People start writing books as a way of putting their thoughts or ideas into words. They might also feel the urge to let others know what they are thinking. Some might be avid readers, who might want to venture out into the field of writing. There might also be people who want their ideology to be shared or sometimes even forced down on people's minds. Their writing is normally very aggressive and they try to turn it into an extension of their aggressive personality. Others might want to write about happy experiences in their lives or about various interesting places that they have visited.

A good writer thus has to write in such a way that while reading the book, the reader is able to paint a picture in his or her mind about the place the writer is describing. The reader should wish or feel as though he or she is right there in that place. That should be the power of the writer's pen.

Some people write because after reading books on a particular subject, they feel that they have more knowledge about what is already written and that they can write better on that subject. This could be the case in technical or scientific books. Cookbooks are also written because someone might feel that they have better or different recipes. The ingredients in the dish might be the same, but the style of preparation and the quantity of each of the ingredients might have infinite number of combinations. Hence, books after books get published on cooking.

There are many topics which readers prefer to read. It could be an extraordinary real life adventure of someone, or a story about turning very rich within a short time, or sometimes even simple village stories. Of course, in writing fictional stories, it all depends on the writer's imagination and the way they get projected into words. A recent example is author J. K. Rowling, whose 'Harry Potter' series have turned her into a multi-millionaire and her rise in the literary and financial world itself could be the topic of someone's book. Her rise proves that it is not only essential to write a good book, but also it is equally important to market it correctly, to ensure that more people read the book. Once sufficient people like the book, it is a matter of time before word of mouth publicity ensures the book's success.

So, books are written by people for a number of reasons. But the important factor is that once it is published, readers should read and appreciate it. That will provide inspiration and incentive to write more books. Whatever the reasons for writing books, reading a well-written book always warms the cockles of one's heart.