I recently tagged a couple people in a Facebook post about a friend’s book trailer. I knew the subject matter of the book would highly resonate with them AND I know this author is an amazing writer. Win-Win for everyone! In less than ten minutes there were several people interested in ordering the book who never would have known about it before.
Initially, there was a little confusion because the book is available for pre-order but it won’t be out until 2/5. But one of my friends jumped in and clarified the way a pre-order works and how it’s VERY helpful to the author to have pre-orders. Was it wrong that I wanted to kiss her on the lips? I forget not everyone eats, sleeps and breathes publishing. So, today I thought I’d give some simple tips about how you can make an author’s day.
*Buy their book. Pre-order it if it isn’t out yet.
*Buy the book as a gift for a friend or a donation to a school or library.
*If you loved the book, tell everyone who has ears they should read it ASAP! Nothing can compare to word of mouth for the success of a book.
*Write a review for Amazon, Barnes and Noble or any place that sells books. It does not have to be an insanely long and complicated essay. You can write one sentence and have the eternal gratitude of the author. Reviews make us feel good, but they also are important to the gods of Amazon and it’s algorithms.
*Help the author spread the word when they run contests or share information.
*Tell the author their books had in impact on you. You may not realize it, but fan letters make our hearts grow three sizes when we read them.
Now go forth and make an author’s day. And feel free to share any additional tips in the comments.
Want to hear about something amazing? My friend Jeff Fonda is the CEO of the amazing Literate Earth Project. Haven’t heard of it yet? Check this out…
The idea for The Literate Earth Project was sparked in the summer of 2009 after founder and CEO Jeff Fonda worked as an Ambassador for Soccer (SWB) Without Borders in Ndejje, Uganda. He worked on a number of projects but their main focus was coaching and teaching at Hope School (now called Great Lakes School), a primary school in Ndejje. He noticed that all of the students in class were using handwritten books and that the school had maybe 50 printed books in their possession but all were under lock and key because of how valuable they were. Jeff and his fellow SWB Ambassador started taking out the books during lunch, promising to keep a watchful eye on them, and the vast majority of students chose to forgo their typical running around outside to sit and read the books. For those who couldn’t read, just seeing pictures of different types of animals, weather and cities, expanded their minds. Before Jeff left Uganda that summer, he promised Jacques Bwira, the founder of Great Lakes School, that he would be back to build libraries. Jacques is now on The Literate Earth Project board and in June 2012 The Literate Earth Project opened the first free public library in the East Africa Community. It is the first of many to come because we believe literacy is truly at the core of human development and that these libraries will be the building blocks for some very bright futures.
But telling you doesn’t compare to showing you…
As you can see, this is a project that makes me want to be a successful author so I can help to spread the word and urge people to contribute to the power of literacy. It’s the best weapon I know for making the world a better place.
You can find out more about The Literate Earth Project HERE!
I’d also like to put my money where my mouth is. For everyone who leaves a comment on this blog post, I will donate a dollar to The Literate Earth Project. (One comment per person up to $100) What should you write in the comments? Tell me about what you liked about the video or The Literate Earth Project. Tell me how books make a difference in the lives of children. Tell me you’ve gone and made a donation.
How can you spread the word to make sure I’m paying the full $100? Here is a pre-fabricated tweet/FB status you can share.
Check out The Literate Earth Project @LiterateEarth and comment to make @KimSabatini give a bigger donation https://kimberlysabatini.com/blog/2013/10/literate-earth-project/
Thank you for helping to spread the word–you are made of awesome.
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