The big holiday is just a few days away and I’m not quite
ready for it this year. Something you can probably figure out for yourselves
based on the lateness of this post, but better late than never I suppose.
Christmas is just around the corner. If you celebrate the
holiday, you know it goes one of two ways. Either you know the perfect gift to
get for those you care about or you struggle with it. Whenever my family asks
what I want, I don’t give the same answers I’m about to give you. That’s
because there are things I want as a writer that only my readers can give me.
If you want to know how to make me, or any author, happy
this Christmas, here you go.
Buy my books. Since all of my books are $5 or less, this is
a thrifty gift. Right now, I don’t make my living as an author. I don’t depend
on book sales to pay my bills. I still have a day job, one I’m not giving up
yet because I’ve been there twenty years and will have a fully vested
retirement in five years. Yes, I’m that old, but we’re not going there right
now. We’re talking about book sales. Your book purchases are one of the ways I
know which books you like and whether or not I’ll ever be able to make my
living at my craft. Even more important, I use the sales of my books to fund
future projects. You know, things like editing and formatting and promotions
and even giveaways.
Review my books. Now that I think about it, I probably
should have put this first. It doesn’t cost readers anything to review a book
they like, but authors value those reviews as much as we do our sales. Book
reviews are so important to authors. Your reviews tell me if I got it right or
missed the mark. They honestly help me improve my next books. Reviews also help
other readers find my books. The more reviews you post on Amazon, the more
likely they’ll be to promote my books.
Help me promote my books. Talk about them on social media.
Share with your friends and family and fellow like-minded readers. Word of
mouth is a valuable tool. I’ve personally discovered some great authors through
the posts of those I follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Even better,
this is another gift every author will appreciate, and there is no out of
pocket cost to you.
Reach out to me and tell me how much you liked my book. I do
not have enough words to explain how touching, humbling and exciting it is to
get an email, tweet or Facebook comment telling me how awesome my book is and
how much someone liked it. I cry happy tears every time it happens. And again,
you can spread this joy without spending a dime.
Follow me on my social media sites and like and share my
posts. Right now, I have a Facebook readers group that has less than forty
members. Granted, I only started it this year, but I would love to see more
people joining the party. That would be awesome and something you can do for
free to make any author’s day, holiday or otherwise.
