Velocity Reading looks like a great book. What can you tell us about it?
Sure, it is a book about how to read other books.
It is a practical book—ten how-to Lessons with exercises to read better (and faster).
It helps solve the problems that many of us have when we read:
- We find it challenging to stay concentrated.
- We often start daydreaming.
- We have to reread because we forget what we just read.
- We lose interest in finishing reading most books.
- We're not taking advantage of what we read.
- And we might have a massive backlog of exciting books we want to read.
Reading better is an essential skill that can impact our personal and professional life.
And I must add that with the arrival of the A.I. tools like ChatGPT, it will probably become even more crucial to continually better our skills. Our professional value is exposed. We can keep learning through others, seminars and webinars, videos, and, indeed, through reading.
When watching videos or presentations, there isn't much you can do. But when reading, you have much control over how you proceed. So, learning the best reading techniques is powerful.
The book Velocity Reading teaches you 10 of the best reading techniques through exercises, explaining how to read better, more easily stay concentrated, stop daydreaming, stay interested, how and when not to read everything, and how to take notes and use what you read.
The book takes you to another level of readers.
In the first lesson, you will learn the most critical technique: The Tennis Technique. As a result, you will read better and enjoy it more immediately with the first lesson. A method that doesn't require you to skip any text so that you don't miss anything.
You will never read the same way after that.
Any plans to turn it into a series?
In the Velocity Reading book, there is an introduction to note-taking. You also get free access to an online member's area with bonus lessons. One of them is the three best memory techniques. It tells you how to use these techniques.
I am working on a second book. It will explain how to become an expert at note-taking. And in parallel, I am working on a third one to teach how to remember what you read. In that one, I am describing the Velocity Reading technique derived from the three best existing methods today. In addition, it will explain how to select and commit what you learn to your brain's long-term memory.
A side note: When purchasing the book, you can register for the bi-monthly email subscription for free because you bought the book. Twice a month, you receive an email that reminds you of what you learned, new tips, some from the upcoming books, and food for thought about reading, writing, and learning.
What section did you have the most fun writing?
There are two sections I enjoyed the most.
The first one because it is the basis of everything else, something like the 80/20 rule. So, with that first technique, the Tennis Technique, you learn to read better (and faster) without skipping any text. It will leverage your reading skill for the rest of your life ...
Amazingly the second section I enjoyed the most was the bonus section. I added this section after writing what I had planned for the book. There are two bonuses in the book:
· I added an introduction to how to take notes while reading.
· And I wrote a whole lesson on how to read a 300-page non-fiction book within one hour, an hour and a half, taking your time.
I explain how to extract the best of it, what to take note of, and how to remember and use it. I use the book ¨The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People¨ as an example.
What inspired the idea for the book?
It is something like a pet project, a legacy. I learned to read like that when I was 14. It served me so well all these decades. I felt I should do something about it, or my spouse suggested it, maybe... 😀
At first, I wondered if it was worth doing it since there are other books on speed reading. But it always annoyed me that all these books emphasize speed. For me, speed is a tool, not THE objective.
An analogy would be that you wouldn't drive in a school zone as on the highway. And going like you're in a rush isn't always fun.
But two years ago, I figured that my experience and method would undoubtedly resonate with many people who hesitate because speed-reading is not precisely what they seek.
How did you come up with the title for the book?
Velocity Reading
I call it Velocity Reading because speed only describes how fast an object moves. In contrast, velocity indicates how fast and in what direction. Knowing what you want to do and where you want to go is essential, wouldn't you agree?
Driving fast in the wrong direction won't get you where you want to be. It is the same with reading.
The philosophy of Velocity Reading is that speed is secondary. You want to understand, learn and enjoy what you read. Your brain is the one reading, not your eyes. You will learn how to let the brain be the driver. If you trust your brain and teach it how to lead your readings, it will always take advantage of reading at a suitable speed.
"The critical thing is not to read too quickly but to read each book at the speed it deserves." Jacques Bonnet, literary critic.
It is what Velocity Reading is about.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when writing Velocity Reading?
I wanted to make sure this is a practical book. It is a book on how to read other books. I took Mr. Miyagi's approach from the Karate Kid movie. There is no lengthy introduction or explanation.
Instead, we will jump right into what you must do—10 lessons with exercises.
I wrote the first lesson so that you quickly learn how to read better (and faster) without skipping any text. It takes 15-20 minutes, and you will never read the same right after that first lesson. It is the cornerstone lesson of Velocity Reading. And you get it in the first pages …
What do you like to do when not writing?
Professionally I am a consultant in business development for executives.
On a personal basis, I have a family, and with my spouse, we take care of our five children and three grandchildren so far. I also enjoy walking to relax and visit cities and mountains. Besides reading a good book, I watch many movies, maybe a little too many 😀.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
You will find more tips at one of these:
https://www.facebook.com/velocityreadingcom
https://www.instagram.com/velocityreading/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTCTOLqw6jijWdBGGc5xuw
https://www.tiktok.com/@velocityreading.com
Recently I started a blog, I apologize for not having much content yet, but it will get better:
https://velocityreading.com/blog-toc
and finally, with our free email bi-monthly subscription when you buy the book.
If you want to learn how I accidentally learned how to read better and faster at the age of 14, here is the link to the full story:
https://velocityreading.com/how-i-accidentally-learned-to-read-better-and-faster
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