I’m not sure if readers are really aware of just how insecure authors are.
And–to be fair–I guess I can’t say I conclusively speak for every author everywhere. However, I can definitely say it’s something I see with my author friends and in author groups, and so it feels like it’s safe to say that, in general, we’re an insecure bunch.
I suspect if I wanted to delve into some armchair psychology, I could figure out why that was. But I’ve never been one who particularly enjoyed psychology beyond things like the Meyers-Briggs personality inventory.
That said, I do have a heart for encouraging my friends. And I try really hard to follow the instructions of Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
In my own experience, the first part of that verse, the rejoicing part? Much easier for people to do (myself included.) But the second part? That takes some practice. I think, at first, we all tend to end up like Job’s friends. Sitting there, thinking we’re being helpful, but really actually making it worse.
Weeping with those who weep takes concerted effort.
So what does this have to do with the care and feeding of authors? I’m so glad you asked.
There are a lot of things that you, as a reader, can do that embody Romans 12:15 for your favorite author. And that go into that whole idea of of caring for (by helping to ease the overwhelming sense of insecurity) and feeding (by encouraging) said authors.
And so I present to you, a list of things you can do (in no particular order), each should take under five minutes, that make a huge impact to authors:
- Send us an email! Most of us have an email address or contact form on our website. Or a way to send a message through social media. It doesn’t have to be long. Just two or three sentences of encouragement. (And it doesn’t even have to be about our books – you can just say you were thinking of us and wanted to say hello. Maybe that you prayed for us today, if you did.) [Side note: please don’t email us with things you didn’t like about our books. If you want to put those in a review, that’s cool. Reviews are for readers. But most of us really try to avoid opportunities to know negative things like that.]
- Following up on that first one? Pray for us! Honestly, we need it. Just like you, we have all kinds of things going on in our lives that we may or may not share about. But having our reader friends lift us up in prayer is priceless.
- Sign up for our newsletters (and then open them and click on things occasionally.) There’s a whole back end to having a newsletter that has all kinds of statistics associated with open rates and click rates and other mathy things that feed into how various email providers treat our emails when we send them out. Having readers who are vigilant to do little things to ensure that places like gmail don’t think we’re spam? Priceless.
- Leave a review. Oh, I know. This one feels scary. But reviews don’t have to be novels on their own or deep, philosophical analysis from a lit class. It can be as simple as, “I liked this book because of X reason.” If you want to tiptoe into the pool, Amazon is letting you leave a star rating with no words now. That’s even easier! (Although if you’re going to do that, please just do 4 or 5 stars. Those are considered “good.” 3 and below are considered “critical,” so it’s good to put words along with that to explain what you didn’t like if you’re going there.) Don’t like Amazon? Try Goodreads! Or any other retailer (if the book is available there.) Or just mention it in passing to a friend. Or on Facebook.
- Follow our social media and share our posts. This is such a big help to get word out about things. And if it’s not a “shareable” kind of thing (like a post where we’re just chatting or asking a question) – leave a comment! Engage with us! This is, again, a mathy algorithm thing that helps that social media platform realize that we’re a worthwhile entity.
- Join our reader groups. Most of these are on Facebook and not everyone has one. But they are fun places with even more interaction, book discussion, and sometimes prizes (that’s not a guarantee there, so don’t come at me if you join a group and that author never has giveaways ;) ).
- Find out if your library system takes requests and, if they do, request our books. Some libraries are choosier about what books they’ll add, but some (many?) will stock indie titles if patrons ask them to. I know in my area, there’s a form on the website that takes maybe three minutes to fill out. So I definitely lump it into the “doesn’t hurt to ask” category.
There are more, I’m sure. But those are the first seven that leap to mind. And seven feels like a good number to end with. That said, I’d love to know which ones you do on the regular. And which ones you think you’ll try. (If nothing else, I really hope everyone will do #2!) And I’m sure I missed something — so tell me what’s not on the list that you do.
Let’s chat in the comments!
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
I have often hesitated to reply to an email, because I thought the writer was probably overwhelmed with emails! However I have been touched by how quickly an email that I send is responded to, so I have realised it is worthwhile.
For years I never considered reviewing a book, but as I have read this blog and realised how important they are I try to review the books I read, and have even come to enjoy the process, until some algorithm decided that I had said something inappropriate, when all I had done was name the series, which happened to me recently.
Hi Elizabeth! An excellent list of ways to encourage authors. As a retiree, I have time to do all seven things. With the flooding in Florida, yesterday I sent emails to several Florida authors to make sure they were OK. I have been praying for the folks in Fort Lauderdale, and was thankful when they replied. Thanks for explaining the statics involved with emails. Learned something new.
Writing reviews keeps my mind active, but just yesterday had a discussion about reviews being rejected. This has happened to me on occasion. Usually I wait several days and rewrite the review and submit it again. My reviews were rejected when I made them too personal, had quotes or when reviewing a book in a series I used the same language.
Thank you to all the wonderful authors the write monthly for the Inspy Romance Blog. I have been a part of this blog for 9 years. DEAR READERS: please encourage authors by leaving a comment on this blog. Inspy Romance Blog is one of the easiest to make comments on. I am not fond of blogs that use Google. So thanks. Enjoy the weekend. Best wishes.
Thanks for writing this, Elizabeth.
Sometimes as an author it can feel like I’m shouting into the void. Although I rely on God as my ultimate encourager and I look to him for a sense of purpose in what I’m doing, it’s still a tremendous boost to hear something back from readers.
I think you’ve covered all the ways I encourage my own favourite authors.
