by Jill Williamson
Last week I shared with you all Stephanie and my plan to support authors by purchasing books new when we are able. Several of you asked if there were any FREE ways to support authors, so I thought I’d share some free ways you can support the authors you love.
How to Help Online
“Like” Facebook author pages.
-Here is the link to Stephanie’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Morrill/96655061611
-Roseanna’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/roseanna.white
-Rachel Coker’s page: www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Coker/259036884190460
-And my (Jill’s) author page: www.facebook.com/jwilliamsonwrites
Some authors also have Facebook pages for their books, series, or characters.
-Here is the link to my Blood of Kings trilogy page: www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-of-Kings-Trilogy/302083583183258
-And here is a link to a page I made for Spencer, though I haven’t had much time to pretend to be him lately: www.facebook.com/pages/Spencer-Garmond/254361318000507
“Like” Amazon.com author pages.
When you’re looking at a book page on Amazon, if you scroll down, you usually will see MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR, and an author picture and bio with a link to the author’s official Author Page. If you click on it, you should see a list of all the books that author has published. In the top, right-hand corner is a “like” button. Click on it. The more “likes” an author has, the more Amazon will recommend that author to customers who are browsing. Here’s what one looks like:
And here are our links.
Steph: www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Morrill/e/B001U7OP94/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Roseanna: www.amazon.com/Roseanna-M.-White/e/B002XQ60MQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361208219&sr=1-1
Jill: www.amazon.com/Jill-Williamson/e/B002BM9I08/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361208265&sr=1-2-ent
“Like” book pages.
The same is true for book pages on Amazon.com, B&N, CBD, and other online sites. Each book has at least a paperback and an ebook version. You can click “like” on each page to help that book get better search traffic. Here are some examples:
Goodreads
If you’re on Goodreads, it’s super easy to support the authors you love. The easiest way is to give a book a star rating. All you have to do is click on the number of stars. The more people who click, the more Goodreads users see the author or book cover show up, which helps spread word of mouth about the book.
You can also post book reviews on Goodreads. Book reviews don’t have to be complicated. Just say why you liked the book and that will help.
Goodreads also has author pages that allow you to become a fan. It’s also as easy as one click.
Pinterest
If you’re on Pinterest, create a board for books you love and pin covers from Goodreads or Amazon.com or the author’s website.
Write book reviews
-Write a quick and honest book review and post it online. You don’t have to give a professional analysis of the book, just write what you thought about the story. You can post the book review on your blog, if you have one. Amazon.com is the most helpful online place to post a book review because so many people use Amazon just to learn about books. Some other helpful places to post a review would be:
www.BarnesandNoble.com www.Shelfari.com www.GoodReads.com
www.LibraryThing.com www.Facebook.com www.ChristianBook.com
Start a discussion
-Start a discussion about books on your blog, Facebook page, or on e-mail loops that you are a part of. Simply pasting a link to the Amazon or Goodreads page and saying, “Just read a great book!” or “Have you read this yet?” is a great way to help authors.
Also on Amazon…
-Tag the book on Amazon.com with search tags. You pick them or click on those people have already picked.
-Create a Listmania list on Amazon.com that includes the books you like.
Other ways to help online
-Nominate a book for contests.
-Feature the author on your blog.
-Follow the author’s blog, Twitter, or subscribe to his or her ezine.
-Send the author an email telling him how much you like his books.
How to help in your community
-Word of mouth is still the number one way books hit bestseller lists. So simply tell people what books you like and why they should read it.
-Loan your books to friends and family, give copies as gifts.
-Recommend a book to a book club.
-Request that your local library (or school library) order the book. Most libraries honor patron’s requests.
-If you know the author is local, ask your English teacher or librarian if she might be willing to have the author come and visit.
-Tell your local bookstore why you liked a certain book and suggest that they order copies.
So, go look up your favorite authors in some of these places and click your support.