There are thousands of books rising up to fame all over the world. All have certain genres that call for different types of language and structure. Each book genre has a different audience it has to please to become famous. However, fame isn’t what makes a book good or great. According to Created to Read, there are nine elements that make a great book.

The most important element to make a great book is definitely good editing, meaning no mistakes in grammar or spelling. It doesn’t have to be completely perfect, but if there are a ton of mistakes in the book, no one will want to read it. Many writers love reading just as much as they love writing. If they see a book that has many mistakes it makes them feel as if the author is taunting them. If they don’t even care about editing it to look pleasing to the eye, then they shouldn’t be an author. The writers will be angered and wouldn’t want to read it. Even if they aren’t writers, no one would want to read a book that looks like a two-year-old wrote. For example, Rae Carson’s ‘The Bitter Kingdom’ has absolutely no mistakes at all, if it does it’s only a few throughout the book that don’t mess with the feel of the book. At most there are only a few time when a word is repeated, which can easily be forgiven.

The second most important element to a great book is a good ending. It has to feel like an actual ending especially if it doesn’t and won’t have a sequel. If it feels like the book just ends in the middle of the story, the reader will feel wronged and unsatisfied. No one wants to feel that way since that’s usually what people try to avoid by reading books. Even if It has a sequel It has to stop at a place that feels like the main problem of the book has been solved or at least have a suitable ending to a story. For example if the main issue of the book is that the character is trying to catch the murderer of their parents and there will be a sequel, the ending of the book should at least be the main character finding out who the culprit is, not necessarily catching them. The ending of  ‘The Bitter Kingdom’ is a very fitting ending, because the main issues is solved and they main couple gets together. It doesn’t just randomly end or make the reader feel bad, it’s very satisfying ending that feels just right.

Meeting the expectations of the summary and genre for the book is also a very important element. This means if the book is classified as a romance, it has to have a good amount of romance. If it is classified as a fantasy, then it has to have things that don’t exist in this world and a very good amount of it. If it’s classified as a crime, then there has to either have people committing a lot of crimes or cops investigating cases and catching criminals. It has to be suspenseful and make the reader sit on the edge of their seat.

A good hook is definitely one of the top five needed elements. If the book doesn’t hook the readers, they won’t read it. It’s best if the story doesn’t start with once upon a time or a long time ago in a far away place. It has to be something unique and not used very much, so the reader won’t stereotype it. ‘Heaven Official’s Blessing’ is a good example for this since the begging is very different from anything other book. It starts off talking about the laughing stock of gods and his past as the crown prince of an old nation. Which gave off the impression that the story was about a spoiled prince that doesn’t care for others. At least until it says he doesn’t care for money or power and that he only wishes to ‘save the common folk’. The beginning is very interesting and makes the reader want to know more, the more they read the more intrigued they become, a great book indeed.

An engaging plot is just as important as a good hook if not more. The book can’t just drag out one scene and make it seem as if time stopped. Readers want to feel as if they are experiencing what’s happening in the books themselves so every scene can’t be too long or too short. The plot has to move on at all times whether it’s forward or backward, but it’s best for the plot to not jump around, otherwise it would be too confusing to read. In ‘The Bitter Kingdom’ the plot is very intriguing and makes the reader want to continue reading until the end. As an action\fantasy it has a complete balance of fantasy and action with a splash of romance. there isn’t too much or too little it’s completely perfectly and even if you don’t read the prequels you can still understand everything that is happening. Though, it’s always better to read a book series from start to finish.

The language is another key element which is very important because it changes with each scene. For example if the writers want to make a scene feel suspenseful, they would shorten their sentences. But in other scenes the sentences would be longer to give off a more calm feeling.

Properly labeling who is speaking is also important. If the readers are confused about who is talking, they won’t be able to follow the plot. In fact, they might not even be able to continue reading because they get stuck on trying to figure out who is speaking.

A detailed description of the main characters is usually needed. Some readers like to be able to imagine what the characters look like so that they can feel as if they’re living it similar to how the reader may feel when they’re watching dramas or anime, but this isn’t always the case.

Adding to that, readers need to have characters that they understand, that they care for, love or hate. A book that has characters that seem like they are living, breathing people is a great book. If the reader has a character that they like, a character that they hate or both, they will be more likely to continue reading it since they want to know what will happen to them.

In other words a great book is like another world that the reader can imagine and explore, another life they can live in order to shy away from their worries and sorrows. A great book gives them a light full of hope in their dark world. Or a hint of adventure in their calm and peaceful life. That is the essence of a great book, and it always will be.