Oh no! I’m sorry you got dinged as “inappropriate” — I dislike how much “content policing” places like Facebook and Amazon are doing with AI. (And I understand the idea behind it but still. Grr.)
It sounds like you are fantastic at encouraging authors! Thank you!!
You are a shining example of a reader who encourages! I know I appreciate you, and I know many other authors who feel the same. Thank you for all you do!
Great tips for if your review is rejected!
There are days I whine a little too much to my author friends, lol (and you’re welcome to whine to me if you ever feel the need.) It can feel lonely and overwhelming.
There’s nothing quite so lovely as a little note from a reader though. Like a warm hug from Jesus.
Great advice! Encouragement is always welcome! Kindness is certainly appreciated.
Yes indeed!
I try to review all the books I read now, since reading here how important it is, my reviews are often quite short but hopefully share with others how much I enjoyed the book.
I get a lot of authors emails which I really enjoy – I do follow links etc as I love the suggestions for new books and authors. I have to say I don’t often email authors as it feels a bit presumptuous, I always assume you’ll be so busy and get such a lot of emails and I don’t want to take up anyone’s time, maybe I should try to send messages more often.
I am praying for you all, and thanking God for the joy reading your books brings to my life. A big thank you to you Elizabeth and all the other writers here.
Thank you, Ruth! And I at least speak for myself, but probably for others, that I love getting replies to my newsletters :) It may take me a day or two to reply, but I love doing it.
<3
I think it’s due to InspyRomance that I’ve ended up doing all the things on your list! When I first got an e-reader, I started filling it up with free or inexpensive books, and found lots of new favorite authors (including you). And my e-reader started asking me to review books. Mine are never literary gems, but I try to do them (unless I just did not like the book). I’ve really enjoyed the times I’ve emailed a favorite author and she actually writes back! Facebook is a gem too in that I feel like we’re friends. I just wish I lived closer to all the various chances to meet authors in person (they never seem to be in the San Francisco Bay Area of California – too pricey I guess). Anyway, have a wonderful day!
I try to do the newsletter thing – as a reader it’s really fun to interact with my favorite authors by responding to any questions they ask or tell them I recently read one of their books. In months when I’m short on time, I still try to open them in case that helps the author. I also try to request books at the library if I’m not buying one right away. My next step might be joining more author groups on Facebook. I’m only in one but I’m really enjoying it!
A great list! I’m going to share!
Love this! And if I ever get out to San Fran I will let you know!
Yay! And opening definitely helps :) so thanks :)
Thank you!
I actually do all 7!! I review on Goodreads and Bookbub for all authors, and on other sites if they are traditionally published. I have quite a list of authors I pray for every day, and I have a much shorter list (as I don’t know of any specifics) for spouses/family members that aren’t saved that authors have asked me to pray for. I’ve had a few authors email me and ask me to pray for specifics, and I do that, too. I think the greatest thing we can do for anyone is to pray for them. We may not know all that someone is going through, though God does, and just remembering someone in prayer is a great thing, in my opinion!
You are definitely one who is a constant huge encouragement to me and many authors! Thank you :)
Elizabeth, thanks for the list and thanks to the readers who do these things. They are an encouragement.
You’re welcome! Readers are really special encouragers!
Thank you, Elizabeth, for that good advice. I do pray for my authors. If there is a specific need, I pray for that. Or I just pray for God’s guidance of what to write and that someone who needs the story will read it and be touched by it. I also do the newsletters. I have so many in my inbox that sometimes it is overwhelming. I try to open them all. Now I will be sure to click a little more often. And leave reviews. I don’t do that very often. I feel I need to be eloquent. Believe me, I am not eloquent. I will K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sweety. I do sometimes email and engage on social media.
Again, thank you, and have a good weekend.
Thank you! Sounds like you are already a big encouragement.
done a few
Receive author’s newsletter, follow Facebook, write reviews, email authors, pray for authors. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Thanks for sharing these with us.
Thanks!
That’s fantastic!
You’re welcome!
I didn’t realise clicking a link in a newsletter is helpful. I am on some I open and skim (cos I feel bad unsubbing) but didn’t realise clicking is helpful.
I do like to send an email when I love a book Sometimes is hard to find the contact info on a website. (one recently I used an email I had from winning a gift). If I could offer authors with a website one suggestion if they don’t have a way to contact them even if its only a contact form.
I do try to leave reviews, I am on a few author groups on FB including the CRRG which I love. I follow a lot on twitter but don’t really use it. I have instagram but again don’t use it cos I don’t understand it. I have some I pray for regularly and if one asks for prayer I will pray.
Word of mouth is HUGE! Tell your friends about the book and recommend that they buy it to support the author. Share the book with book clubs, too.
This is excellent! So many great points.
I feel in love Roseanna M White when I came across her book free on Prime Reads. I read her codebreakers series and I just so happened to read the third book during the pandemic (which also takes place during a pandemic!) It felt like a hug in a book and so comforting to have these characters dealing with something similar.
I got the courage to email her and tell her how much her writing meant to me. And to my surprise and delight she wrote back!!
I thought she would be to far to big of an author to do so.
You authors are such a gift and it is so nice to know how we can better support you! Thank you for sharing!!
What a great list Elizabeth! I think if authors as parents and every book is a new baby. I learned the hard way when I commented to a friend what a pity her latest release had so many typos, don’t criticise the baby! So I offered to proof each book for her before publishing cause I have a gift for noticing typos, inconsistencies etc (very much in demand when I was studying and working). I prefer to leave reviews when I enjoyed the book and tend to steer clear of social media. I find some authors responsive and others not so I tend to keep to myself. This blog is an exception for me.