After You Buy Them, I Don't Care What You Do With My Books

As authors, we want people to read our books. We want people to enjoy the stories we tell, and we want them to fall in love with the characters we create. We want to see people drive down the roads we've paved, and we want to know that all of the time, energy, and effort that we put into making these worlds is appreciated by other people who come and play in our mental sandboxes.

There is a bizarre hang-up that a lot of people in the profession have, and this is particularly true for those who romanticize the profession of writing. In short, while it's nice if people enjoy our work, don't get so focused on it that it's all you can think about. As long as you're moving copies, that's all that matters at the end of the day.

Seriously... grab a copy. What you do with it is your business!

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!

Sales Are The Bottom Line

There's a single panel comic that makes the rounds every time there's angry parents trying to get a book banned, or every time a film gets boycotted because it has too few white men for certain vocal parts of the audience. In this comic there's an author sitting at a table, and a clearly irate person confronting them.

Angry Reader: I hate your book so much I bought a copy and burned it!

Author: Why stop there? Buy 10 copies and burn them, that will show me.

Go on, coward. Do it.

While the obvious statement of the piece is that a lot of people don't actually know how boycotts are supposed to work, the point made from the business perspective is equally important. Because if a bunch of angry consumers bought all of the beer that comes in a rainbow can, the company doesn't see their angery; all the company sees is a big, fat uptick in sales. They don't care if you you drank that beer, poured it down the drain, or launched it out of a catapult and fired bird shot at it while playing God Bless The USA on a loudspeaker... they make the same profit regardless of what you did with your purchase.

This is a mindset that I highly recommend you adopt if you don't want to drive yourself to the point of madness as an author.

Do I want people to read my Hardboiled Cat novels Marked Territory and Painted Cats? I absolutely do! Do I want gamers out there to pick up copies of my recently-released tabletop RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic, and the supplemental releases like Army Men: Threat Assessments? Yes, obviously! And I want that because I spent a lot of time, energy, and effort on these things (as well as on all the other novels, games, etc. that I'm not linking here) and I want people to genuinely enjoy them.

But let's say that people buy copies of the things I make, and then they don't get around to actually using them. Maybe they buy a copy of my novels at a convention, but they're pressed for time, and so my books sit on their to-read shelf. Maybe they buy a game I made, and even if they read it, they never find a group to actually play it with. Or maybe they just put it on their shelf of games they think were neat, but they just don't have time for.

We all have one bookshelf of shame. Don't lie.

Is that disappointing in a personal sense? A little bit, sure. But at the end of the day, those people paid their money for the thing I made. What they do with it (or don't do with it) is their business. And while I would like reviews on my books (as that always get the algorithm paying attention to you), and I would love active participants in my work, I'll take people who show up, buy the new thing, and then put it in the, "I'll get around to it," pile over people who don't do that.

Because at the end of the day, what books get sequels and supplements are driven by sales figures. Whether or not I can pay my bills, get a celebratory pizza, or even afford to keep doing convention appearances, is driven by sales. And if there are a thousand people who all line up to buy a book when it drops, or to snatch up a supplement of mine, I will say thank you very much, cash the check, and get back to work on the next thing.

I'd like them to read it. It'd like them to enjoy it, and leave a review of it, and tell all their friends and family about it... but if all they do is put cash in my hand and get a copy for their shelves, I will gladly take that.

So whether you need a pulse-pounding thriller, an alley cat mystery, a tactical TTRPG, or you just want to use my books as a fancy paperweight or doorstop, that's up to you. Hell, I'll still sign it for you, if you want!

Support The Literary Mercenary

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

- My Facebook

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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. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Marketing Misconceptions: Let's Talk About Affiliates, and Audience Reaction

Regular readers know that among the various hats I wear I'm an author, RPG designer, and occasional audio drama creator. However, what I feel like a lot of folks either don't know (or forget) is that probably a third of my income every month comes from affiliate marketing. I've talked about what that is and how it works on this blog before in posts like If You're An Author, You Really Need An Affiliate Marketing Account, but the short version is that when you're an affiliate marketer you make special links to products that you then share on your social media, in your content, and so on. Whenever someone clicks your link and buys a product, the company gives you a cut of their proceeds as a commission for being instrumental in making that sale.

