--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What readers seek is an experience…" description: "\"“What readers seek is an experience different from their own. Story is how readers dream. Story is what sells the book. The power of the premise is wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/eddie-jones-66951_books_what-readers-seek-is-an-experience-diffe_3015667.jpg" --- # What readers seek is an experience different from their… ![“What readers seek is an experience different from their own. Story is how readers dream. Story is what sells the book. The power of the premise is what captures the reader, editor, or agent’s attention—not the characters and prose. Unless we care about the story we will never welcome the actors on…” quote by Eddie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/eddie-jones-66951_books_what-readers-seek-is-an-experience-diffe_3015667.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/eddie-jones-66951_books_what-readers-seek-is-an-experience-diffe_3015667.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/eddie-jones-66951_books_what-readers-seek-is-an-experience-diffe_3015667.jpg) > ““What readers seek is an experience different from their own. Story is how readers dream. Story is what sells the book. The power of the premise is what captures the reader, editor, or agent’s attention—not the characters and prose. Unless we care about the story we will never welcome the actors on stage. It is this power of desire that pulls us into the story.”” Eddie Jones ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The core appeal of a story lies in its premise, which captures attention more than characters or prose; without a compelling premise, the narrative fails to engage. **In simple terms:** A strong premise draws readers in more than details. Key Takeaway Focus on crafting a compelling premise. Themes creativity storytelling marketing Mood inspirational analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - pitch meetings - novel outlines - marketing pitches Key Concepts premise engagement reader desire Questions to Reflect On - What makes a premise compelling? - How can characters enhance a strong premise? A Different Perspective A great premise alone may not sustain a full narrative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ## Related quotes > [Brandon McCaw sells about 500,000,000 books about his true bio story and sells them on ebay and amazon. All the book are called Brandon's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccaw/brandon-mccaw-sells-about-500-000-000-books-about-his-true-bio-story/) [Brandon McCaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccaw/) > [I think that's a hallmark of a really good story that it has readers that it speaks to more than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-think-that-s-a-hallmark-of-a-really-good-story-that-it-has-readers/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I think it's important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/i-think-it-s-important-to-leave-spaces-in-a-story-for-readers-to-fill/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [If we have people with the power to tell a story, there will always be readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-we-have-people-with-the-power-to-tell-a-story-there-will-always-be/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [But if we have people who have the power to tell a story, there will always be readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/but-if-we-have-people-who-have-the-power-to-tell-a-story-there-will/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [We subverted the entire premise of 'Westworld' in that our sympathies are meant to be with the robots, the hosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/we-subverted-the-entire-premise-of-westworld-in-that-our-sympathies/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [Comedy Central wanted to do a show with me, I had a couple failures under my belt with them already, but they still wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/comedy-central-wanted-to-do-a-show-with-me-i-had-a-couple-failures/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [Good writing works from a simple premise: your experience is not yours alone, but in some sense a metaphor for everyone's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/good-writing-works-from-a-simple-premise-your-experience-is-not-yours/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [It's always hard, but it's always fun to attack a premise that you think is interesting. It does take a few drafts for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-levin/it-s-always-hard-but-it-s-always-fun-to-attack-a-premise-that-you/) [Victor Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-levin/) > [Fatalism is a false premise. What will be is not necessarily what must be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/fatalism-is-a-false-premise-what-will-be-is-not-necessarily-what-must/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [To be honest, the first time round, I didn't think 'Fame Academy' was the worst premise in the world. You got people on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/to-be-honest-the-first-time-round-i-didn-t-think-fame-academy-was-the/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [People who want to express themselves need to be given an opportunity. For me, it's a very fundamental premise: you break the law, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-buckhorn/people-who-want-to-express-themselves-need-to-be-given-an-opportunity/) [Bob Buckhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-buckhorn/) > [I don't really write jokes down. I tend to have a premise that I work out and test on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-don-t-really-write-jokes-down-i-tend-to-have-a-premise-that-i-work/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [You know, we certainly have a great budget on the show, but the expansions to world of the show really arise because, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/you-know-we-certainly-have-a-great-budget-on-the-show-but-the/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) ## More by Eddie Jones > [We got guys who can score. Everybody knows guys can score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-jones/we-got-guys-who-can-score-everybody-knows-guys-can-score/) Eddie Jones > [Home court changes everything. If you have home court, you're expected to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-jones/home-court-changes-everything-if-you-have-home-court-you-re-expected/) Eddie Jones > [Homecourt is everything in the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-jones/homecourt-is-everything-in-the-nba/) Eddie Jones Explore all 4 Eddie Jones quotes ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What readers seek is an experience different from their own. Story is how readers dream. Story is what sells the book. The power of the premise is what captures the reader, editor, or agent’s attention—not the characters and prose. Unless we care about the story we will never welcome the actors on stage. 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