Many years ago, I learned how to be a good literary citizen from books like Carolyn See’s Making a Literary Life and podcasts like #AmWriting.
The first time I ever reached out to an author that I admired was in 2007. I sent an email to Janis Huggins about how much I loved her book Wild at Heart and received a friendly and encouraging response. I have learned a lot since then from my perspectives as an avid reader, debut author, and indie bookstore employee!
Here is a list of things you can do to help support and promote your favorite authors:
- Preorder copies of their upcoming books. All preorders are counted as sales on publication day, so this really helps authors create buzz for their book. This also indicates to individual bookstores that they may want to order extra copies to have on hand if it is popular in their community.
- Follow them on social media and share/like/comment often. You know about those pesky algorithms…more engagement means more fresh eyes on their work.
- Follow them on Goodreads and on their Amazon Author Page. Add their books to your ‘To Read’ list or to your wish list.
- Attend their events in your area and bring your friends. Author events are a fun way to connect with your local book-loving community in-person!
- Sign up for their newsletter and share it with someone you think might enjoy it. An author’s best opportunity to stay in touch with readers is email, so you’ll never miss out on sales, new releases, events, and other timely information.
- Listen to their interviews on podcasts and other media. Quote them and share them with others.
- Ask your local library and independent bookstore to order copies of their books. Explain to the librarian or bookseller what makes their work special- these are the people who put books into the hands of readers.
- Email them. Reach out to share personally how their work positively influenced, inspired, or helped you.
- Review their books. Leave high ratings and positive reviews on multiple platforms like Goodreads, Amazon, and more. Share the glowing reviews on your social media accounts and tag the author.
- Support their publishers. Follow them on social media too, and sign up for their newsletters. Chances are, if you like something from that publisher you might enjoy some of their other titles as well.
You can practice now! Preorder Wild Asana here and sign up for my newsletter at alisonzak.com 🙂
