Many readers develop a deep, one-sided connection with authors, a phenomenon described as a 'parasocial relationship'. This term, defined by the Cambridge Dictionary in 2025 as "a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know," is not new, having been devised in the 1950s.
Dr. Georgia Carroll, a sociologist researching these connections, states that "almost every single person has had one," whether with public figures like Taylor Swift or Lewis Hamilton. She notes that while the key commonality is that the relationship will never be reciprocal, the reader-author version often becomes deeper due to the significant role books play in the lives of avid readers.
Authors and book bloggers agree that the solitary nature of reading, combined with the reader's ability to suspend disbelief and fill in narrative gaps, primes them for such relationships. Book blogger Tilly Fitzgerald highlights how readers can easily blur the lines between a beloved character and their creator, assuming the author shares similar traits.
The intensity of these connections can be heightened by modern media, such as podcasts, which bring an author's voice directly into listeners' homes. This creates a sense of "together-aloneness," where individuals feel they have company while remaining unobserved.