Who are your favorite book authors?

Have you ever thought about ways you could support and encourage them as they continue providing works of literary art for your enjoyment and benefit?

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Here’s a list of six ways to put a smile on your favorite author’s face:

1) The Number One way you can support your favorite book authors is to review their books on Amazon.

It sounds trivial, I know, but Amazon reviews really do matter—not only for the benefit of potential customers, but they’re a big deal when it comes to visibility and rank on Amazon. The more the better, so take three minutes and give your favorite authors some stars.

Not sure how to leave a review? Here’s a step-by-step tutorial.

Related post: How to Post Amazon Book Reviews

2) Buy their books!

Yes, libraries, free download options, and book clubs are awesome, but authors need to make a living too, right? You pay money to stream Netflix shows, watch movies in the theatre, and attend concerts—why not support an author’s art as well?

3) Give them positive, personal feedback.

In this technological era, it’s surprisingly easy to contact authors (at least, those who are still alive). 😉

If a particular book impacted you or resonated with you, tell the author! Look them up online. If they’re still alive, it’s quite likely that they’ll have a website or Facebook page with a contact option, or you could always reach out via Twitter or leave a comment on their Instagram profile.

It means a lot to an author to hear that a reader was influenced or moved by their work. Writing a book is quite a solitary process, so receiving positive feedback after a book releases into the world brings much satisfaction to the author who has labored for so long in isolation.

4) Share quotes from their book on social media.

I personally love it when readers decide to “live tweet” quotes from whatever book they’re reading. It’s often timely encouragement for me, and also gives me a great indication of what the book is about in case I want to pick it up myself. As an author, I also love seeing which quotes from my book are most impactful to readers.

The next time a quote resonates with you, consider typing it into your Twitter feed or popping it onto Instagram so book authors and readers alike will be encouraged. You might also consider loading up a social media scheduler like SmarterQueue to have an ongoing stream of favorite quotes to share.

Related Post: Why I Love SmarterQueue for Social Media Scheduling

5) Recommend the book to your friends and social media followers.

Word of mouth is as powerful tool. People love seeing and hearing what others are reading and recommending, so take a few moments to give a solid recommendation, whether you’re sitting on a park bench with a friend or scrolling through your Facebook feed.

If you’re planning to share direct links to Amazon products, you might also consider joining the Amazon Affiliate program to earn a bit of passive income on the side.

6) Ask your local library to order a copy of the book.

This is an easy (and free!) way to support your favorite book authors AND give future readers a chance to enjoy what you’ve loved, too. Contact your library today to request a copy of your latest favorite!

BONUS: When I was about 3/4 of the way done drafting this post, a blogging friend shared this post (and podcast episode) from Ann Kroeker in the Five Minute Friday Facebook group:

20 Generous (and Easy!) Ways to Encourage a Writer Today

I love Ann’s ideas (and you’ll notice quite a bit of overlap from this post, too)!

How have you supported your favorite book authors in the past? Which ideas from this list do you plan to implement? 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Thank you in advance for your support!