And there seems to be a lot of misconceptions about this process, who it does and doesn't hurt, and how it actually works. So I wanted to take a moment to talk about a recent experience I had, because it illustrates a lot of things folks out there might now know.

Landlords don't take wooden nickels, friends. We do what we have to do.

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!

Mercenary Work For A Good Cause

For folks who don't know, Owen K.C. Stephens has had a recent run of really bad medical stuff come his way. An RPG designer and big name in the community, he put together two really big bundles of gaming content to try to help him pay his bills. Owen's Medical Bills Bundle #1 and Owen's Medical Bills #2, in case you haven't checked them out yet, and you're a fan of TTRPGs.

When I saw the news about what was happening, and I saw the bundles go live, I wanted to help. After all, if I were in his position, I'd want people to do the same for me. However, before I made a single post, I reached out to Owen and asked him if he was cool with me attaching my affiliate ID to the links I shared. He knows the struggle of being a game designer as well, and he enthusiastically supported my doing that. Because both of us knew that the 5% commission I would receive for the sales I helped make wouldn't come out of his earnings... they would come out of what Drive Thru RPG, and its parent company One Bookshelf, would have made.

So with the blessing of the person I was trying to help, I set about sharing the link and boosting the signal. By the end of the day I'd been permanently banned from two forums, temporarily banned from one more, and had at least two more posts removed. In every, single case the reason was because I had used an affiliate link instead of a "clean" link. Several individuals left comments claiming I was "just trying to make money" off of someone who'd received a cancer diagnosis, and others argued that since I didn't have any products in the bundle then I had no right to make this kind of link. Other colorful things were also said, but those were the two most common accusations.

Most important to note here, though, was that no one said these bundles didn't belong in the groups I was sharing them in. No one argued that they were not a good deal, or that they shouldn't be present. Only that the way I'd chosen to boost the signal (namely taking my commission from DTRPG) was somehow so bad that it tainted the entire process. Fruit from the poisoned tree, and the like.

There were some very strange flexes, is what I'm saying.

First things first, I want to make something clear. The commission you receive as your affiliate payment is your motivation for helping do the marketing for someone else's products. Even if I like someone, even if I enjoy their work, or even if I want to help, I do not have an hour or more a day where I can just share a link around on social media. Especially when you consider a lot of groups limit how often you can post things, meaning that I would have to choose between paying my own bills by sharing something I made, or helping someone else by sharing something they made. Being able to still get paid for helping boost other creators' signals is the reason I can actually afford to help get eyes on other peoples' work.

Secondly, let's say that sharing these bundles was a purely numbers-driven decision on my part. Let's say I didn't know Owen, and I didn't care about his condition, but I felt that these bundles would make sales, so I decided to do my part to share them around. What does that change? I am still boosting the signal on his bundles, I'm still getting more eyes on his product, and I'm still helping make sales through those efforts. Not only that, none of the money going into my pockets is coming from him as the creator, or from any other creators I've helped over the years.

Again, One Bookshelf is giving me a cut of their profits. The company's profits. The same way that if I use an Amazon affiliate link, I'm getting a part of what Amazon would make, not part of what the seller is getting paid. End of the day, whether it was an affiliate link or not, the person who made the thing is making the same amount of earnings.

Don't Defend Corporate Earnings

I get it, none of us like advertising. None of us want to be exposed to constant posts about buying stuff. However, I feel that it's important that we understand the mechanism for how these aspects of our online experience work, and about how they affect the creators we see in our spaces.

Because if the argument had been that someone didn't want to see advertising, that's a fair enough statement. If the objection had been that nothing for sale should be posted in these groups, then that would make sense. But the argument was that I was trying to take advantage of someone who I was specifically trying to help earn more money, and that I should have just shared the link to the bundle without attaching any of my affiliate information to it.

And I genuinely believe that people making this argument have no idea how the process works. Because that statement basically boils down to two things:

- You shouldn't be paid for any of the work you're doing on behalf of another person.

