What Authors Need From You

So last month I released my SEVENTH book on modern witchcraft, Wicca Journal for Beginners, and I’ve gotten a TON of really great positive feedback on it. A big thanks and so much gratitude to everyone who took the time to leave me a review and say such nice things about it! I totally appreciate you! One thing that you may have noticed, if you follow me on any of my social media platforms, is that any time I release a new book, you’ll see a LOT of posts about it from me—usually in the two to four weeks leading up to the on-sale date, and then for a few weeks after the book is released—asking for preorders and reviews. And it’s not just me—plenty of authors do that, and there’s a reason for it.

One reason, frankly, is because most of us spend a lot of time generating a lot of free content—stuff that we create so we can help educate and entertain, at no cost to our readers. So when we do have a book come out, yes, we’re going to shamelessly self promote and pimp our wares.

But the bigger reason is this: because pre-orders and reviews actually are pretty important. A larger number of pre-orders tells retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble that there’s interest in the title even before it comes out, and that means they can capitalize on that interest to increase sales via product placement. It means that the book will show up higher in search results, which is an advantage when it comes to a new release. For those of us writing for the Pagan & witchy market, it shows small, independent retailers that this book might be a valuable addition to their shop—there’s no point in them giving shelf real estate to a book that no one cares about, but one that people are interested in? That’s a sale for the shop and for me, so everyone wins!

But a lot of people ask me what else they can do to help—after all, authors aren’t exactly rolling around in a swimming pool of fat cash stacks every time they release a new title, so every bit of support can make a difference for us. Obviously we want you to buy our books, that goes without saying—hell, buy two and give one as a gift—but there are other small effort, high impact actions you can take when a book comes out that gets you excited!

• Leave reviews: seriously, this is an amazingly helpful thing. First of all, it gives authors feedback and tells us how we can do better next time. We’re adults, we can take constructive criticism. But the second thing a review does—whether it’s on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or wherever—is tell other readers why they might like the book, and that helps them decide whether or not they’ll buy it. When I go to buy something, I always read the reviews. It’s a big factor in the buying process for many people. Also, if you’ve got a website or blog of your own, share your review there!
• Ask your local bookstore to carry it. If you’ve got a witchy shop you’re in regularly, their customers’ needs and wants are their bread and butter. Tell them about the new book that’s got you hyped up and recommend they order a few copies in to sell. If the author lives in the area, they’ll probably be excited to stop and sign copies—I know I always am!
• Share on social media! Honestly, when authors make a post about their new book coming out, and you think it looks cool, go ahead and hit that ol’ Shareadactyl button and make a post of your own. So hyped, one of my favorite authors has a new release coming in July! One thing we love is when you have a copy of our book—either you bought it, or you spotted it in the wild—and you take a picture and tag us in it. Seriously. I live for that stuff.
• Share in person! Word of mouth is a great driver for book sales. If you’re part of a book club or study group and you think others might enjoy reading it, suggest that new title! If you need multiple copies, go back to that local bookstore I referenced earlier, and ask them to order a whole box for your group. I have a number of small covens and study groups who have used Badass Ancestors as a group read, and I’ve been honored to jump in on a Zoom call and discuss it with the folks who were reading it.
• Follow us on social media! When we’re working with marketing teams at publishing houses, they want to see metrics. Hard data. KPIs. This means they want to know how many likes/followers/fans/stalkers we have across our social platforms, and the level of engagement we have. An author with lots of followers is always of interest to publishers, which means (wait for it) MORE BOOKS!

And just because I know someone will ask, here are a couple of things we’d like you not to do:

• Talk shit about other authors. I hope you love my book, and if you do, tell me you love it—but don’t tell me how much better it is than the one you read by Witchy Wanda the Weirdo because she’s a hack and she sucks. I love good reviews, but not at the expense of other people. Please don’t be mean and unkind to my fellow writers.
• Rearrange our books so they’re prominently visible in the bookstore. I know, I know, a lot of people say Go turn the books face out so shoppers will see it! But hear me out, y’all. I spent seven years as a bookninja at a large chain retailer that rhymes with Yarns & Boble, and when you face-out covers or move them to an endcap where they didn’t sit before, you’re creating extra work for booksellers. Not only that, in a large store, you may screw the author out of a sale, because if it’s not where the computer says it’s supposed to be and booksellers can’t find them, they won’t get sold. Don’t do it.

If you want to help authors out, and allow us to keep being able to create the content you want, these are just a few of the ways you can support us. If you’re a writer or reader with additional suggestions, chime in down in the Comments—I’d love to hear what you have to say!