Writing a book is hard work and then you have to turn around and promote it. Now that I have my own book, I can’t explain how wonderful it is to hear that readers like the book. Reader support is crucial, especially for indie authors. So, if you’ve got a book or an author that you love, here are some additional ways you can support your favorite author, without forking over anymore cash!
Review Their Book
The absolute best thing you can do to support an author if you loved their book is to review the book on Amazon or GoodReads. Good reviews and a lot of them, tell Amazon’s algorithms that this book is worth showing to more people. The reviews help spread the word and are one of the most valuable things you can do for a book and author.
I never liked to give reviews and rarely did before I published my book. Now, I realize how important they are for new authors and businesses, so I’ve been giving out a lot more lately. The other happy side effect of writing a pleasant review is that you feel like you’ve done something nice for someone else. I get the same happy glow that I would if I were volunteering. It’s kind of a nice win-win.
Ask Your Library to Purchase a Copy
Libraries tend to listen to their patrons and all of them have a way for people to request that they get a specific book. I just requested a book from my library and they bought it for me (it was this book here!). It was fun to be the very first person to read it and smart to give the book a try before I spent my own money on it. I wrote a more detailed update on how to request a book from your library here.
Follow Their Blogs / Sign-up for Their Newsletters
The more people who read an author’s updates, the faster they’ll get future book deals. You’ll also be the very first to hear about new books that you might be interested in. In my experience, most authors don’t send out very frequent updates, so your inbox won’t be inundated like it is with some business sign-ups, but you will be helping your author out quite a bit.
Boost Their Signals on Social Media
Retweet (or, whatever that’s called these days), forward, repost, etc the big announcements your favorite authors make. Just like with writing reviews this can really help them get the word out, find more fans, and stay motivated to continue writing.
Tell Someone About the Book (Or Give it Away)
Books make great gifts, but I promised to talk about how you can help your favorite author without spending more money. Just telling people about the books is helpful. The more times someone hears about a book from different people in their lives, the more likely they are to pick it up. If you think the book could help someone or that they’d love it, tell them about it!
Come to Book Signings or Talks
This is where things get much more fun. I love the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (I’m a sucker for living with “less”). While I was working at Capital One Labs, our group invited him to speak to us. We got a fantastic talk and then we got to meet him. He was amazing and I am now the owner of a signed book and a fun memory with one of my favorite authors. No matter how big they are, authors still love to hear from their fans. Plus, the more people who come to their events, the more they will probably have in the future. You coming will make their day and probably yours too! 🙂
Write Them an Awesome Letter or Email
Along those same lines, author websites usually list a way to get in touch with the author. The copyright page of the book may as well. There is no one on earth who doesn’t like a nice, handwritten letter or a short, but sweet email complimenting their work. They may be too busy to answer, but rest assured you just made their day. And at this point, if you haven’t yet written their book(s) a review, go back and copy/paste what you wrote to the author into the review. Double the benefits with half the work!
Preorder Their Next Book
OK, I’m cheating again because this will cost some money, but it really is a great way to support your favorite author(s). Pre-sales count towards that author’s bestseller status and might be one of the best ways to get them onto the bestseller list when their books come out. If you know you love the author, don’t wait until the book is out to buy it. Buy it as soon as the preorder page is up. They will be grateful to you for your early support!
So, am I being a little self-serving with this post? Maybe a little bit as these are definitely things I’d really want someone to do for me. But, the reality is that you probably have an author in mind that’s not me who you really love. Pick one of these things and go do it for them today. I guarantee it will give you a nice pick-me-up and whether you hear from them directly or not, your favorite author thanks you!