- The corporation shouldn't have to share their earnings with you, despite you being responsible for helping them make money with your labor.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be mad about the constant monetization of everything in our world, or that there shouldn't be limits on where people can promote their work, and how often they can do that. However, if you are specifically mad about affiliate marketers getting paid for doing a job on behalf of themselves and fellow creators, take a moment and ask yourself why. Why are you siding with corporate profits over people doing a job getting a small piece of the pie for their efforts?

Because if someone out there wanted to do essentially free marketing to try to help me move copies of my books, I sure as hell would want them to get a commission from the corporation who owns the platform my work is on so that both of us can pay our bills at the end of the day.

Speaking of Good Causes...

If you got to the end of all of that, and you're wondering how you can help Owen out, give my blog entry Help Owen K.C. Stephens Roll His Save Against Cancer (And The Healthcare System) a read.

And if you'd like to help yours truly, my first Kickstarter just went live yesterday, at time of writing. So if you're in the market for an unusual TTRPG experience, check out Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic, and help me reach my goals on it today!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Con Season Checklist For Authors Selling Books (7 Things To Remember)

As the pestilence that kept us all indoors slowly retreats, in-person conventions are beginning to emerge from hibernation. These events tend to draw a lot of authors, but if you go in without proper preparation then you're going to have a rough time of things. Since I'm currently in the midst of prepping for a couple of shows, I figured I'd share what insight I have and hope that it helps some of my fellows out!

Because we need all the help we can get, eh?

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!

#1: Check Your Signage

You need to make sure people see you, after all.

If a tree falls in the forest but no one actually sees it or hears it, did it actually fall? The question, of course, asks whether something truly happened or existed if it was outside out ability to perceive it. Something you may wonder that answer yourself if you're sitting at your table, but people just walk by without actually noticing you're there.

One of the chief ways to get people's attention is, of course, with signage.

Whether you have a tall banner that stands next to (or behind) your table, a printed drop cloth that announces who you are and what you do, or you just want to have small signs describing the different categories of your work like your books were pieces in an art gallery, properly labeling your products while also putting up a few, noticeable items ensures that folks will, at the very least, see you.

For some extra benefits, make sure your paper signs are laminated. This allows you to use them over and over again going forward, and it saves a lot of prep time going forward. You can even use Velcro backings to get them up where you want them, if you're looking to utilize your vertical space!

#2: Check Your Freebies

Go on, take one with you. Hell, take two, they're free!

If you're selling at a convention then your goal is to move as much of your stock off your table and into people's hands in exchange for some hard cash. However, anyone who's sold at a con before (or just been an attendee) knows that people don't usually walk up and buy your book the first time they see your booth. A lot of the time they may not even have the money on-hand to buy what you're selling, even if they're interested.

That's why it's important to have some kind of freebie to ensure you leave a mark on someone before they leave.

The most obvious freebie is that you should have business cards for your table. It's something you can hand to anyone who pauses and makes eye contact with you, after all, and it ensures they have all your necessary information. Some authors swear by bookmarks or even pens featuring their books, since people like useful items. Given that we exist in the digital age, a lot of us also have QR codes (you can make your own here for free), and this lets folks bookmark your work without carrying around yet another cumbersome piece of cardboard in their pockets. A lot of us also set out bowls of candy, because attendees are nothing if not happy to snatch up a snack (though I imagine that's going to be less common while Covid is so close in our rear windows).

#3: See What Is (And Isn't) Provided

I can't believe I had to bring my own thingamajig...

A lot of the time we assume that certain amenities are just going to be available when we reserve a space as a dealer... but you know the old saying about assumptions. As such, read over what you are expected to bring, what will and won't be provided, and prepare accordingly.

As a for instance, does your convention actually give you a table to use? Does that table have a cloth covering it? Are you given chairs, and how many? Will there be power outlets in your space if you need them? Does your merchant space cover your badge, or do you need to get those things separately? A lot of this stuff seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many events will just leave basics like this off the cost of a table, and then expect you to spend even more.

This applies to your hotel accommodations as well, especially if you're planning on staying in the hotel where your convention is taking place (or if your hotel is connected to it, as many conventions are too big to take place in a hotel). Does your room come with parking, for example? Is breakfast included? Is there a lower rate for you if you attend the convention? This part of things is exhausting, but it's necessary if you want to avoid sticker shock when you finally get your bill.

