Those things will always be true. (Though perhaps it’s conceivable that one day the literary fiction crowd will appreciate that engaging characters – and a good plot – tend to make books better?)

I would like to add some things that I appreciate when reading…

Unique characters that are not poached from other authors or cliched (elves, dwarfs, gallant knights etc)

Interesting and believable dialogue that is consistent with the character, period and culture.

A well planned and rich plot that doesn’t need excessive padding to make it to novel size.

But you know what the hardest thing of all is? Getting people to read your book. To actually pick it up in the bookstore, pay for it and walk out with it tucked under their arm, then actually sit down to read it.

Every author thinks there are so many more people out there who would love what they write, if only they could be persuaded to pick it up in the first place. 🙂

I guess the trick is to make the plot interesting from several aspects (action, suspense, puzzle-solving etc.) and to have a variety of characters who are interesting in different ways for different readers to identify with (sorry about ending that with a preposition!).

You seem to manage this intuitively, glenda, and jolly well. Some of us find it a bit harder. ;oP