To expect people I know to read my book?

What's the book, OP?

I'll buy it!

If you are Bethany Clift then I absolutely adored your book and I hope you write more (just a guess from your user name and the timings)

Ah a friend of mine could write the driveliest drivel and I'd skim read a few chapters and then lie through my teeth and tell her she'd done a great job

Honesty is often overrated

I'd fear them asking me something along the lines of 'And so how to you feel I encapsulated the change in the relationship dynamic between the two secondary characters in the minor second subplot when I described their interaction over the test tube cleaning machine and related it to contemporary countercultural values in the postmodern society of outer Hampstead after the Pond was closed for essential repairs to the bank with the reference to his being her Edward and her being his Bella?'

When one is standing in the mud with a spade somebody's handed you, it's frequently more sensible to put it down, go and have a cuppa and let somebody else volunteer to dig themselves a bloody great hole with it.

Not reading it is one thing, there could be plenty of legitimate reasons for not wanting to read a friends book as others have outlined

But not supporting you is a whole different kettle of fish, I'd be really upset if I achieved something like this and my friends weren't pleased for me! I'd have been taking your picture with the books, it's exciting !!

You need new friends.
Friends are supposed to support and champion each other. I'd be really disappointed too.

Our relationship was always a bit wary after that - it was like he was talking to the polite administrator but he knew underneath that was the cavalry officer with a bad temper and a sword.

maybe he was expecting you to write from the viewpoint of a wholesome nurse, dabbing brows and blushing under the gaze of a handsome but taciturn officer.

If you were a photographer or painter would you not want your friends to drop by your first major gallery?

If you opened a cupcake shop would you not want them to come by and try them out?

That's what you do when your friends achieve something that is important to them. You show up and celebrate with them even if you don't see what the big deal is.

Argh, I've been in this situation and it was very awkward - I was not a fan of the book, and it was not very well written or edited.

And the genre was very niche, think fairies/magic, not something I'd choose or enjoy usually.

And she wouldn't let up asking for my opinion.

YABU.

I wouldn't expect them to buy it .
But maybe support you by coming with you to an event .

Also it depends on the book subject and the length on whether they should read it or not.

I wouldn't want to read 1000 pages on canal systems as an example.

Maybe they're worried they won't like it & would feel uncomfortable giving negative feedback / reviews (or lying that they did).

If a good friend of mine had written a book I’d probably have expected to be given a copy , I find it odd that your husband bought one .
Do you give your work away for free? How lovely to be independently wealthy! Authors in the UK earn an average £12,000 a year and that figure is heavily skewed up by people like JK Rowling; for most it’s a lot less than that. Contractually they get a set of free copies but most of us use those for marketing purposes, or sell them at events.

I work as an academic and I publish a lot. Not just in academic journals but also in magazines and books aimed at the general public. None of my friends ever read what I write! It is a bit of a standing joke now. One of them uses one of my books as a doorstop.

Why don't they read them? I guess maybe because in their mind I am me, their friend, the person who goes to the pub, and the professional me who publishes is someone they don't know. Maybe they have trouble reconciling those two people? I don't really know. It's quite nice to have a group of people who know me just for me, rather than as the author of x, tbh.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie

I would avoid reading a book specifically because it was written by a close friend/family member. What if it's got a sex scene in it?!!

I have a friend who has now self-published a dozen plus books. They are pure filth!

Congratulations on your book. Can I ask if it is fiction or non fiction. As some one else said I would be uncomfortable read a sex scene written by a friend of mine or start trying to identify characters from real life. Non fiction depending on can be boring if you are not interested in the topic, no matter how well written.

A friend of mine wrote a book we were all excited about it lots of us purchased it and supported them so YANBU in regards to that

However the book was shocking. I couldnt even finish it. He then had a second book and we never promoted or even pretended to read that one

I feel your pain, but it's kind of awkward if they hate it...

My old manager read all mine when he was in hospital having surgery on his leg and he was a little bit shocked at how sweary and violent they were (historical fiction but I think he was expecting it to be a bit more genteel than what he got. Mate, I write about battles. I know I make you a brew when you're in my office, but in my books, you're more likely to get shot in the head.) Our relationship was always a bit wary after that - it was like he was talking to the polite administrator but he knew underneath that was the cavalry officer with a bad temper and a sword.

Also agree that it can be awkward reading books by people you know (a relative of mine has written several novels and they're dreadful - luckily they're not the type of person to care whether I've read them!) but in this case it sounds like they're just not interested rather than intentionally avoiding it?

Ah a friend of mine could write the driveliest drivel and I'd skim read a few chapters and then lie through my teeth and tell her she'd done a great job.

Honesty is often overrated

Agree, but I've also gone to admire other friends new machine, still have no idea what it is or does really, but I know being able to buy it was important to them, equally gone to the opening day of my friends treatment room. I don't see support like that as mixing business and pleasure and whilst I didn't enjoy my friends book, I was still very proud of her.

It depends.

If it's my genre of fiction yes I'll read it.

If it's not then as much as I love you I won't.

But I would be proud of you and interested!!

If a good friend of mine had written a book I’d probably have expected to be given a copy , I find it odd that your husband bought one .

My friend wrote a book. I bought it and read it. Not my usual genre and I thought it was going to be a chore, but it was well written and I enjoyed it. I guess some people aren't readers, but id expect close friends to give it a go, or at least express an interest.

What has your writing a book got to do with your friends?