#4: Read Over Load-In/Load-Out

Crap... was I supposed to go this way?

This is a big one, and it's something that I've found affects big booths and small ones. Because conventions run on order, and you can't have people running hither and yon messing up the flow of everything. As such, most shows are going to have specific requirements for merchants when it comes to getting their stuff in and out of the dealer space. Usually it's going to require you going to a loading dock of some variety, offloading stuff and trucking it through the back hallways, instead of just walking in through the front door like you would if you were an attendee.

Where you need to go, and when you need to go there, is only part of the convention setup, though. You should find out if you can bring your own cart (collapsible carts like this one are a godsend if you don't have one, by the by), or if you are allowed to do your own unloading (as some places will have union representatives at the dock who need to handle actual transport). Being prepared for these details can save you a lot of time and frustration, and ensure you aren't a frazzled mess when the day comes to actually meet the public.

#5: Make Sure You Have Your Organizers

Oh crap, I know I've got more of those... somewhere...

One of the things I've learned over the years is that organizers are what will turn your table from being something that's just there, to being a space people notice. From folding book stands that will ensure people are facing the cover of your latest offerings, to collapsible shelves, nothing makes your table look more professional than putting your work on a small pedestal so passersby can see it.

In addition to actually segmenting and organizing your table, though, it's important that all of these things fold up for ease of storage. Sounds obvious, but I've seen lots of folks who find displays that look amazing, who forget they actually have to pack them up and move them from one show to another, and that can lead to... difficulty during setup. And since most of us want our set up and strike down time to be more like Nascar than This Old House, something that can be packed or unpacked in minutes is definitely preferable.

#6: Get Change, Test Your Payment Systems

This is critical. Seriously.

In the old days, conventions were largely a cash-only business. As such, it's important to get enough singles for your average Friday night at a strip club, along with some fives to make up the difference if you have a solid, even count for your book costs. Today, of course, we have digital payment systems that run off your phone, and you can get a Square for free. You should make sure it runs smoothly on your phone at least a week ahead of schedule, and that you know exactly how much to charge to negate the Square fee.

Nothing is more frustrating than losing a sale because you don't have change, or can't take someone's credit card for it. Nothing.

#7: Realistically Assess Your Prospects

No, Jane, we're not getting out of the red on this one.

While this one might be one of the first things you should do, I figured the last entry is the one that sticks with people the most. Because, and I say this with the utmost sincerity; it is damn near impossible for an author to break even on a show if they don't already have a large audience, or they're getting most of their associated costs comped for it.

I talked about this back in To Be Clear, I Don't Make Money at Conventions, but it bears repeating. Because there's a laundry list of things you need to get into a show, and every one of those things increases the amount of sales you have to make in order to break even. There's the cost of the table, the cost of your hotel room, the cost of your travel, your food, your badge, and any other incidentals you incur as part of your selling.

Before you sit down at your table you should know what this convention is going to cost you, what your earnings are when it comes to your book and merch sales, and how many sales you need to make in order to break even. Because if you can volunteer to be on panels to get your badge costs comped, you have a free hotel room because of points you earned as a frequent traveler, or the show is in your town so you don't have to travel far, then you can cut down on those costs in order to make it more likely you come out ahead. At the same time, though, you need to be realistic about what you're pouring into a show, and what you can expect to get out of it.

With that said, it's also important to remember that not all sales happen on the convention floor. I talked about this some time back in Conventions Are An Investment (Treat Them as Such), but it bears repeating. Because some of the people who don't buy a book now may check you out later. Some people who get one book may come back for the rest of your catalog once they finish their initial purchase. And even if someone doesn't buy at this convention, you're more likely to become a part of their landscape the more often they see you. Once someone grows familiar, you have further chances to add them to your fan base. Not only that, but a lot of authors will collect names and emails for their newsletters at conventions, in addition to meeting fellow authors, having discussions with publishers, and so on, and so forth.

While it's nice to make money at conventions, these are really the places you go to sow the seeds of future readers. Try to sell all the copies you can, but remember that's just a part of what you're actually doing at a show like this.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

10 Concrete Ways You Can Help The Authors You Like

A few weeks ago I put together a list of 10 Things You Can Do To Sell More Books. However, that list is pretty much only talking to the authors out there about all the things they can personally do to increase their sales... problem is, that's only half the equation.

The other half is your readers, and the actions they take on your behalf.

Every, single one of you beautiful people.

Authors get a lot of credit for their hustle, but the truth is that without readers doing their part, we're just screaming into the void. That's why, if you want to support an author, do the things on this list. Some of them will cost money, others will only cost you time, but all of them will help give that pen monkey more visibility so they can get you their next book in record time.

So, without further ado, if you want to help the authors you like you should...

#1: Buy Their Books

A lot of you out there already are, and bless you for that.

This is the most basic, fundamental way you can show your support for a creator. If they wrote a book, go buy a copy of that book. If you want a hard copy, buy that. If you're more of an ebook reader, get an ebook. If a holiday is coming up, ask your friends or family to buy you copies of this book that you like. Alternatively, gift a book you love to other people.

The main part of an author's income is from sales, but there's more to it than that. The more you sell, the more power you have when it comes to getting noticed. If you sell a thousand copies, no one's really impressed. But 10,000 copies? 100,000 copies? That's when big publishers start knocking on your door and offering contracts because you are doing something right.

On that note, if you've got a couple of bucks floating around, why not head over to My Amazon Author Page and grab yourself a copy of my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my steampunk noir collection New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam?

Or, if you're more of a tabletop RPG fan, take a look at my work on Drive Thru RPG. I'm sure you'll find something that fits your tastes.

#2: Leave A Review

Seriously, the numbers add up here.

I mentioned this back in How Many Book Reviews Do You Need Before Amazon Promotes You?, but it's worth repeating here. If you want to help an author then review their book, plain and simple. It doesn't matter if you read the physical copy, a digital copy, or you downloaded it for free during a giveaway; leave a review, and it can be the pebble that starts the avalanche.

The more reviews a book gets, the more attention it receives from website algorithms (especially on Amazon). That means it shows up in the recommendation boxes, and that it will have a much stronger signal so other people can find it. Not only that, but people who are thinking about buying a book trust reviews. So the more reviews you have, the more likely people are to purchase your work.

It takes a few minutes of your time, but it is an action that sets the gears in motion; don't neglect it!

#3: Follow Them on Social Media

Again, a lot of you are already here.

One of the recurring themes for this list is going to be numbers. The more numbers an author has, the easier it is for them to get found. Social media is no different.

Whether your author has a Facebook page, a Twitter page, a Tumblr account, or something else entirely (all the links go to my pages, by the by, so feel free to follow if you haven't already), the more people they have, the more they'll get noticed. The more people an author has following them, the more likely their posts are to get seen, spread, and to reach people who aren't already reading their work. So even if all you do is click "Like", you've done something to help.

To increase your signal boost, though, interact with the posts your authors make. Leave comments (algorithms love comments), and share the posts you like with your own audience. Because whether your social media pool is big or small, that one interaction can be like ripples in a pond. Don't underestimate the impact you can have.

#4: Talk To Your Local Library

Now we're getting into the new stuff.

Chances are good you already knew about the first three points on this list. They are pretty obvious, after all. However, there are a lot of people out there who still use the public library, and these institutions can help boost an author's signal to a wider audience.

So if your local library doesn't carry the authors you like, ask if you can fill out a request form. A certain amount of money is allocated every year to getting new books (digital and physical, since lots of libraries offer the ability to check out ebooks now), and if folks request that a certain indie or small press title be included in the catalog then you have just helped an author make a sale. Not only that, but there's a chance that more people will read that book, leave reviews, buy their own copies (or get that book for friends as a gift),  etc. Sometimes more than one person has to make the request, though, so don't be afraid to get a petition going among your friends.

Little things add up over time, especially if there are a lot of fans across the country who all submit this paperwork to their local institutions.

#5: Tell Your Friends and Family

You know them, so you'll know what they like.

