Why Entrepreneurs Should Read More Fiction Books Put down your self-help titles. There's plenty to be gained in business from reading a good nonfiction story.
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If you search "top books for entrepreneurs" on Google, you will inevitably get lists of nonfiction titles — a parade of self-help, personal development and business reads. Phrases like "crush it," "influence," "habits" and "smarter" are splashed across their covers. These books have merit, but is reading only nonfiction actually holding entrepreneurs back?
Look at President Obama's 2021 summer reading list; it included almost exclusively novels — sci-fi, historical fiction and a collection of short stories. Reading fiction, much like watching TV, is often seen as frivolous and a waste of time among entrepreneurs who are too busy "hustling" to sit down and relax. But just like TV, there's plenty to be gained from reading a good story. What could entrepreneurs gain from expanding their reading lists beyond (valuable) nonfiction reads? Let's examine.
Related: 4 Reasons Every Entrepreneur Should Be Reading More
Reading fiction improves your language skills
Books aren't purely entertainment. They're also meant to develop our vocabularies, our reading comprehension and our skill with the written language. Fiction is often more complex than nonfiction, which has to be straightforward and easy to understand. There's nothing wrong with that, but fiction takes advantage of myriad perspectives, characters, tension and turns of phrase. It doesn't just use language because it has to; fiction plays with language and uses it to its full potential.
There's a huge benefit to feeding your mind with this kind of writing. It opens you up to the possibilities of language, which develops your brain. It also makes you a better writer — a useful skill as an entrepreneur.
For example, marketers are often tasked with writing in the "voice" of a brand or company. Writing in a specific voice is incredibly difficult, but fiction authors excel at it.
Related: Why Entrepreneurs Need Writing Skills (and How to Improve Yours)
It's informational
Sitting down to read a nonfiction book on a subject can be useful, but fiction has plenty to teach as well, and it often does so in a more engaging way. A novel can showcase the norms and mentalities of a different era, teach us about a different culture or expound a lesson through a character's actions.
President Obama is once again an excellent example of this. Let's go back to his reading list. Yes, he read Chernow's biography of President Washington, but he also understands the value of a fictional story like David Diop's At Night All Blood Is Back and how much it can teach us and shape our daily lives.
It's just entertaining
Entrepreneurs are plagued by a constant stream of articles, Instagram posts, Tik Toks and quotes telling them to use their time wisely. They must always be productive. What could they have accomplished if they hadn't wasted their time? Where would their career, their business or their bank accounts be if they had just worked one more hour that day?
This thinking can get toxic fast. It gives entrepreneurs and business people a sense of overwhelming pressure, a feeling of guilt if they take any time for themselves, their families or their interests. This underscores how overworking can be just as bad as underworking.
Reading fiction is often seen as one of those time-wasters. If you're going to be reading, it should be useful, right? What can a story teach you (especially if it's a genre novel like romance or fantasy)? That's what critics may say.
However, despite all the things fiction can teach us, it also doesn't have to. Reading can and should be for pleasure — an escape from a hard day of work. Reading can be more than just a habit you tick off for the day. It can just be something you enjoy, and even entrepreneurs deserve a little enjoyment once and a while.
