We are one month away from the launch of Book 2!! Time is FLYING, and I can’t believe we’re already this close! One of the most common questions I get is: “What’s the best way to support you?” Usually, the person asking means “Where should I buy it so you make the most money off of it?” (More on that later!) Buying the book is absolutely a wonderful way to support this endeavor, but there are a few other things you can do that help just as much, if not more. (And have I mentioned how grateful I am for all of the support you guys have given me these last few years?!? THANK YOU!)
If you’re looking to support me, other authors, or really any type of artist/creator, here are the five things I think are the most helpful, based on my experiences from Book 1.
1. Personal Recommendations and Gift Giving
I learned through my experience with Book 1 that word-of-mouth recommendations really are—by far—the most powerful marketing tool. When I heard from readers who were complete strangers, I almost always learned that they were told about the book by one of their friends, who heard about it from another friend, who heard about it from someone who knows me (so weird and wild and humbling!). If you know someone who may enjoy this book (young adult fantasy, Christian undertones, think Narnia), tell them about it. Or even better yet, give it to them as a gift. If they enjoy it, they will likely tell others about it, and there you go! You’ve helped get the word out in ways I never could on my own.
2. Engage on Social Media
The all-knowing algorithm notices your interactions with my social media posts. By liking and/or commenting, you make my posts show up in more places. It’s crazy and scary but true. And if you want to up that game, sharing one of my posts or creating your own post about the book (don’t forget to tag me!!) has the potential for reaching hundreds if not thousands of people beyond my normal reach. One super easy way to give a personal recommendation (see #1 above!) about the book is tagging someone in a comment on one of my posts so that they see it. Social media can be absolutely obnoxious, but it is also a super powerful tool for spreading the word.
3. Write an Honest Review
Reviews are a big-time way to support an author. Whether it’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, or another little corner of the internet, your stars and words matter. Shoppers read reviews. They notice how many reviews there are and the average rating. And beyond that, your reviews also give those websites key information that could lead to more exposure. For instance, if you give the book a positive review on Amazon, (back to that pesky algorithm) readers who enjoy the same books as you will likely see my book as a recommendation. The key is to be honest in the review… If you hate the book, it does not help me at all if the book is recommended to others who will also hate it. Ha! SOOoo, keep it honest.
P.S. In the next few days, I’ll start recruiting some advance readers (like last time) to read the book early and leave a review on launch day. If that is something you’re willing to help with, keep your eyes peeled!
4. Ask for It
It won’t be super common for you to walk into a store or library and find my books on the shelves (If you do spot them, take a picture and send it to me! Would love to see it). However, stores and libraries are much more likely to stock my books if you ask for them. My books are traditionally published through an established publishing house, so they will show up in the catalogs and systems that bookstores and libraries use to order their books. All you have to do is approach a librarian or store employee and ask them how to request that they stock a book/book series.
5. Buy It
This is a pretty obvious one. Purchases of my book support me in several ways, and there are pros and cons to the different options. This is probably the number-one question I receive: Which is better, buying from you or online? The answer is complicated…
Straight from me
For both books, I have chosen to purchase a bulk number of copies at a discount directly from my publisher to sell on my own (and I have all the appropriate paperwork filed with the State so that it is a legitimate business endeavor). Pros: Frankly, I make more money off of these copies since it cuts out the middleman (Amazon, other retailers). Cons: These purchases don’t get tallied anywhere for bestsellers lists, popularity with the algorithm, etc. And if you buy directly from me and try to leave a review on Amazon, it may get flagged as a fake review since you have no history of purchasing it from their site.
From an online retailer
Let’s start with the cons: The middleman makes more money on my book than I do. In fact, my cut is pretty small. HOWEVER, pros: Your purchases bump up the popularity of the book and may trigger automatic recommendations to other shoppers. With enough purchases, my book would also show up in bestsellers lists (which was SUPER fun last time! Book 1 made it to #1 in a few super obscure categories – ha! – and in the top 10 in some bigger categories!). So while my cut is small on these purchases, the bigger picture is that your purchases online make a longer-range, further-reaching impact than purchases directly from me.
So, honestly, both types of purchases are wonderful and helpful to me. If you have an ideological aversion to Amazon, I welcome your purchases directly from me (thank you!). If it’s easier to buy with your Prime membership, awesome! You want to order through a small store in your town? Amazing! However you purchase, I’m grateful!
To preorder directly from me, click here
To preorder on Amazon, click here
To preorder on Barnes and Noble, click here
So, there you go! If you want to help (and I hope you do!): tell people about it, engage on social media, write reviews, ask for it in your stores and libraries, and buy it! (Oh, and read it!). Those are the five best ways to support me as Queen of the Wild Range launches into the world. Thank you so much, my friends, for joining me on this wild ride. Ya’ll are the best.