Photo, Morguefile
I wouldn’t want to be “lost” in a corn maze. That feeling that your friends are somewhere, but at the moment you’re alone.
Being an author can feel like that. Writing a book is solitary to begin with. You know your readers are out there, but where? How do you find them?
Authors reach out to readers with newsletters, social media, speaking appearances, book signings, launch teams, and contests. But it’s still a lonely trek through a corn maze unless readers reach back in return.
Want to show a favorite author you’re out there? Want to reach back? Here are four easy ways.
1. Sign up for the author’s newsletter.
Did you know that with Facebook (and other social media), authors have no guarantee their posts will even show up in your news feed? That’s all controlled by the social media platform. But an author can communicate directly with readers with a newsletter!
2. Like and follow the author on social media.
Christian authors, especially, try hard not to measure their success by the numbers. But we’re all human, and creating and curating content to share with you on social media takes time. Let us know you’re out there and interested!
But just hitting Like or Follow on an author page isn’t enough (although we appreciate it very much!). Which leads to the next point …
3. Like, comment, and share the author’s posts.
Publishers do watch the numbers, by the way, so the number of people following an author does matter. But engagement matters even more. Authors care about what you think about what we’re doing and posting, and publishers care that we’re connecting with you.
In addition, responding to an author’s posts ensures that you’ll actually get to see most of them in your news feed. It only takes a few seconds to hit Like or Share or leave a quick comment. The more you do this, the more posts from that author you’ll see—the more often the author gets to connect with you on that particular social media platform.
Your responses share author posts with your friends … letting them know about your favorite authors and their books—a win for everyone involved.
4. Let the author know that you or your children have enjoyed a book.
Here are two easy ways to do this.
One is to write a short review on an online site. Don’t let the word review scare you. Just a sentence or two about why you like the book is all you need.
The other is to communicate directly with the author. Yesterday a friend posted a photo on my Facebook page—two little boys she cares for sitting side by side, one with an open copy of my Say & Pray Bible and the other looking at Say & Pray Devotions. Along with the photo, she wrote, “These two have been ‘reading’ your Say & Pray books for over 20 minutes!!!”
That kind of encouragement feels just like finding a friend when you’re lost in a corn maze. Finally, you round a corner and see a friend up ahead. Relief!
Now, if you’d like to show this particular author some love today:
Sign up for my newsletter using the box on this site.
Like Diane Stortz Books on Facebook (help me reach the 600 mark!).
Go to amazon or christianbook.com and leave a short review.Thanks SO much, and let’s stay connected!
Great thoughts. Thanks!
Sure thing!