Today's writing universe requires platform building and marketing. For a successful journey, we need help from fellow writers and readers. I like to think of my obligation to help another writer as more of a privilege than a duty. The best term for this help is literary citizenship. Here are fourteen ways to practice being a good literary citizen. Let's incorporate these into our 2024 resolutions!
- Buy books! Whether a print version, ebook, or audiobook, buying that book provides income for a writer.
- If you enjoy a book, take a few minutes and write a review on Amazon and Goodreads. The more a book is reviewed, the more people will find it.
- If you blog, offer to host or highlight an author when her new book is published.
- If you read a blog post where an author is interviewed or her book discussed, write a comment. Nothing thrills a writer more than having someone want to talk about her work.
- If you belong to a book club, recommend your writer friend's book for club reading and discussion. Most of the authors I know love to do in-person visits and Zoom makes online visits easy.
- Go to book signings. The author usually reads from her work and often shares information about how she got the idea, how it evolved, her publishing journey, and her life as a writer. You might even find out what her next book is about.
- Share upcoming publications, book signings, and author updates on your social media.
- “Like” or “Follow" author pages on Facebook and accounts on Instagram and interact when possible.
- If a writer publishes links to her blog posts, share them.
- Volunteer to be a beta reader. A beta reader is someone who is not familiar with the manuscript and will read the entire document and respond in the manner the writer requests. This is a huge time commitment, so it truly is a gift to the writer.
- Be an encourager! If someone tentatively mentions that she might like to write, encourage her to try. If a writer feels blocked, remind her that this too shall pass and the words will again flow. When a rejection is received, be the soft place for that writer to land until the disappointment passes and the urge to write and try again returns.
- Join writing organizations like the Story Circle Network (staging.storycircle.org) or the National Association of Memoir Writers (www.namw.org). It is the easiest way to find community and many offer deep online connection possibilities.
- Attend writing conferences. I can recommend Story Circle Network's Stories From the Heart (staging.storycircle.org/conference/. Eric Maisel (www.eric maisel.com) offers Deep Writing Workshops all over the world. Or Google writing conferences and your city or state and you will be amazed by the possibilities.
- Take writing craft classes! This is great self-care as a writer but is also a fast track to building your writing community. You will find kindred spirits and you can support one another as you learn. As many writers supplement their income by offering classes you are again helping a writer make a living.
These are just my thoughts; please share any suggestions you have!
Photo by Tom Mossholder on Unsplash
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