After doing speed reading exercises a few years ago I initially also started to use the techniques for novels, but that was a bad mistake in my opinion. While

After doing speed reading exercises a few years ago I initially also started to use the techniques for novels, but that was a bad mistake in my opinion. While I could get my comprehension percentage quite high with a bit of training, I lost all connection to the characters and story, stopped imagining the scenes and felt like the reading the book was a waste of time. Novels should be read at a natural pace to give room to your imagination and dive into the story. You can still quickly scan over boring/repetitive filler text, but I did that without caring about WPM already. With other things like textbooks / articles / reports cranking up your WPM and applying your attention more selectively by focusing on or re-reading critical parts is a very helpful skill though.