How did I do? – My answers to my reader’s survey.

Last month I surveyed my readers. I had over 70 responses – I was totally blown away by how generous folk were with their time.

Thank you to those who replied.

It was like seeing myself reflected in a mirror: so many people who responded said they liked Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen. I mean, go figure? YES! Jane Austen AND Stephen King? My readers have excellent taste.

I asked readers the standard questions, like where did they live, what age were they, before diving into the hard stuff: who are your top three authors, and name your top three books. This last question really threw some people. I know, it’s like identifying your favourite child.

Some replies were golden:

• I have over 2000 books and you want me to pick 3??!!
• You must be joking 😉 
• No, no, no! I can’t do it!

So, as a thank you to those who took the time out to fill in the questions, here’s my answers to my own questions:

In which I answer my own survey

Are you: Male/Female/Other.  – Female (I was serious when I put the ‘other’ field in; I have a good friend who’s going through a gender transition. )

Where do you live:  – New Zealand

Your age: – 41 – 60 years  – And no, not telling the exact figure; besides, it changes every year!

Your top three writers: Georgette Heyer, Diana Wynne Jones, William Gibson (also Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams)

Tell me the titles of your top three books: Pattern Recognition, Charmed Life, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Reading habits – how many books do you read in a week: 1 – 3 in a good week. Some weeks I’ll read less  🙁

I want to keep my newsletters relevant and interesting, please tell me what you think: – they are too frigging long! They take me AGES to write.

What information do you want to see in my newsletters – Reading recommendations. I’m always looking for new books.

I may repeat the exercise next year. In which case, I’ll try to be more innovative with my questions!

And for the few people who said they wanted to see jokes in my newsletter: