Help your favorite author in FIVE MINUTES or less!

How to help your favorite authors in FIVE MINUTES or less!

Of course, the absolute best way to help authors is by buying their books and reviewing them, but what if you've already done that? Or have no room in your current book budget? Here's some quick things you can do that help more than you know. (Don't bother doing these for A-list authors--these tips are meant for indie or lesser-known authors who could really use and will appreciate the boost.)

On Amazon:
1) Follow the author's Amazon page.

2) Rate their positive reviews as helpful.

3) Rate their negative reviews as unhelpful (but don't get in a flame war with any reviewers--it only calls more attention to the bad review.)

On Goodreads:
1) Mark the author's books as "to read," even if you've already read them. This improves the author's visibility.

2) Like the author's positive reviews. This will bump them higher than the negative reviews. But again, don't engage with the negative reviewers.

3) Follow the author.

4) Ask the author a question. Most authors love to engage with their readers!

5) Add the author to a list. For instance, "Favorite horror authors" should include more than Stephen King or Dean Koontz.

On Facebook:
1) Like (or love) the author's posts. Did you know that well-liked posts get seen by more people? It's true. Just by clicking "like," you are helping your author friend! (*Also pages for their books, like Klondike Mysteries)

2) Add a comment to a post that resonates with you. This also helps the page get seen, and encourages other people to comment. An active page is more interesting, and your author friends won't feel like they're shouting into a void.

3) Share posts you enjoy with your own comments so more people will find the author.

On Twitter:
1) Tweet about the books you enjoy with a photo of the cover. For bonus points, add a link to the author's website or the Amazon listing for the book. Don't Tweet AT the author, or no one but the author and their followers will see it (unless you put a . before the @).

On Instagram:
1) Share the covers of books you love with a blurb about why you loved it, or simply "This book rocks!" with a link back to the author.

That's it! Pretty easy, huh? There are dozens of ways to support the authors you love that take less time than ordering a fancy coffee, and cost nothing.

Post courtesy of J.H. Moncrieff