Do Authors Read Their Own Books?

I remember one author saying in his blog that he doesn't read his own books after they've been published. He explained that one of the reasons was because if he did, he would find things in there that he would have done differently, and he didn't want to go through that. And I know exactly what he was talking about, because I have found that every time I read one of my own books after I had supposedly finished it, I find things that I would have done differently. Meaning I might have used a different verb, or a different arrangement of words, etc.

But still, even though that can be very frustrating, not reading your own book after publication is like not wanting to listen to your own song after it's been recorded. Or not wanting to look at your own painting after you painted it, or not wanting to look at your own sculpture after you sculpted it.

When I write a song, I most definitely want to hear it after it's been recorded, and when I paint a painting or sculpt a sculpture, I most definitely want to look at it after it's finished. So when I write a book, I most definitely want to read it after it's been published. And when I find something in there that I think could have been written better, then so be it. (Notice I used the word "when" and not "if.")

You see, a novel, like a song, or a painting, drawing, or sculpture, is a work of art. It's a creation of majestic words strung together, like a poem, but it's an even greater work of art. It's a poem times a thousand. It's to be enjoyed. And a truly great work of art can be enjoyed over and over.

For me, that's exactly what my novels do. Provide enjoyment over and over. I can read Killer of Killers or The Vase over and over again, time and again, (and I have) and every time, I enjoy them as much or even more than the previous times I read them. That's what art is supposed to do. My books have achieved that. And it's only because of the work I put in. All artists are like that. If they truly are artists that is. And I believe they are.