Can you think of a paperback book you’ve read so many times it’s practically held together by hope and a binder clip? Maybe it lived in your beach bag for a summer, or it’s currently in a pile beside your bed with a highlighter wedged in the spine. 📙
Either way, July 30 is National Paperback Book Day—which feels like the perfect excuse to talk about my two favorite things: stories that stick and how they sneak up on us when we least expect them. As a fairly new author, I got curious about the history of the paperback.
Turns out, it started with a train ride, famous author, and the founder of a struggling publishing business. 🚂
Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Publishing, 🐧 was traveling with Agatha Christie (name drop!) when he realized that all he could find at the train station were magazines and dime novels (fluffy fiction) in paperback.
So he had a wild idea: ⚡ Publish serious books in paperback form, make them affordable, and get them into the hands of everyday people. Boom. Publishing revolution.
Now, in honor of that humble, Hail Mary pass to save his struggling business, I want to tell you about a story that found me—one I didn’t even know was unfolding.
About a year ago, someone gifted a copy of Positively Altered to a woman who had just finished lymphoma treatment. 📙
I only recently found out how much my story meant to her.
She told a friend that the words gave her inspiration and empowerment at a time when she was trying to find her footing again. She said it felt even more personal because we were close in age—like we shared some kind of quiet, kindred connection through the pages.
I didn’t know her story. I didn’t even know the book had made its way into her hands. But somehow, it did. And somehow, it helped.
That’s the thing about writing. You release something into the world not knowing where it will land or whom it might uplift. 🏋️♀️
Hearing this reminded me that our stories—when shared with honesty and heart—can travel further than we ever will.
To my kindred spirit: Thank you for letting my words walk beside you in your recovery. And to everyone who shares this book forward like a little paperback blessing, I see you. I am so deeply grateful. 🫶
Here’s to the stories that connect us, the books that find us, and the power of paperbacks that feel like friends.
And here’s my paperback challenge to you: 📚
- Reread your favorite paperback and post a quote that moved you. Share why it still matters.
- Gift a copy to someone who could use the encouragement, insight, or laugh you found in those pages.
- Leave your beloved paperback behind in an Airbnb, a waiting room, or a Little Free Library. You may never know who finds it, but you just might change someone’s day—or their life.
Let’s keep the pages turning, the stories moving, and the connections growing.
Be positively altered,
Dr. Cindy M. Howard
P.S. In a recent podcast episode, I get to welcome resilience expert Anne Grady for an insightful conversation about cultivating strength during life’s challenges. Find out more about “sitting in the ‘suck,’” and Anne’s remarkable story.