(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr. Find out more at my newsletter.)
Things That Cost Money:
- Buy the author’s books.
- Buy ALL the author’s books.
- By the author’s related merchandise
- Buy the author’s books and give them as gifts.
- Buy the author’s books and donate them to libraries.
- Support the author’s Patreon, Kofi, etc.
Reviews:
- Review the author’s book on publishing sites
- Review the author’s book on goodreads.
- Blog a review on your blog/tumblr/etc.
- Give a book review on Twitter.
- Give a book review on Facebook.
- Give a book review on Tumblr.
Conventions:
- Suggest the author speak at a convention.
- If you host a panel at a convention, ask the author to be a guest.
- If the author can’t attend, put out flyers for their book at a convention.
- Have a dealer or artist’s table? Carry the author’s book as well!
Promotions:
- Put out flyers for the author at libraries, bookstores, etc.
- Mention the author in your own newsletter.
- If the author has a sale, let people know.
- If the author does a promotion, ask how you can help.
- Give the author’s stuff away as part of your own promotions (“Get this book, get a free copy of this other one”).
- Start a promotion with the author at www.prolificworks.com
Bookstores:
- See if a local bookstore will carry the author’s book
- See if a local bookstore will invite the author to speak.
- Put out flyers at these bookstores.
Book Clubs:
- Suggest the author’s book or books for your book club.
- Have the author speak at your book club.
Blogs:
- Ask to cross-blog with the author.
- Help the author blog on other pages.
- Do a blog tour with the author.
Podcasts:
- Suggest the author to podcasts you follow.
- Invite the author to your own podcast.
Social Media:
- Follow the author on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
- Promote the author on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
- Join the author’s newsletter to keep up on them.
- Get OTHER people to join the author’s newsletter.
- If the author has a LinkedIn page and “Author” as a job, give them a rec!
- Invite the author to your slack/discord.
Art:
- Do fanart of the author’s work if you’re into it – author’s love feedback.
- Offer your services (at a price, of course) to the author.
Support:
- Be a beta reader (and hey, free book)
- Help A/B test book covers.
- Refer artists and editors and the like to the author.
- Refer the author’s editors and artists to other people.
Services (that you SHOULD charge for, of course, but maybe at a discount)
Offer to do cover art for a book.
- Offer to edit.
- Offer to translate.
Collaborate:
- Do a multi-author work with the author (and others).
- Refer any multi-author works, zines, etc. to an author.
Steven Savage