5 Ways to Help an Author

A lot of friends have asked, “How can I help you get the word out about Mistaken?”

With millions of books being published (as many as 3,000,000 in 2012 according to one source), “disoverability” is key. How does a new author hope to get their book into the hands of readers? 

To help an author you admire, the best thing you can do  is to speak up. Here are five key ways you can help authors spread the word. 

• Tell a friend. Tell LOTS of friends. 

People might see hundreds of ads, but one recommendation from a trusted friend outweighs everything else. People say talk is cheap . . . To authors, talk is priceless. 

• POST to your social networks. 

Even better, take a photo of the book. If you know how, include a link to the authors website, or an online seller. Post to FaceBook, Pinterest, Twitter, Goodreads, or MySpace. And follow the author on all their networks, too. Join their community.

(Click here to find some of my links). 

• Post a heart-felt review. 

on personal blogs, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Goodreads, NovelCrossing.com or ChristianBook.com. It’s easy!

• Request the book at your public library.

Libraries purchase thousands of books every year, putting these into the hands of readers who might not otherwise have access to them. You can also request it at bookstores. Once they see an interest, they might begin carrying the title.

• Click LIKE.

on Amazon, B&N, and other sites. Like the author’s blog, share it with friends. 

There are so many other things you could do, as well. Give the book as a gift, share it with your Sunday School class, suggest it to book groups, show it to historical societies, leave it in a public place for someone to pick up… 

And I bet you can come up with some even more NOVEL ideas! 

Thank you so much for your help! One thing I love about being a part of the Christian writing community, is we know it’s not all about marketing and sales. Each of these books–we hope–carries a nugget of God’s truth. Our prayer is that in reading these novels, readers will get a glimpse of His love. 

(Many of these ideas came to me courtesy of Cynthia Ruchti, author of many wonderful books including Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices and When the Morning Glory Blooms.)

Thank you!

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