Support an Author

I recently chatted with a friend about the release of my first picture book, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya: Love is Patient. She said, “I want to support your work, Susan. What a great book! What can I do to help?”

I was tongue-tied. Besides stating the obvious, “Buy my book!” I just wasn’t sure what to say. After pondering that conversation, I now have a lot of ideas about how to help your author friends, and for all you bookies out there, here’s what I later told her:

Buy the book. Well, duh! But today, it’s not that simple. Consider pre-ordering the book, and be sure to buy it new. Buying a used book doesn’t count as a sale for the author. And to make it easy, here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Lexies-Adventure-Kenya-Love-Patient/dp/0692686630/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460662300&sr=1-3&keywords=Lexie%27s+Adventure+in+Kenya.
Buy the book as a gift for someone. Birthdays, holidays, baby showers, engagements, weddings. You support your author friend and give a special gift to a friend. That’s an awesome two-fer.
Find the author’s Facebook Fan page and click “like”. You make a personal connection and help grow your author’s numbers, which is critical for the author’s future book sales. Here’s my page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanGMathis/
Follow your author friend on Twitter. Those crazy numbers do matter, and besides, your author may have some interesting things to tweet. Here’s my Twitter page: https://twitter.com/@SusanGMathis
Write a review on Amazon.com and then copy and paste it on Goodreads, the author’s website, CBD.com, etc. It only takes a few minutes and it’s one of the most helpful gifts you can give an author.
Talk about it and share the news. Share any news the author mentions on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. Mention that your friend’s book is great or it would make a great gift or whatever.
Share blog posts. Help the author by sharing a blog post about the book. Also, don’t forget to comment on blogs. Too few readers ever do.
Attend a book release party or any author event. If you’ve already purchased the book and hear about a book signing, go and ask the author to sign it. It’s a lonely world out there, and authors love to meet their readers.
Request a copy at the library. Libraries often purchase books their patrons request.
When you visit a bookstore, ask where the book is located rather than finding it yourself. If they have it, face the book out to make sure it’s noticed. If the store doesn’t have it, suggest they carry it, touting the author and the book.
Read the book in public. Take it with you when you visit a friend, on a plane, at the doctor’s office…wherever. People notice what people read.
Leave it visible in your home for your friend’s to notice.
Connect authors to people who can help them. Media contacts such as TV, radio, magazine, or other such personalities can boost an author’s visibility quickly. If the author is a children’s author, connect them to teachers or children’s pastors. A word to the wise: be ready with a specific statement about the book not just “My friend wrote a book.” Read the back cover copy and use that to describe the book to your contact—that’ll make them interested. You’ll build a special relationship with the author if you take the time to do this.