S.G. Browne

Congratulations! You’ve just brought home a new favorite author. Or maybe you already had a favorite author, or several favorite authors, and you’ve decided to add to your growing family/library.

While this is a happy time in your life, we understand it can be somewhat overwhelming trying to figure out how to manage your time and where to make room for them on your shelves. Not to mention all of the sleepless nights spent staying up late reading.

We’re here to help.

Fortunately, not all authors require the same amount of feeding and care. Some are New York Times bestsellers who have developed a great deal of independence and manage to do fine on their own, while others are nurtured by large cult followings or Hollywood film adaptations. Then there are all of the rest who struggle to get the attention they need.

More than ever, the majority of today’s authors depend on word-of-mouth to help sell their books. The marketing and publicity departments at most publishing houses don’t have the time or financial resources to promote the average author, and most authors don’t have the financial resources to hire an outside publicist. Chances are, they’re working a day job, maybe two, just to pay their bills so they can spend their free time writing.

That’s where you, the reader, come in.

While you’ve already taken that first step and brought a new author into your loving home, here are some simple things you can do to help play a role in their success:

• Re-tweet posts by your favorite authors on Twitter, especially those tweets that mention their books
• Like and Share posts by your favorite authors on Facebook. The more you Like and Share, the more the posts will be seen by other people who might not have otherwise heard of the authors.
• Spread the word. Tell your family and friends. Share your love for your favorite authors on social networks.
• Write reviews for your favorite authors on Amazon
• Buy a copy of your favorite author’s book for a friend or a family member

If you can find the time to do one or more of the items on the above list, you will help your favorite authors to stay fed and warm. And with any luck, when they grow up, they can repay your kindness by publishing more books.