Enjoy the tales and work out the hooks.
What makes the various characters work
Whether they be hero, villain, jerk?
Know what you like so you can write well.
Then comes the hard bit – making your work sell!
It makes sense to read well. To enter the book industry, such an industry needs to exist and it can only do so if it is supported. By knowing what you like (and dislike) by reading around, you can incorporate “good” influences into your own writing. A writer who doesn’t read seems an oddity to me. It’s like having a top ranking tennis player who’s decided to not bother with Wimbledon.
Read as well as write as much as you can
Know what inspires you; keep being inspired!
Enjoy books in depth and not just a scan.
Good authors’ works should help keep you fired
Up ready to produce your own great work.
Reading well is part of a writer’s perk!
Also it prepares you hopefully for later on when interviewers ask what authors inspired you and why! You have to know what you like to be able to write well yourself. Also part of writing has to come from your genuine love of books and how else can you love them unless you read them? I also find non-fiction books (in my case history especially) helpful in giving me ideas for fleshing out my Fairy Kingdom government structure.