How Can You Support Authors?

If you enjoy the work of an author then there are lots of ways you can offer them your support. Sometimes it can feel like the act of a single individual doesn’t make any difference, so why bother? However, the point is that new authors get noticed when lots of people help spread the word, and that means lots of individual small actions amounting to a huge difference overall.

I absolutely love writing but the move into independent publishing hasn’t been plain sailing. Putting out a book and trying to reach readers involves lots of underlying costs, such as book covers, artwork, editing, formatting, advertising and maintaining things like this website. As a minimum, an author needs to cover those costs from their royalties just to break even.

By far the most effective way to do this is to sell books, which sounds very simple but, speaking from personal experience, I can assure you it’s not! Readers, reviewers and bloggers all play a crucial part in a book’s success and helping raise its profile.

Buy Their Books

I know. Obvious, right? I’d also add to this buy their books now, not later. Regardless of whether an author is independent or published traditionally, sales are absolutely key to this business. Whether they’re writing the first book in a series or putting out a succession of standalones, the chances of you getting a follow up to a particular title diminish considerably if the first one doesn’t sell. For an independent author, they will be monitoring their sales and having to make the decision about whether to continue with a particular project or call it a day. Traditionally published authors get much less say in the matter. If the publishing house sees a book isn’t selling they will pull the plug on the series, or decline the option to produce further books with that author. Often the intellectual property of an author’s work is tied up with the publisher too, potentially meaning no more books in that particular fantasy world or involving those characters you enjoyed.

Tell Other People

Assuming you’ve bought the book, this is the single most effective thing you can do if you want to support an author and help them achieve more sales. A personal recommendation from a friend, who knows you and understands your tastes and interests is far more powerful than a post on social media or an anonymous advert someone scrolls by in seconds. If your friend sees you genuinely loved a book, they are much more likely to pick it up themselves. Word of mouth is an incredibly effective way to promote the work of an author and this kind of organic reach is what we’re all after.

Loved a book? Don’t keep it to yourself - tell someone! We’ll be forever grateful when you do.

Tell Us!

You would think an author who has gone to the trouble of publishing a book would already be pretty confident about the quality of their work. Based on my own experience and every single author I know, you would be wrong. That sense of imposter syndrome, an insidious internal voice which is constantly telling you your work isn’t good enough and doesn’t match up to the writing of your peers, is very real. Most authors who release their work to the public do so because they want to connect with their readers. Hearing directly from readers that our work had an impact on them and that they enjoyed our books is a huge encouragement.

It’s that kind of feedback which helps keep us going, reminds us why we do this and wards off thoughts of giving up. I vividly remember someone reaching out to me in the spring of 2021, not long after I’d released my first book and was sitting there on something like three reviews, telling me how much they enjoyed it. That initial contact opened up a discussion which led to me joining an online writing group. I have absolutely no doubt that group is the reason why I’m still a writer today and didn’t lose heart and give up years ago.

This is a tough business, so don’t underestimate the power of a kind word.

It goes without saying, but if you do reach out to an author please check their preferred methods of communication. Many authors don’t want to receive direct messages via social media (although I’m fine with this), so if they’ve made that clear in their profile please respect their wishes, no matter how well-intentioned your motivations. If they want you to reach out to them via, say, their agent then do that. Messages of encouragement and support sent through the correct channels will find their way to the author, I can assure you, and even if you don’t get a direct response you will still have helped them on the journey.

It should also go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. The reverse of what I’ve covered in this section also applies. If you didn’t like the writing of a particular author then don’t send them a diatribe telling them why you hated it and why they should give up. If you didn’t like a book, the chances are you were never the intended target audience. Move on, and find a book you do like.

Put another way, don’t be a dick.

Ratings & Reviews

Ratings and reviews really matter, because they give potential readers the confidence to try a new author. If they come across a listing and see a book has no reviews or no star rating, they’re much more likely to skip over that title and move on to the next with a 4.5/5 star average and 100+ reviews. For debut authors this issue is one of the most difficult to try and overcome.