We talked about part of this with the social media section above, but we don't live in a cyberpunk dystopia just yet. Especially when you consider that you've likely configured your social media settings so that only certain people see the things you like, comment, and share.

But your in-person life? Your lines of direct communication between you and all the other people you know? Tossing a few comments here, and a recommendation or two there, can have a bigger impact than you think.

Before you protest that you're just one person, stop and think for a second. Who do you know that you could slip a book suggestion to? Your aunt Richanne who has always had a thing for sword swinging fantasy? Your roommate's boyfriend Geoff who goes through books the way locusts go through crops? What about that work friend whose name you can't quite recall, but you have lunch together sometimes?

All of these are viable people you could talk to, and maybe give a nudge to check out a particular author.

You don't need to pound the pavement and go door-to-door. But when you find yourself in small talk with people, feel free to talk about books. You might plant a seed, and that seed might get passed from person to person until your one, casual conversation has grown dozens of new fans this author wouldn't have otherwise had.

#6: Use Your Position

Networks are complicated things.

Most folks out there are probably thinking, "I don't have a position that would help an author." Trust me, you do. You just need to think about it for a second.

For example, do you have a friend who writes for a website dedicated to genre news? Got an aunt who has a radio show? A cousin with a YouTube channel that has a decent following? All it would take is a request from you to re-direct some of those resources to help boost that author's signal with a review, an interview, or any other kind of coverage.

Sometimes all you need to do is look at what groups you belong to, or even where you work, to find opportunities. As an example, say you're a high school teacher. Does an author you want to support write YA books? Well, recommend them to your students. Or if you have a personal connection with that author, and they happen to be local, invite them to speak to your class. Maybe introduce them to your creative writing club. This gives the students a chance to ask all those questions they might be curious about, and to get insight from an industry professional. It also means at least a few of them may become regular readers.

Do you volunteer with a local theater? Are you part of a Renaissance Faire cast? Are you a member of a book club? Chances are you do something, or know somebody, that would be a help if you used your noodle.

#7: Tip Them

Like I said, every little bit helps.

While selling books is one income stream for authors, it usually isn't enough to pay their bills with. As such, we tend to do other stuff to supplement writing books. We run YouTube channels, we write blogs, we post articles, we put together reviews, and so on, and so forth. Most of the time, those things are free to you, but we ask that you leave us a tip if you can.

This goes a lot further than you might think when it comes to keeping landlords off our backs, and tacos in our bellies. So if an author you like has a Patreon or a Ko-Fi (The Literary Mercenary's Patreon and Ko-Fi pages are at these links), consider contributing to them if you can. Even if it's just a little bit every month, we notice, and it helps a lot.

Also, if an author you like happens to write for a website like Vocal, there is often a tip icon there as well. Keep your eyes peeled, and ask if what you just read was worth the same handful of change you would leave in a barista's jar.

#8: Be Persistent

Hey, did I tell you about this great book?

Authors who make it are the ones who don't give up, like I mentioned in Successful Authors Are Persistence Hunters. However, the same is true for folks just like you who want to help boost their signal. Because while it would be great if people listened to you the first, second, or third time you made a recommendation, you sometimes need to tell people to do something five times or more before the idea finally takes root in their heads.

Now, don't spend all of your time and effort trying to boost our signals (you're fans, not interns). But if an author you like updates their blog once or twice a week, share that link. If there's a giveaway going on, mention it once or twice to make sure everyone hears about it. You don't have to be so frequent that you annoy the folks on your list, but think of your signal boosting efforts like water. A single raindrop isn't going to do much, but even a slow and steady trickle can wear a track in the hardest stone.

#9: Show Up

Seriously, just being there does help.

Whether it's a book signing, a con appearance, a reading at a local open mic night, or any other kind of event, sometimes just being a warm body can make a difference.

Picture this; you walk into a library, and there's a door leading off to a side room. Are you more likely to investigate what's going on if you see an empty room with only a table and someone sitting behind it, or if there's the buzz of conversation, laughter, and a dozen people in there?

Probably that second one, right?

People are drawn to crowds, even if that crowd isn't really all that big when it comes to the numbers. But that magnetism can make a difference, and pull other people into your orbit. It might only be for a moment, but a moment is long enough to plant that seed, and perhaps get a business card or a bookmark into their hand even if they don't choose to buy an actual copy of the book(s) at that moment.

