Here’s a doable list of things you can do to help your favorite author (or any author, really) stay in the business of writing the books you consume.
1 – Request your local library buy a copy of the author’s book.
While libraries make up around a little over 1.3% of book sales (according to a 2015 Publisher’s Weekly article), they are still buyers. Also, libraries display books, giving the casual browser an opportunity to see the covers, blurbs, and so forth. At a later date, the browser might be more likely to buy the same book they saw in the library when they come across it in a different setting. Like Barnes & Noble. Or on Amazon. Frequency illusion (the appearance that something is more popular than perhaps it really is because it crops up multiple times) could lead to a purchase. (Here’s the article by PW, which also gives reasons why we should continue to support libraries: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/66106-the-case-for-libraries.html)
2 – Check out the author’s books from the library.
If a book isn’t circulating, it might be discarded and future books by the author probably won’t be ordered.
3 – Leave a review on Goodreads, BookBub, and the place you bought the book from.
Reviews help drive sales, even the negative ones. If you see a novel with all rave reviews, you might think only family and friends read it. The review doesn’t have to be long. It could be a few notes on what you liked about the book, what you thought didn’t work, or you could just…
4 – Leave a rating.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of writing up a review, Amazon now allows customers to leave a star rating alone. This is still very helpful for writers trying to get their work noticed.
5 – Tell your friends.
Just a word in passing. “Hey, what are you reading? I just finished THE ATLAS SIX by Olivie Blake and it was AMAZING!” Word of mouth sells books.
6 – Interact with and follow them on social media.
This especially goes for non-fiction writers. Literary agents/publishers want to see they have a good following before signing them. As for fiction authors, well, we could use the encouragement. Writing can be a lonely business, and our efforts a lot of times feel like they were for naught.
7 – Send them fan mail.
I mean, really, who doesn’t love to know they’ve made a difference in someone’s life? This sort of thing makes our day.
__
We’ve talked about helping authors, but what are some ways AUTHORS can help READERS? I’d love to hear from you in the comments or in my inbox: bethovermyer [at] gmail [dot] com.
Keep your nose in a book,
Beth
These are all excellent ideas!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Lydia!
LikeLike
Oh, yes, we love fan mail! I have handwritten notes on my bulletin board. Thanks for this, I’m posting it on my Facebook author page 😊 https://www.facebook.com/lindasienkiewicz.author
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, fan mail is amazing! Thank you so much, Linda!
LikeLike
Th aks so much for this! I have handwritten fan mail on my bulletin board. It matters!
LikeLiked by 1 person