How to Help Writers
Writers are delicate creatures, full of caffeine and insecurity. We need your help, more than you may think. It’s easy to think published authors have it made—and about 0.005% do—but for most of us getting published is just the start. It’s a grind. Years of building up a backlist. Decades of getting an audience. And nothing happens without you, the reader. So this is what you can do.
Consume the book. Yes, ideally you buy a copy, or maybe several. But you can borrow one from the library. Listen on audible. Get an early free copy on NetGalley. Even borrow one from a friend or neighborhood little library. More important than sales—initially—is word of mouth. Yes, it’s on the author to write a book worth talking about, but if they do and you read it, spread the word.
Don’t pirate. My one exception for ways to consume a book is pirating. Don’t get a free copy from some shady Russian website. And if you do, I hope the book stinks and your computer gets infected.
Leave a review. So important. Take one minute out of your day to leave an honest review, even if it’s just one sentence. Good places for reviews are Amazon, BN.com, Goodreads, and anywhere on social media. Ideally, you’ll leave a good review, but if you didn’t like the book that’s okay to write about as well. Note: if you leave me a one-star review, make sure to include your address, phone number, and social-security number.
Pre-order. Pre-orders make a difference when it comes to buyers like Barnes & Noble deciding how many copies they want for their stores. So if there’s a book you’re looking forward to, don’t wait until it releases, pre-order as soon as you can. And you can pre-order from anywhere, not just the big booksellers.
Support independent bookstores. So many of these stores are in a daily struggle for survival. Yes, of course, authors also want their books in B&N, Target, and Costco, but indie bookstores are the pillars supporting the entire publishing industry. Stop in, buy a book, get a latte. You’ll be happy you did.
Go to a book event. Events are great ways to support authors, and sales at those stores get reported for any potential bestseller lists. Remember how I said authors are insecure? Just think about when a book is launched and three people show up at the main launch event. Do your favorite author a favor and go see them when they’re in town—chances are there won’t be as many people there as you’d expect.
Follow authors. Not literally, unless you want to give them a good stalker idea for a story. But if you have a favorite author, follow them on social media, share posts, and subscribe to their newsletter.
Be patient. We live in a short-attention-span world, and authors aren’t competing with each other as much as we are with everything else vying for your attention (phones, Netflix, Wordle, children, etc). When you crack a book open, reserve judgment for at least 50 pages. Chances are you’re reading something that sold to a publisher from an agent, and went through months of edits and rewrites. Chances are that book took at least one-to-two years to write, rewrite, sell, and edit, and a lot of thought went into every page. It might not be the right book for you, but let it develop long enough to see if it surprises you. If it still stinks after 50 pages, chuck it against the wall and leave a crappy review.
Support free speech. This is really the most important thing you can do. Support libraries, donate to free-speech initiatives, fight back against anyone ignorant enough to think ANY book should be banned. And, of course, make sure to vote for folks who rightly think books change lives. After all, literacy is damn sexy.
If you are working at becoming a writer yourself and are looking for some help,
check out our online writing classes.