How to Support the Authors You Love
It’s a common misconception that the publisher is solely responsible for the marketing of an author and their books. The amount of money, time, and effort the publisher spends on marketing for the author directly correlates with the size of their advance. Ultimately, traditional or self-published, book sales rely heavily on the author’s ability to cultivate relationships. That’s where you come in.
The authors you love want to connect with you. After all, you have a shared mutual interest— the book! Other than buying the book of course, there are many ways to support the authors you love to ensure that they keep writing and publishing more great work for you to read!
Here are five (free) ways to support authors and writers;
Write a review of their book(s). You can leave a review of their book on Amazon, Goodreads, and even your blog or social media account. You are an influencer because you have an audience. If you tell other people what you liked about the book(s), they may be inclined to read too! Have the reviews of a product ever affected your decision to buy? The same thing applies to books.
Sign up for their mailing list. Be a part of the author’s inner circle! By signing up for the mailing list, you will often get first looks at new books, access to giveaways, and insights on the author’s life and writing habits.
Engage with their digital presence. Following an author on social media is easy. What is really helpful? Take that one step further by commenting on or sharing posts from the author. You have a different audience than the author you follow, but one that probably would like their work too! By sharing their post with your audience, you introduce the author to an entirely new set of people!
Take a selfie. Post pictures of the book! Images and infographics make people pause on social media. Sure, don’t judge a book by its cover, but visual recognition is huge for book sales! (Especially when they have an eye-catching cover.) ;)
Tell your favorite podcast or book club about the author. A book club bump is a great way to get a batch order, and self-published authors especially are always happy to make an appearance at your next gathering. We love talking about our book(s). Podcast interviews also go a long way to spread the news about the author’s current and upcoming work. Plus, you might get that inside journalistic scoop that you don’t see on the inside cover.
If you do want to buy a copy of an author’s book, a question I often get asked is, “where is the best place to buy your books from?” It does matter! For self-published authors, we own 100% of the rights to our work, which means we can sell copies independently. So, the best place to buy a book from an indie author is directly from them! They will get the most financial benefit from the sale, and plus, you can get it signed. ;)
You can also support an author by pre-ordering their book! For me and many self-published authors, pre-orders directly support the production and publication of the book. Bonus: you get to read it before anyone else does.
I challenge you to do one of these things for your favorite author today. Can you think of any others?