An Author’s Holiday Wish List

Do you have a favorite author? Hopefully, it’s me, but everyone has their favorites. Whoever they are, I’m sure that they would agree with my take on this holiday list. These are the things we all need, whether you’re an established author or just beginning. So, if you want to put a smile on the face of your favorite author, check this list out. You never know when they really need it. Besides, the list is as easy as one, two, three….

1. Sales. Yeah, this one goes without saying, but I thought it should be said. If they’re your favorite author, then odds are you already bought their books. But you can still help them with sales. You can purchase their books as gifts for friends and family, you can call your local library and request that the books be added to their collection, and you can even recommend the books to everyone you know. This will all equate to sales. Giving your favorite author the gift of sales will put a smile on their face.
2. Reviews. This is one you should all be doing for your favorite authors. Reviews make an author’s day. Well, good reviews do. If you love an author, leave reviews. They do far more than just put a smile on their face. On Amazon, the reviews do many different things. The algorithm that Amazon uses to promote books doesn’t kick in until around twenty reviews. At fifty, they change and again at a hundred. The more the reviews, the higher the book features in the Amazon algorithm. Reviews can make or break a book and an author’s career. Leave a review for every book you read and encourage others to do the same. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy process. A simple “great book” is plenty. Amazon doesn’t care what the review says. They track numbers of reviews, not wordcount. So, leave that review that simply says “AWESOME!” Honesty, that’s really all it takes.
3. Follow them on Social Media. Most authors have a Social Media presence. Whether it be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or others, if they have a presence, follow and share their work. Increasing their Social Media following is a great way to help spread the word. That is, after all, the name of the game for promotions. Whenever an author posts about their latest work, does a promotion, runs a sale, showcases their writing or just gives an update… share that post, Retweet that tweet, like that picture or upvote that image. The name of the game for promotions is attention and the more the merrier. Getting those promotions in front of as many eyes as possible helps drive it to success.

I’m sure you can all think of other ways that can help. I mean, the bottom line is getting the author in front of a wider audience. Writing is, most of the time, a labor of love. It’s only when they reach that large audience, and the sales are consistently strong that they can achieve the coveted title of “full-time” writer and quit the “day job.” Until then, literally every sale counts.

Every writer has had those moments when they honestly considered just giving up. You never know when that review, post, share or like might be the very piece of encouragement that they needed to hang in there and keep writing.  You can be that reason for your favorite author.

In the age of Social Media, authors are more accessible to their fans than ever before. You can follow or send a friend request to them at any time. Hearing from the people who have read their work and enjoyed it is great motivation to keep going. Who knows, you just might help to shape the next book they were writing. You never know.

Happy Holidays,

DA

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