Methods To Support Authors You Like (While Still Boycotting Amazon)

So, I wanted to start this week's post off with an apology. My last installment about how you could support authors by using the Kindle Unlimited platform while still hurting Amazon's bottom line was based on some faulty information on my part, and I took it down before it had a chance to spread any further than it already had. I know we are all trying to ensure our money doesn't go to causes and companies we don't want to support, and I didn't want to give anyone incorrect information.

That's also why this week I wanted to put together a follow-up for all the things you can do to support authors who may be facing hardships as more folks turn their backs on Amazon as a distribution platform. And while not all of these will apply to every author out there, there should be something on the list you can do to keep the writers in your life fed and sheltered so they can keep working hard on the next story for you and all your fellow readers!

And I may not have even covered all your options here!

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!

Option #1: Buy Somewhere Else

This seems obvious, but sometimes we get so narrowly focused on our normal shopping patterns that we forget there are still traditional bookstores out on the market. So if there is an author you want to support, but you're not going to Amazon, make sure you try alternative dealers. For example, my books Old Soldiers, Marked Territory, and Painted Cats are all available at Barnes and Noble, and you can get hold of them for about the same price if you've been meaning to check them out for yourself!

This goes for any merch your favorite authors put out that isn't just books. Whether it's tee shirts, stickers, hoodies, or something else, if they're selling through a site you aren't boycotting, consider grabbing an item or two to tide you (and your favorite writer) over.

Option #2: Buy In-Person

Most authors who have signing events, or who come to conventions, will have books on-hand for you to buy. This isn't news to most folks, but the major advantage of hand sales is that authors get to keep a majority of the value of the sale, rather than a bookstore gobbling it up to give them a pittance. So if an author in question is going to be at an event you're attending, or just somewhere local, consider showing up to get your copy... and for bonus points, hand them cash to cut down on charge fees!

Option #3: Support Their Free Work

While a lot of us write books, we also produce a lot of extra stuff as well. So if the authors you like put out podcasts, blogs, free short fictions on websites like Vocal, or if they run a YouTube channel, make sure that you consume and support those things as well! This has the added benefit that you're saving money, getting a bunch of extra things to enjoy, and the author you like is still getting paid at the end of the day.

For the record, folks can find a ton of free fiction of mine in my Vocal archive, and I've got audio dramas along with a lot of game-related stuff over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel... so subscribe to both of those if you haven't, and go through the archives when you've got time!

Option #4: Subscribe and Leave Tips

Very few of us actually depend on our book sales to handle 100% of our bills, and at this point in our lives a lot of authors have some kind of crowdfunding platform to help us cover our expenses. So in addition to following your favorite writers on all of their social media sites (Facebook, Blue Sky, Tumblr, and so on), and interacting with what they share there, take a moment to find out what crowdfunding websites we use. Some of us are on Patreon, some of us have Ko-Fi, some of us might even use Only Fans (we don't judge here), so find out where the creators you like are making things, and toss them a little support if you can! Even if it's just a few bucks a month, it makes a big difference if enough people do it!

Incidentally, you can find me on The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, as well as on The Literary Mercenary's Ko-Fi, if you want to help me keep my records in the black.

Support The Literary Mercenary

If you want to see me produce more work, consider some of the following options!

- My Facebook

- My Blue Sky

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- 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.