--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hardest thing in the world for a…" description: "\"The hardest thing in the world for a writer is to amass a readership. So many good books come out, and so many good books disappear.\" — Patrick deWitt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/patrick-dewitt-3545_books_the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-for-a-wri_2642608.png" --- # The hardest thing in the world for a writer is to amass a… ![“The hardest thing in the world for a writer is to amass a readership. So many good books come out, and so many good books disappear.” quote by Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/patrick-dewitt-3545_books_the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-for-a-wri_2642608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/patrick-dewitt-3545_books_the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-for-a-wri_2642608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/patrick-dewitt-3545_books_the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-for-a-wri_2642608.png) > “The hardest thing in the world for a writer is to amass a readership. So many good books come out, and so many good books disappear.” [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes the difficulty of gaining readers, as many good books are lost amid competition. **In simple terms:** Finding an audience is hard. Key Takeaway Focus on building a loyal readership. Themes literature visibility competition Mood pragmatic optimistic Type business motivational When to use this quote - book launches - social media promotion - author branding Key Concepts marketing publishing industry Questions to Reflect On - How can you stand out in a crowded market? - What strategies attract readers? A Different Perspective Quality alone may not guarantee success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have to trust that if a story is strong, it can find its readership, and good editors can steer me well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/i-have-to-trust-that-if-a-story-is-strong-it-can-find-its-readership/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [Imagine a world in which no writer has written a literary novel in sixty years. Imagine a place where not a single person has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-johnson/imagine-a-world-in-which-no-writer-has-written-a-literary-novel-in/) [Adam Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-johnson/) > [“Writing is a way of remaking the world, both for the writer and reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rubinstein/writing-is-a-way-of-remaking-the-world-both-for-the-writer-and-reader/) [Mark Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rubinstein/) > [I come from a working-class background and it wasn't in my world to be a writer - I had no direct access to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-conaty/i-come-from-a-working-class-background-and-it-wasn-t-in-my-world-to/) [Roisin Conaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-conaty/) > [“Even after a thousand pages we don’t want to leave the world the writer has made for us, or the make-believe people who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/even-after-a-thousand-pages-we-don-t-want-to-leave-the-world-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [No matter how piercing and appalling his insights, the desolation creeping over his outer world, the lurid lights and shadows of his inner world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-piercing-and-appalling-his-insights-the-desolation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because that is what such a city is, in the New World, a writer's heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/because-that-is-what-such-a-city-is-in-the-new-world-a-writer-s-heaven/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“I love entering the private world that each writer gives us through their books”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mbarreto-condado/i-love-entering-the-private-world-that-each-writer-gives-us-through/) MBarreto Condado > [I like reading the world through a writer's eyes, rather than seeing a writer looking at him or herself as if at the center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/i-like-reading-the-world-through-a-writer-s-eyes-rather-than-seeing-a/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [Stories are like relics, part of an undiscovered preexisting world. 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Its kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/all-of-my-books-come-from-something-that-i-happen-to-be-working-out/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“Books -- they come home hot in your hands and then by increments they warm your life, like heated bricks in a New England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-r-meyers/books-they-come-home-hot-in-your-hands-and-then-by-increments-they/) [Robin R. Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-r-meyers/) > [My books come to me in images, and sometimes the image is at the beginning of the book, and sometimes it's simply a flash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crais/my-books-come-to-me-in-images-and-sometimes-the-image-is-at-the/) [Robert Crais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crais/) > [“Those that spend the greater part of their time in reading or writing books are, of course, apt to take rather particular notice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james-2/those-that-spend-the-greater-part-of-their-time-in-reading-or-writing/) [M.R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james-2/) ## More by Patrick deWitt > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I come by writing dialogue fairly naturally, I've got a chatty family; I'm a bit of a voyeur, and if I'm ever in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-come-by-writing-dialogue-fairly-naturally-i-ve-got-a-chatty-family/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“Beware of the plygs of Colorado City, Arizona. They have no cups of coffee for the likes of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/beware-of-the-plygs-of-colorado-city-arizona-they-have-no-cups-of/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“When you sleep, your dreams are those of a dullard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/when-you-sleep-your-dreams-are-those-of-a-dullard/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [The nice thing about writing at home is that it's almost as though I'm doing it already. I get out of bed thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/the-nice-thing-about-writing-at-home-is-that-it-s-almost-as-though-i/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I am increasingly unimpressed by works of art that require a college degree to understand. I think that art should be for everyone. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-am-increasingly-unimpressed-by-works-of-art-that-require-a-college/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I carry a small spiral notebook with me at all times and have been doing this for many years. There's a shoe box in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-carry-a-small-spiral-notebook-with-me-at-all-times-and-have-been/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > ['The Sisters Brothers' started out as a little bit of dialogue between these two men who became Eli and Charlie Sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/the-sisters-brothers-started-out-as-a-little-bit-of-dialogue-between/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I was halfway through a rough draft of 'The Sisters Brothers' when it came time to start the 'Terri' adaptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-was-halfway-through-a-rough-draft-of-the-sisters-brothers-when-it/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [The impetus for 'The Sisters Brothers' was it occurred to me that there was no neurosis in westerns, or there's a minimal amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/the-impetus-for-the-sisters-brothers-was-it-occurred-to-me-that-there/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I haven't read hardly any Westerns, to tell you the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-haven-t-read-hardly-any-westerns-to-tell-you-the-truth/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [Lies can be wonderful things, and when a lie is told artfully, if it's done with a degree of craftsmanship, I can't help but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/lies-can-be-wonderful-things-and-when-a-lie-is-told-artfully-if-it-s/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I'm not an enormous proponent of plot as a reader. It's about other things; my reading has become specialized over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-m-not-an-enormous-proponent-of-plot-as-a-reader-it-s-about-other/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“You are afraid of hell. But that’s all religion is, really. Fear of a place we’d rather not be, and where there’s no such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/you-are-afraid-of-hell-but-that-s-all-religion-is-really-fear-of-a/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I've been surprised at how much an unknown like myself can accomplish just by reaching out to people and pleading my case. Quotes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-ve-been-surprised-at-how-much-an-unknown-like-myself-can-accomplish/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) [Explore all 128 Patrick deWitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## 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": "The hardest thing in the world for a writer is to amass a readership. 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