guy, because between that hat and his height, there was no way I’d be able to see Johnson. Actually, given the “Western wear” the guy was sporting, he could almost pass for Johnson, I remember thinking. 
Except this gentleman was younger than I remembered pictures of Johnson appearing. Naturally, about ten minutes later, we’re talking to people sitting in the same row who talked about riding up in the elevator with Johnson. I said something about talking myself out of thinking he was in line behind us for parking. They replied with something about the green plaid shirt and I felt like the world’s worst fan. Clearly, I care more about a writer’s words than his appearance.
Fast-forward to last year when he was in Nampa. Paul and I are wandering around downtown killing time before we can show up to the bookstore for his appearance. We pass a couple walking the other way on the sidewalk. The male was a tall man in Western wear and a large hat, the woman was shorter than I remember Mrs. Johnson being, but still… So (as I recall it), Paul and I spent a few minutes trying to convince ourselves that we didn’t just run into Johnson before his event without saying something to him again. I also recall our efforts to convince ourselves were half-hearted at best and even less effective.
Next time he comes back to this area, I trust that we will be ready and on the lookout for him. Ensuring, naturally, that we won’t see him until he’s behind the microphone.
Was there ever a time when you weren’t hooked on books, perhaps back in your wild days, before you attached Reader to Irresponsible? A time when your attention was more focused on sports, girls, movies, etc.
asked by: Bob Germaux, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Germaux/author/B00QMW2V70
I’d say that reading has taken a disproportionate amount of my attention going to my childhood (see below). But, it’s never been my only hobby. I used to play a couple of instruments, and in the 80s I spent a lot of time playing Intellivision and ColecoVision games, and as many Commodore 64 games as I possibly could (at least two of those led to reading particular books).
Now that I’ve sent most of my readers to Wikipedia/a search engine to understand those references, let me answer your specifics:
I’ve never been all that coordinated, so participating in them was largely an exercise in futility and an opportunity for growth in humility. I’ve tried to get into sportsball things at several points in my life—mostly because I determined I needed to in order to fit in. It occurs to me that most of those efforts led to me reading books/articles about the sport I decided to follow to help me understand what was on my TV screen (there was probably a clue there). For the first decade that we were married, my wife and I spent a good deal of time watching baseball together (and will still try to watch the Little League World Series when we can—it feels purer), but that dropped off as the kids got older.
I’ve always been a big TV/movie guy, too—I make less time for films now and I miss them. I got a couple in during my recent recovery—that was nice and really makes me want to juggle my time a little so I can watch more regularly. I’m behind on the more “prestige” shows (read: the ones I have to put my laptop aside to watch) that I like, but I can make time for those a bit more easily.
As for girls? Well, as you can imagine, in the 80s a non-coordinated guy who was super-into comics, computer games, Star Trek, and books, I was quite the hit with the ladies. 🙂 So, yeah, that never took a big chunk of my time, much to my dismay. Thankfully, I eventually was blessed enough to meet someone who did appreciate that combo (or was willing to undertake an improvement project).
Following up on the previous question, how old were you (or in what grade at school) when you first realized how much you enjoyed reading? Was there a particular book or author that caught your eye?
asked by: Bob Germaux, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Germaux/author/B00QMW2V70
Donald J. Sobol was the tipping point. The first time I realized (and likely my parents realized, too) just how avid a reader I was/would be came the summer after second grade. My family was on a forever-long road trip (Eastern Idaho to Southern California) and I was bored, so I demanded my parents buy me something to read. Clearly, I wasn’t a pleasure to be stuck in a station wagon with, because at the next town, they did. I got two books, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective and Sugar Creek Gang Screams in the Night. I read them both several times before we got back to Idaho (I don’t think I demanded or received another book on the trip). That was the last time I went somewhere over 40 minutes away from my home without at least one book.
I’d read a lot before then—and demanded my mother read to me a lot before then, too—but I think it was just something I just happened to do. This trip got us all to realize that this was “my thing” (I can’t believe we used this expression back in the early 80s when he had this realization, but whatever the equivalent was at the time). So my library trips—public and school—became more frequent and intense. Also, the mystery/thriller genre became a focus—many more Encyclopedia Browns, a few more Sugar Creek Gang books (the library didn’t have many, and I hadn’t yet figured out how to get my family to buy me books to the extent they do now), and then The Three Investigators came on their heels. SF and Fantasy came soon after.
One more question. Clearly, you have an advanced case of RO (Reading Obsession). It’s okay. I’m likewise afflicted. Just in case it isn’t genetic, which three books would you insist be read aloud to your grandcritters before they’re old enough to flip those pages themselves?
asked by: Bob Germaux, https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Germaux/author/B00QMW2V70
This is a fantastic question—and one I don’t really have an answer to. Anything by Sandra Boynton. And I’m trying a handful of different things to figure out his taste for the present.
But I don’t know what to do when he’s able to handle longer narratives, I really don’t remember what his aunt, uncles, and father liked (or what I liked reading with them). I think that I’m going to try to spend some time in Narnia with him, and maybe a quick trip to Middle Earth, before he’s able to read himself. We’ll definitely check into Hogwarts when he’s a bit older. I think Prydain needs to be in the older section, too, to really appreciate. Fitzgerald’s The Great Brain is episodic and simple enough that I could probably interest him in those. Maybe Caddie Woodlawn? (I’m going to skip the Laura Ingalls Wilder books because when I tried them with my kids I found them mind-numbingly dull, but Caddie was a lot of fun)
(obviously, Mom and Dad might swoop in and beat me to those).
I have a couple of friends who have children a couple of years older than the grandcritter, so I’m going to be looking to them for advice—as well as hunting down more children’s lit bloggers—when he gets to that stage.
Seconds before I hit “publish” I remembered Kate DiCamillo exists. I think I discovered her too late to really get my kids into her as I read to them (but I think my daughter may have followed her on her own a bit), The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie are must-reads. You might enjoy them, too, Bob.
How much time, on a weekly basis, do you spend reading?
asked by: Bookstooge, http://bookstooge.blog
Not as much as I’d like, but my eyes can only handle so much. And my body insists on this thing called “sleep.” (the former is decreasing and the latter is increasing lately). I think 2-3 hours a day, typically. Saturdays tend to be a lighter day for reading, but I still manage to cram in an hour (occasionally, I get several hours in, see below). So, 11-16 hours a week, I guess is the answer. I actually assumed that’d be higher.
I do get 18-20 hours of audiobook listening in during the work week (depending on my commute and workload), too.
So that’s 29-36 hours of involvement with books a week.
How much time, on a weekly basis, do you spend writing blog posts?
asked by: Bookstooge, http://bookstooge.blog
Not as much as I’d like, but my brain can only handle so much—more importantly, there are dogs, a grandcritter, and a wonderful wife to pay attention to (among other things).
Typically Saturdays are my big day (unless I get wrapped up in a book or non-book activities), 5-7 hours there. Then I spend 1-3 hours a day Monday-Thursday (probably closer to 90 minutes-2 hours, unless I have a mindless police procedural or something like that on, almost no time on Fridays and Sundays. Making that 10-24 hours a week (imagining some Friday time).
Wow, Bookstooge—this quick look at how I spend my time is more than a little eye-opening for me. I don’t know the last time I counted that. Thanks! (I think)
It’s Time We Added Full Credit Pages to Books: Maris Kreizman on the Importance of Acknowledging the Labor That Goes in a Single Title—I’d be down for that.
