We all say the same thing: “I don’t have time to read anymore.” But here’s a little secret authors know well—five minutes is more than enough. Five minutes while your coffee brews. Five minutes before bed. Five minutes waiting in line. Stories don’t ask for huge chunks of your life; they just want a small opening. Once you give them that, the habit grows naturally, and suddenly reading feels less like a task and more like a quiet reward you look forward to every day.
For writers and aspiring authors, this tiny daily reading habit is pure fuel. Those few pages sharpen your voice, spark new ideas, and remind you why you fell in love with storytelling in the first place. You’re not trying to finish a novel in one sitting—you’re simply staying connected to language, rhythm, and imagination. Ironically, reading less perfectly but more consistently often does more for your craft than long, forced reading sessions that never quite happen.
This is also a mindset shift we encourage at Citi of Books. Big publishing dreams are built on small, doable habits. Five minutes a day to read. Five minutes to jot down ideas. Five minutes to review a chapter draft. These moments add up, and over time, they turn unfinished manuscripts into published books and quiet hopes into real momentum.
So if you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to fall back in love with books, this is your sign. Start small, stay gentle with yourself, and let stories meet you where you are. And when you’re ready to take that love for reading and turn it into a book of your own, Citi of Books is there—to guide, market, and champion your story, one page and one powerful step at a time.