Are you listening? All right, here it is...
Support their work. That's it. That's the secret!
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| There you go! Now start placing orders. |
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
Lastly, don't forget to check out my Vocal archive for additional fiction, articles, explorations of weird history, and more! And, of course, check me out on Blue Sky, since that's what we're talking about today!
The Kinds Of Support You Can Give
All right, so you want to give the author in your life the kind of support they're going to appreciate, and which is going to make them feel special. I'm going to give you a descending order of impact regarding the kinds of support the authors in your life need.
#1: Become A Patron
Whether the authors in your life have a Patreon, they're still on Only Fans (yeah, some of us use it for writing rather than... other content), or they've got another way for their audience to crowdfund them, just do that. An extra $20 or more a month can make a big difference to a creative professional... and if you can get a few other family members together on this one, it's possible you all could quite literally pay their bills throughout the year so they can work without worry. Or at least make paying those bills a bit easier.
I cannot overstate how much direct assistance helps. And, of course, if you're not as tech savvy or you want to have a physical something to hand over, suspicious envelopes of cash are a great universal gift.
#2: Buy Their Book
It sounds obvious, but authors get paid when people buy our books... so just do that when you can! And sure, it might not be that big of a deal if just one person buys one copy, but ask yourself how many people are in this author's extended community? How big is their family, their friend circle, etc.? Tally up what kind of royalty check they'll have if all of those people bought a copy of their book, as well as getting one for their friends, in-laws, and so on, and so forth. And, while you're at it, imagine the look on their face as everyone in their circle comes up to ask them to sign the copy they got for Christmas. Also, review their books online, because once they break 50 reviews, that's when the Amazon algorithm starts actually giving them attention.
Seriously, I cannot overstate how that feeling never really stops hitting you when you're an author. And for those who don't know, I've got all sorts of books on My Amazon Author Page, so go check it out if you haven't! Or grab yourself a copy of my new RPG, Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic... after all, who doesn't love a new game for the holidays?
#3: Consume Their Free Content (If It Pays Them)
Whether the author in your life puts work on platforms like Vocal.media, they have a podcast, they livestream themselves doing something creative, they have a YouTube channel, etc., support on those platforms is what determines the size of their check. So read their articles, watch their videos, listen to their episodes, and leave upvotes, comments, and share it around as best you can. Even if you don't have money to spend, showing your support like this can help them reach a wider audience through you, which can be encouraging, but also boost their signal enough to help them gain traction so they can earn more.
For folks who don't know, you can find a slew of my content on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, as well as over on My Vocal Archive.
#4: Follow All Their Social Media Pages
You know how when you have an indie band that's playing their first handful of shows how there's nothing more discouraging than looking out and seeing no one but the other bands and their significant others? How there's no fans filling the space, and no one interested in their performance, but they pick themselves up and play anyway? Well, following a writer's social media pages is basically you choosing the be the warm body in the audience cheering them on.
This matters more than just moral support, too. The social media algorithms pay attention, and if there are people following their pages, liking the things they share, leaving comments of at least 7 words, and resharing the content, that will make them more likely to get bigger boosts from the website itself.
There's Something For Every Budget
Some of us have a big, fat budget to buy gifts with. Some of us just have time, energy, and a willingness to try to make our loved ones smile. But if someone in your life is an author, the best thing you can do is help support their work in whatever way you can this holiday season.
And who knows? If you're not already an avid reader of their work, maybe you'll find out you like their books a lot more than you thought you would!
Support The Literary Mercenary
If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!
- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)
- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)
And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!
Also, if you're curious about how to write for tabletop RPGs, don't forget to check out my show Tabletop Mercenary, which you can find on both the Azukail Games channel, as well as my Rumble channel listed above!
Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!
That's all for this week's Business of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!
And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list.
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