Authors are unique creatures. They live in dark caves and talk to people that don’t exist in the physical world. Once in a while, they emerge into the light, blinking and searching for a cup of Starbucks and a handful of chocolate.

They spend months, sometimes years, writing stories that leave you wondering where the day went and how you could be so distraught to end a journey with people that never existed. They want you to get lost in a book. To become the characters that have haunted their heads until they bled them onto paper.

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More than anything, authors want you to be touched by the story and given the opportunity grow into a better person. Why? Because the best authors aren’t just invested in their book, they are invested in you.

Today I want to give you some ways you can encourage the author’s you read and none of it costs any money, just a little bit of your time.

10 Ways to Encourage an Author:

1. Make memes from quotes in the story.

VillainsEveryone loves a good meme, and authors are no different. It is fun to see what quotes stuck out to you. We love and appreciate them because we know it takes time, and time is a precious gift. (Plus they are a great way to spread the word.)

2. Write a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GoodReads, and Christianbook.com.

They don’t have to be long, just a few words saying you liked the book. All these wonderful places work on algorithms that take into account the number of reviews a book has before they suggest them to other readers. Publishers also take into consideration these numbers when considering contracting them for another book. It is a great way to help an author.

3. Ask your library to order a copy of the book.

You don’t have to buy the book yourself. Order it from the library and get your friends to read it, too.

socialmedia4. Talk about the books with your friends and on social media.

Word of mouth is still the #1 way a person hears about a book and decides if it is worth looking into.

5. Take a picture of you with the book and share it to the author’s social media page.

We love to see our readers. It gives us a face and makes us smile.

6. Write a note to an author.

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Just even writing a simple message on Facebook to the author can make the worst writing day into a good one. Think they are too busy or don’t want to hear from you, the majority are dreaming of the day they hear from a reader. A lot of authors I know keep these notes in files on their computer to go back to and read. Just like getting a note in the mail from someone you know makes you happy, authors love to hear from readers.

7. Add their book to your Good Reads list or Listopia. 

Other readers love these sites and look to them for the next good read. It is another opportunity for word of mouth, and it doesn’t take long at all.

8. Follow them on social media.

There is a certain aspect of numbers when submitting proposals to agents and publishers, but authors really just want to interact with other readers and writers. We are people, too, with regular lives and struggles.

9. Sign up and read our newsletters.

Don’t sign up if you don’t want to, but it always makes me feel good when someone wants to know about my writing life, family struggles, and other author life goings-on.

10. Pray for them.

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At least in the Christian market, most authors I know are doing this for you and to serve God. It is a hard, lonely road that takes many tolls. We covet prayers. Sending a prayer via email, messenger, or even posting it to a page, is just about the best encouragement a soul can receive.

What are some other ways you support authors? Do you have any ideas on how to encourage them? Any experiences you would like to share? I challenge you today to pick one of the ten things above and encourage an author you know. You never know what a difference a little bit of time can make to them.

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