And I can tell you from experience, there is nothing that slaps you across the ego harder than an event where no one shows up, except for the janitor wondering if it's okay to sweep since it's just the two of you.

#10: Reach Out

Trust me when I say it's like water in the desert.

The other items on this list are all about how you can help your authors reach a bigger audience, sell more books, and generally excel at the business half of their career. However, it's important to remember that sometimes what they really need is a piece of fan mail to get them through the day.

I'm serious about this, and the smaller the author is in terms of reach, the more vital I guarantee you this is. Because they can't just look at their sales figures and be satisfied that a thousand people that week thought their book was worth dropping a couple of bucks on, or that fifty new reviews went up.

So if you have a moment, and you want to do something nice for the authors in your life, shoot them an email, or just leave a post on their social media. Tell them that they're doing good work, and you can't wait to see more of it. If it's not too personal, talk about something they made that really stuck with you.

We need to hear that.

That's all for this week's Business of Writing post. Hopefully folks out there find it useful, and if you've been trying to tell your audience how they can help you stop sinking, just shoot them this list!

Your Brand Is Just As Important As Your Books

Authors are full of odd beliefs, and quaint ideas. Perhaps the oddest belief I've personally come across, though, is the idea that their work exists in a kind of white space, separate and apart from who they are, and the life they live. This notion that your art will be judged entirely apart from you as its creator is, frankly put, ludicrous. All you need to do is to look at any artist in the world, and ask if who they were wasn't taken into consideration when examining their art.

"If you set his politics aside, though, the book isn't too bad."

You are an integral part of your book's success. Or, at least, the persona you create for yourself as the writer is.

Brand Management and Book Sales

We tend to think of a brand as something for shopping malls, or chain restaurants, but we never realize that as authors we are also our own business. As such, our brand is a combination of our reputation, our unique imagery, our niche, and all the things the public associates with us. Take a moment, and think of some businesses out there. Now ask what their carefully-crafted brand is supposed to say to you. Chances are you thought of things like Wal-Mart being a friendly store that has everything you need, or McDonald's giving you an affordable meal exactly the way you want it. But brand is more than just your commercials, your uniforms, and your reputation. It's also your actions, your attitude, and what you choose to show people.

Case in point.

Wendy's, for those who don't know, is a fast food place that sells burgers. A little pricier than McDonald's and Burger King, its brand was based on old-fashioned quality and taste. But thanks to social media, it scored serious brand points by also being snarky at other businesses in a way that got them attention in a good way. Seen as clever and amusing, they gained followers (and one presumes sold more burgers as a result of the hijinks).

What does that have to do with books? Well, ask Orson Scott Card.

If you don't know who Card is, he was the author of Ender's Game, as well as other popular novels. However, he is also a person who has espoused extremely negative views of homosexuality, and those views are on record (things like how being gay is a direct result of child abuse, for instance). Whether that was intentional or not, those views have become part of his brand as an author. Hence why lots of readers have turned away from him as a creator, and why boycotts of his work (and movies based on his work) tend to spring up.

Remember that. Because your brand is about more than your color scheme, your genre, your name (or pen name), and what's on your business card. It's also about the tone you take in public, how you comport yourself, and what you go on the record saying. For good, or for ill.

Your Reputation Follows You

Your brand isn't something you can just walk away from. It follows you, and every time you take to social media, publish an article, or put out another book, that brand is being added to. Which is why it pays to sit a spell, and actually think about what side of you the public should see. Do you want to be seen as a writer of a particular genre? Do  you want to come across as cooky and unusual? Mysterious and withdrawn? Or do you want to seem friendly and approachable to encourage more people to follow your work?

Good artwork helps. Especially if it's instantly identifiable.

That's all for this week's Business of Writing. Hopefully it catches people's attention, and gets you thinking about how you look from your reader's perspective. For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and to stay on top of all my releases follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to help support me and my work, Buy Me a Ko-Fi or drop a few quarters onto The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. My eternal gratitude, as well as a free book, shall shortly follow.