Tuesday Takeover: Free and Inexpensive Ways to Support Authors by Casey Bond

I was listening to the news one morning and heard the funniest story about J.K. Rowling. I love her Harry Potter series (as does my daughter). Rowling decided to put a chair up for auction, but not just any chair, the chair she sat in to write the first two Potter books. Before the auction took place, it was estimated that the chair would bring in $70,000.00. It brought in $394,000.00. Seriously. The newscaster was baffled. But me? I was all like… #smugface. Because J.K. Rowling is amazing and everyone should know it by now. Not only is her series inspiring people from all ages and walks of life to take up the pen, it’s fun and she’s kind and gracious (all the time).

This post isn’t about opening your wallet to buy a chair. It isn’t about chairs or Rowling at all, but about what the average person (who doesn’t have an extra four hundred grand sitting around) can do to support their favorite authors.

I’m by no means famous, but let me tell you what. My readers are amazing. And this post was inspired by them. So if you want to know how to encourage your favorite writers….read on.

Ideas that cost NOTHING:

  1. Tell them that you enjoyed the book! Message them or post a message on their social media accounts telling them how much you liked it! It’s so encouraging and uplifting.
  2. Tell your friends about their work. Word of mouth is HUGE.
  3. Blast social media. If you read xxxxxx book, post about it without spoilers.
  4. Take a pic of the book on your e-reader and post it on your page.
  5. Tag them when someone asks what you’re reading, if you happen to be reading their work.
  6. Send an e-mail! J
  7. Randomly check in with them to see what they’re writing.
  8. Join their fan groups!
  9. Check their pages for new releases.
  10. Have fun! I haven’t met an author yet who hates getting encouragement, who hates a kind word. We love that you love our stories and characters as much as we do. We love talking to people who get it, who consider the characters we write to be real and important. We LOVE it. We fangirl, too. And believe it or not, we fangirl over fans! Authors love to hear from fans.

Ideas that might cost you a little:

  1. Buy their e-book or paperback,
  2. Send a card,
  3. Show up at a book signing with homemade merch that showcases their work (books drawn on a tote/notebook/shirt, photo book with their book covers included in it, canvas with characters drawn on it, etc!). Authors will sign ANYTHING (within reason) so not only do you get to make cool stuff, you get their signature on it! And it’s cool. So…

I hope you enjoyed the ideas. I’m blessed to have such amazing readers and hope to see you all at an event this year! Thanks to everyone who stopped by my tables at Roanoke Author Invasion and UTOPiA con! If you’re attending Carolina Book Fest or Rebels & Readers, please stop by and see me!


bond

Award-winning author Casey L. Bond lives in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction.

You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links:

Website ~ Newsletter ~ Facebook ~ Twitter & Instagram: @authorcaseybond

Available or Soon-To-Be Released Books:

Winter Shadows

Pariah, Book 1 in The New Covenant Series

Paradox, Book 2, The New Covenant Series

Devil Creek

Shady Bay

Reap, Book 1 in The Harvest Saga

Resist, Book 2 in The Harvest Saga

Reclaim, Book 3 in The Harvest Saga

Sin (Serial Series)

Light in the Darkness (YA Anthology)

Fractured Glass (Novel Anthology)

Crazy Love

Water Witch

Dark Bishop (Serial Series)

Jul 19, 2016 | Posted by in Tuesday Takeover | Comments Off on Tuesday Takeover: Free and Inexpensive Ways to Support Authors by Casey Bond