A portion of this blog was originally published in April of 2013.
It’s the beginning of a new year, and most people are making resolutions or setting goals for 2017. We are definitely in the goal setting camp. Setting goals gives us a clearer picture of what we want for the year, or next 3 years. It drives us forward with focus and keeps us organized, and most importantly, keeps us accountable.
Something else we do each year is to make a concerted effort to support our fellow authors who have new releases. For us that means spreading the word about their awesome books on social media or posting a review.
As we were discussing our goals for 2017, we thought this would be a great time to remind us all how we can actively support our favorite authors.
Let them know what you think.
- Write the author a quick email or letter telling them how much you liked their story. Writing fiction is itself is a solitary pursuit but ultimately we writers put ourselves and our work out there for the world to see. You can’t imagine how much someone taking the time to comment means to us.
Share via bookstore sites.
Depending on where you buy your books, you can help readers find your favorite authors books by providing quick feedback.- On Amazon, you can do a couple of things. For example, if you read and liked Raiders of the Lost Bark, you could go to the following links:
- "Like" a good review that you agree with.
- If you read the book and enjoyed it, post a short (even 1 or 2 sentences) review on either the paperback or Kindle version about specifically what you liked about the book. (One review goes both places, unlike the tags and ‘like’).
- On Barnes and Noble, you can provide similar feedback. Again, for example if you read and like Downton Tabby, you could go to the following links:
There are a couple of things you can do for the paperback and/or Nook versions.
- Click that you found a good review “Helpful.”
- And again, if you read the book and liked it, post a short (even 1 or 2 sentences) review on either the paperback or Nook version about specifically what you liked about the book.
If you’re a member of Indie Bound for independent book stores, add your favorite authors’ books to your “Wish List” or your book lists on the Indie Bound website at http://www.indiebound.org/
You can also link to your friends and tell your friends about the books.
Spread the news via Social Media
Tell your friends about their book.- Share with friends and family via Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, blogs or word-of-mouth.
A sample Tweet might be (This one is more than 140 characters, but Twitter will shorten the link for you):
Great fun read: Raiders of the Lost Bark #book #mystery
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/sparkle-abbey
or www.amazon.com/Raiders-Lost-Bark-Pampered-Mysteries/dp/1611946778
If you’re currently reading the book, you can always tag it as a #FridayReads.
A sample Facebook post could be something as simple as: Check out my friend Sparkle Abbey’s book, Downton Tabby, at your favorite bookstore or visit their website at www.sparkleabbey.com
If you’re a member of Goodreads, check out your favorite author’s Author Profile and click on “Become a Fan.” For instance our Author Profile page looks like this: Sparkle Abbey: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5283557.Sparkle_Abbey
If you’ve read the book, you can also rate the book and add a review. Much like Amazon, you can also “Like” positive reviews
Another great help is to visit review sites or book-related blogs and comment if you have the time. For instance, we’ve been featured on our very own Dru’s Musings, The Mystery Gazette, Cozy Chicks, and Seekerville.
Whether you do one thing or all of the above, showing your support and sharing your love of books with others truly makes a difference.
Are there are ways to support your favorite authors that we didn’t mention? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets--Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). If you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by their website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.
Excellent blog! Another thing readers could do to support a favorite authors' books is to ask their library to carry the books and then to check them out--even if they already own them. Library sales are not only important to writers, but often new readers first discover an author through a library book. But libraries discard books that aren't checked out.
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