Amazon and Goodreads are a couple of the biggest review sites, but most online platforms where you can buy books, such as Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones etc. will have a facility to leave a rating or review. There are also lots of online blogs, such as Storygraph, Book Riot and NetGalley to name but a few where you can add your recommendations. A simple rating is still helpful, and if you’re not a professional book reviewer don’t be discouraged. A short review is often welcomed by readers, who simply want to know the headline reasons why you liked a book.

What if you didn’t like a book? Personally, I tend to be good at picking books that suit my tastes and I rarely find myself with something I’m not enjoying or unable to finish. I take the view I want to spread the word about books I enjoy, so if you follow my reviews you’ll find these are in the 3, 4 or 5 star range (good, excellent, or outstanding, respectively). However, you’re free to review in whatever way you wish, highlighting the good, the bad and the indifferent. I’ve seen bad reviews help sell books, because what one person hates is another person’s perfect story. The only thing I would ask is if you are going to give a bad review, remember to be kind. A human being (let’s just ignore AI for the purposes of this discussion) wrote that story, and I’m a firm believer you should treat everyone with respect. Writing a book isn’t easy and if you think it is, try it some time.

Put another way, don’t be a dick.

Social Media

Most authors will have a presence on social media. Some will focus on one or two platforms. Others, like me, spread themselves over more to try and increase their reach. I was a relatively late convert to social media and only joined the party in 2019. In the years which have followed the landscape has changed massively. Social media has become more fragmented and tribal, whilst changes in how the algorithms of various sites work throttle back the reach of certain types of post. I find it much harder to get the word out and get engagement these days.

If you follow an author on social media then simple things such as liking their post helps boost the signal, as does sharing or replying to it. Don’t underestimate the power of those acts, because the algorithms do take notice and they help a post gain traction and visibility.

Remember social media isn’t always a safe space. The pressure to provide an instant response to something you see on there sometimes means people don’t think before they post a reply. The chances are if an author has posted something on there, assuming they’re not deliberately trying to rage bait someone, they’re looking for engagement and interest in their work - not abuse. There is a real person behind that social media profile and you have absolutely no idea what is happening in their life and the issues they are dealing with, both good and bad. Cruel words can cut deep and have a greater negative impact than you might have intended. I’d say if you’re going to be engage then be kind. If you can’t be kind then please keep your thoughts to yourself and move on. Why add more negativity to a world that’s got enough problems already?

Put another way, don’t be a dick. Hopefully, by now, that lesson is clear and I don’t need to repeat it again.

Patreon and KoFi

The vast majority of authors have a day job, some other form of independent income or a very understanding and supportive partner. Very few make a living from writing alone. One of the biggest problems is the income generated by an author’s books varies wildly and nothing is guaranteed. I’ve had months where my royalties were 1p and others when I’ve seen £100s come in. The speed at which this can change is astonishing and at this stage in my life I certainly wouldn’t want to be reliant in my writing income to pay the mortgage.

Many of my author friends, myself included, have a Patreon or KoFi page for this reason. For a monthly subscription, supporters can make a donation towards the work of an author. Those payments help provide a regular, predictable baseline income which, if nothing else, will enable an author to cover the basic running costs involved in being in this business. When royalties are not keeping pace with expenses there’s no doubt this is discouraging. Would I carry on writing and releasing books if I lost money every time? The honest answer is yes, I probably would. However, with additional income from Patreon I have more options. I can spend more on my covers, make my books and website more interesting with additional illustrations and custom art, invest in better equipment for my writing set up, pay for editorial services that enable me to write my books more quickly. The list goes on.

In return, Patreon and KoFi supporters get the benefit of exclusive content which isn’t available to the general public. However, the biggest benefit is by directly supporting an author in this way they are actively contributing towards the creation of more books they love. Who wouldn’t want to get behind that?

In rounding this off, it would be remiss of me not to provide the link to my Patreon page. If you were to support me over on there that would be fantastic. However, the point of having this page on my website is to highlight there are lots of ways you can support your favourite author. Doing any of the things I have mentioned here will be hugely appreciated and, trust me, you’ll be making a real, positive difference if you do.