Ways to Support Your Favorite Writer
It’s so exciting when a book comes out! Many people have expressed congratulations to me in the past several days regarding my new novel Summersong. Many of you have bought it, too. You’re all wonderful.
Conversations about publishing can certainly be enlightening. When I discuss the subject with someone who isn’t a writer (or agent or editor), I’m fascinated by the common assumption that writers make a lot of money.
I assure you: except for a few notable exceptions, if most writers had to live on earnings from their books alone, they’d be living well below the poverty line. The fact is, most publishers survive because of a handful of hits every year (think Gone Girl or Just Mercy), which sell hundreds of thousands of copies, if not more.
In contrast to big-name bestsellers that everybody’s heard of, the average book sells just 3,000 copies over its lifetime, which comes out to about 300 copies per year. (That average includes the bestsellers, which means many books sell far less than that number.) Even if you’re self-published and making, let’s say, 50% royalties on a title that sells for $14.99…well, you do the math. It’s not a lot of money, especially when you consider how long books take to write.
Fortunately (or tragically, depending on how you look at it), most writers I know aren’t in the game for money or fame. We write because we’re born to tell stories; we write because otherwise, we’d go more than a little bit crazy.
But every storyteller needs an audience, which is why we publish our stories. However, these days, with marketing budgets slashed and stores and websites chock-full of a bewildering number of titles, it can be tricky to get your book in the hands of people who will love it.
You all love to read as much as I do, right? It’s such a joy to get caught up in a story; whenever I’m immersed in a good book, I feel like the author has given me a gift. If you feel the same way, and you’ve ever wondered how you could thank a writer for those hours of pleasure and escape, here’s a handy list:
1) Buy the book. Obvious, I know, but buying it is the best way to put a little pocket change directly into the pocket of your favorite writer and keep her motivated to keep writing.
2) Give it as a gift. If you love a book, buy an extra copy. Donate it to a school or library, or give it to someone you know would enjoy it just as much as you did. Birthdays, holidays, just to say “I love you”…is there ever a bad time to get a book as a present? (The answer is NO.)
3) Choose it to discuss with your book group. That means another five or ten copies sold, right? As a bonus, many writers are willing to make a guest appearance at your group’s meeting, especially now that we all know how Zoom works.
The next several ideas don’t cost any money, only a bit of your time.
4) Request the book at your library. Maybe your budget doesn’t allow you to buy all the books you love. The next best thing is to ask your library to foot the bill.
5) Write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. This one is huge, huge, huge—as important as buying the book when it comes to furthering your favorite writer’s career. Love it or hate it—and I support independent booksellers as much as I can—Amazon is here to stay.
Amazon’s algorithm takes reviews and ratings into consideration when it promotes titles, which means the more reviews, the better. The minute you finish a book you loved, take another five minutes, go on Amazon and write a quick review while it’s still fresh in your mind.
Goodreads is another important site for reviews. A lot of people browse there when they’re looking for something new to read. I’m begging you to do write reviews (just a sentence or two!) as often as you can spare the time. It will make a difference.
6) Add the book to lists: Goodreads’ Listopia and the List Challenges website, for example. I’m also a big fan of What Should I Read Next?—which works much better for everyone as readers take the time to add books to it. Every bit of exposure helps.
7) Tell your friends about the book and share it on social media. Word of mouth is a huge factor in book sales. I can market until I’m blue in the face (and have spent all my royalties), and I still won’t sell as many books as friends recommending books to friends. Readers don’t tend to trust writers trying to sell their own books (though they do trust blurbs/endorsements of others’ books), but they do trust their friends.
8) Nominate it for an award. Many big awards like the Pulitzer or the National Book Award don’t accept reader nominations, but others do. Important reader-nominated awards include Goodreads Choice and The Whitney Award. Again, this takes less than five minutes and makes a huge difference.
9) Write to the writer. I often do this, especially if the writer is new and unknown. Several of them have written back in gratitude, which is always a thrill! It’s a huge boost to hear from fans, and correspondence from them seems to come on the days I need it most. If you can’t email or send a direct message, check to see if the writer has a website with a contact form.
10) Like/follow the writer on social media. Again, the algorithm is king on the mighty internet, and the more followers a writer has, the more credibility and exposure.
As readers, we’re writers’ best allies. We can make a difference in the lives of people who have poured themselves into their often lonely work and then launched it out into the wide world like Moses in a basket. Help get that baby into the hands of someone who will cherish it, and you’ll help its parent, too!