7 Ways to Help Your Favorite Authors

After seeing certain posts on social media in recent days, I decided to jump in and create a post that involves some of those thoughts. One author, a FB friend whom I’ve never met in person, requested her recently released book. Another posted something similar.

Here are seven things you could do to help those authors whose work you enjoy.

POST A REVIEW

Those reviews on Amazon, B&N, BookBub, BAM, Target, Wal-Mart, or Goodreads are like gold to authors. Yes, I realize you may not know what to say or how to say it. Here’s what I often do. Go read reviews of books you’ve enjoyed. How did they say what they said? Was it a blow-by-blow of the events of the book? My advice is—don’t do that! No one wants to read your long description of the book before they’ve read it. Certainly, don’t share spoilers.

The best plan is to simply state whether you liked the book and why. Did it portray believable, likable characters? Maybe the setting grabbed you and you want to visit someday. Perhaps the plot was engaging and, you found it to be a page-turner. You can’t wait for the next offering from this author. Do you recommend it?

7 Ways to Help Your Favorite Authors @DDuPreeWilliams #authors #writing #readers Share on X

ASK YOUR LIBRARY TO ORDER IT

Did you know you could do this? If you see a soon-to-be-released book by a favorite author, ask your library to order it. They truly want to know what you want to read. Because I have friends who are librarians, I know they have budgeted for your requests. Ask your friends in other cities to do the same.

FORM A BOOK CLUB

If all the people you know, from family to friends in other towns, would form a book club and they all purchased the book, imagine how much that would help your favorite authors. And if all those people spread the word about a book, if they all wrote the above-mentioned reviews, what a difference that would make to that author. In return, those people will be blessed by that book.

FOLLOW THAT AUTHOR ON SOCIAL MEDIA

This is a great way to get to know an author better. You will learn things others won’t know because you took the time to join their website or to follow them across all the social media outlets. Look for them on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Pinterest, among others.

SIGN UP FOR THEIR BLOG POSTS AND NEWSLETTERS

I cannot begin to tell you how helpful this is. Publishers and literary agents look at those numbers. It may seem like an odd thing, but they need to know that the author has a loyal following and lots of them. If I told you the numbers expected, you’d probably faint. But just know, it’s just a part of the industry. Authors go in knowing this.

For Christian authors, like me, this isn’t just an industry, it’s a calling and a ministry. I always pray over what I write and the people who will be reading it. I pray my message, even in my fiction, will reach the hearts of my readers. Maybe my heroine or hero has gone through a similar thing, and you see how they’ve changed from the beginning of the book to the end. This lets you know, you can too.

SPREAD THE WORD

Yes, I know I said this earlier, but the further the reach of our readers, the more they tell their friends and family, and the more they tell others, the further the message God laid on our hearts will travel. In addition to that, once you sign up for their newsletters, you will know when they have a new book coming out, and you can apply to be on their launch team. That usually means you will know about that new book first, and you will get your name in a drawing for prizes, often including gift cards and other goodies.

This is why we do what we do. Believe me when I tell you, it isn’t for the money. None of us would do this if that were so. The JK Rowlings or the James Pattersons, Stephen Kings of this world are few and far between. Sure, some authors make a lot more than others, but the average author just doesn’t make that much. If you have an agent, they get 15% of your earnings. The publishing house gets its percentage on top of that. So, you see, it isn’t like authors are rolling in the dough.

This is a calling authors fulfill on the mission field on which God has placed us.

PRAY

Lastly, but certainly not least, pray for the author and their book. Pray that God will look upon the author and the book with favor. Pray He will take it to the people who need it the most. Thank God for placing them in your life, even if at a distance. He brought you to them and them to you for a purpose.

There aren’t enough words in any language to tell you how much we love and appreciate you. We couldn’t do what we do without you.

Blessings, y’all!

I love Michael W. Smith’s music. As an author, I’m thankful for the gift of words. I know all my fellow authors join me in asking that you begin and end each day with The Author of everything. Begin and end your day in His Word. John 1:1-2 ESV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.