How To Support An Author You Like

(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

Things That Cost Money:

  • Buy the author’s books.
  • Buy ALL the author’s books.
  • By the author’s related merchandise
  • Buy the author’s books and give them as gifts.
  • Buy the author’s books and donate them to libraries.
  • Support the author’s Patreon, Kofi, etc.

Reviews:

  • Review the author’s book on publishing sites
  • Review the author’s book on goodreads.
  • Blog a review on your blog/tumblr/etc.
  • Give a book review on Twitter.
  • Give a book review on Facebook.
  • Give a book review on Tumblr.

Conventions:

  • Suggest the author speak at a convention.
  • If you host a panel at a convention, ask the author to be a guest.
  • If the author can’t attend, put out flyers for their book at a convention.
  • Have a dealer or artist’s table? Carry the author’s book as well!

Promotions:

  • Put out flyers for the author at libraries, bookstores, etc.
  • Mention the author in your own newsletter.
  • If the author has a sale, let people know.
  • If the author does a promotion, ask how you can help.
  • Give the author’s stuff away as part of your own promotions (“Get this book, get a free copy of this other one”).
  • Start a promotion with the author at www.prolificworks.com

Bookstores:

  • See if a local bookstore will carry the author’s book
  • See if a local bookstore will invite the author to speak.
  • Put out flyers at these bookstores.

Book Clubs:

  • Suggest the author’s book or books for your book club.
  • Have the author speak at your book club.

Blogs:

  • Ask to cross-blog with the author.
  • Help the author blog on other pages.
  • Do a blog tour with the author.

Podcasts:

  • Suggest the author to podcasts you follow.
  • Invite the author to your own podcast.

Social Media:

  • Follow the author on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
  • Promote the author on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
  • Join the author’s newsletter to keep up on them.
  • Get OTHER people to join the author’s newsletter.
  • If the author has a LinkedIn page and “Author” as a job, give them a rec!
  • Invite the author to your slack/discord.

Art:

  • Do fanart of the author’s work if you’re into it – author’s love feedback.
  • Offer your services (at a price, of course) to the author.

Support:

  • Be a beta reader (and hey, free book)
  • Help A/B test book covers.
  • Refer artists and editors and the like to the author.
  • Refer the author’s editors and artists to other people.

Services (that you SHOULD charge for, of course, but maybe at a discount)

Offer to do cover art for a book.

  • Offer to edit.
  • Offer to translate.

Collaborate:

  • Do a multi-author work with the author (and others).
  • Refer any multi-author works, zines, etc. to an author.

Steven Savage