Sometimes reading speed slows or never increases due to a medical problem. If you get headache while reading, if the words "swim" or distort when you try to read, if the words jump around on the page, consult with a regular and/or eye doctor about the problem. Have the doctor do a medical work up. You might need glasses. You might be dealing with something like dyslexia, the inability of the brain to process or even recognize graphic or other symbols, and need some help in understanding and solving the problem in order to read faster.
A visit to the eye doctor will tell you whether or not you need glasses. If you find text too small, glasses may help you by increasing the size of the text. Simple reading glasses can also magnify the size of the text and make reading less stressful to your eyes. As we age, text appears smaller. Using a hand-held reading device can ease eye strain by allowing you to increase text size until reading becomes easier. You'll read faster when reading doesn't cause eye fatigue and strain.
If the normal environment in which you read is distracting, you may find it difficult to concentrate. Lack of concentration slows not only reading speed, but also reading comprehension. Some people learn to tune out noise and disturbances around them. Often these people are those who focus on one project at a time to the exclusion of all else. However, any distractions slow reading speed. If you wish to read faster, tune out the distractions. This includes vocalizing the text as you read. Vocalizing slows reading way down.
Find a quiet place to read. Turn off television and radio, turn down the music blaring in your ears and try to find a place away from family or other human traffic. Either turn off your cell phone or set it to vibrate. Put your computer on standby and commit to no texting or checking social networking conversations until after a time of reading. Once you eliminate distractions, you'll find yourself reading faster and comprehending more.
If you have problems focusing on the text, try using a small ruler or piece of cardboard large and long enough to block out text below what you are trying to read. This guide helps you focus on one line of text at a time. Begin to read not just words but whole phrases at one time. As you learn to focus as you read, you'll find your reading speed increasing until you no longer need the guide.
You aren't going to read a book faster if you don't like the subject, the style, the characters or the plot. If you like fiction, don't try to increase your reading speed by reading nonfiction. To read a book faster and with more speed, read a book that totally absorbs your interest. Once you read faster, you'll find reading more interesting---even material you used to struggle to read at all.