11 Ways to Support Other Writers

I don’t really understand writers who feel competitive about their work. Have they ever met a true reader? True readers never, and I mean never, run out of reading material. They’re always on the lookout for the next great thing to read, and many of us collect authors, cross genres, and do whatever it takes to keep our to-be-read list fully stocked.

It doesn’t matter if every plot is the most original we’ve ever read. We are here for each author’s story, and if we don’t personally happen to love it, there’s probably someone out there who thinks it’s the best thing since portable phone chargers.

I don’t feel competitive about my work. I want to be successful, but I also realize that it doesn’t take from anyone else’s success to promote and share the work of other authors. Unless our goal is to make #1 on the best seller’s list, there’s room enough for all of us to create content for readers to enjoy.

In this spirit, I’ve created this handy list of 10 ways to support other writers.

1. Remember that other writers are not your competition.

Maybe we can’t all win the same literary prizes or make #1 on the best seller’s list, but our work should speak for itself. There’s room for all of us to be successful, but if your idea of success is shamelessly self-promoting (hey, we all do it) your own work while refusing to share anyone else’s, then maybe the real fear is that your success can only come if readers never hear about any other work. That doesn’t speak well of our own work, does it?

We can promote our own work and still take the time to support other writers and encourage their journeys.

2. Recommend the work of other writers to your friends, family, and fan base.

Taking a minute to share another writer’s article, their announcement about a book release, or another important update can be incredibly meaningful to that writer. It doesn’t hurt our own work if we share someone else’s. It’s not like our fans will suddenly decide to support this other author and stop reading our work entirely. While we may not have time to support every writer we know when our community of writers is large, we can take the time to do what we can.

A simple recommendation is a wonderful way to let other writers know that we support them and want them to be successful.

3. Purchase new books by pre-order in the week they come out.

I have regrets that I didn’t support some of my writing friends the first week their books were released. I didn’t know at the time that the sales numbers that the first week can make or break careers. I could have charged a book to my credit card and paid it off little by little if money was the problem, but the truth is that I just didn’t think it was a big deal. Now that I've had my own books published, I know exactly how big a deal it really is for people to order early or buy it that first week.

4. Share pro-tips with writing friends.

When we have more experience, we often begin to understand tips from the industry that boost our own success- whether that’s with social media, traditional publishing, or even on online journals. I benefited from receiving tips when I first started, and I still appreciate the help I'm offered. I try to pay this forward when I can with the people I know. Of course, we don’t have to offer this service for free, although it’s nice to do with our friends. We can always charge consulting fees for the knowledge we have.

5. Leave reviews.

Even if we just devoted a little bit of time each month to leaving book reviews or reviews on social media, we could do an enormous amount of good to help other authors. With that being said, I don’t think we should leave negative reviews for other writers. We may not have enjoyed a book, but that doesn’t mean others won’t. Instead of focusing on the writing we hated, we might be better served to share a quick review of books we loved and show those authors some love for their work.

Amazon, Goodreads, and Kindle are all great places to leave reviews, but it also doesn’t hurt to give them a boost on social media.

6. Go the extra mile and leave good feedback.

If you think I just said that, I’m talking about taking the time to reach out to other authors and let them know how much you enjoyed their work. We can send them messages or just leave them a comment on their page to let them know that we appreciate what they do. A quick shout out or word of encouragement can be a great way to support other writers.

7. Show up for book signings or other events.

Book signings and readings can be intimidating for writers who might prefer to be creating rather than marketing their books. Whether they are self-published or walking in with a fat publishing deal, it’s still intimidating to walk into an event not even knowing if anyone will show up. Supporting author events in our area can be a great way to encourage writers — even the ones we don’t know. It’s also an awesome way to network with other writers.

Even if their genre isn’t necessarily our preferred read, we can still take the time to show support when we can by being a warm body in the room who’s rooting for them to succeed.

8. Follow them on social media.

Most authors have a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter page. Many of us have all three and then some. We can take the time to like and follow the pages of writers we enjoy to show them our support. It only takes a second to follow a writer we enjoy, and it can help build their audience while also keeping us in the loop on their new work.

9. Sign up for their newsletters.

Getting on their email list or signing up for their newsletters is another way to show our support and get updates on when new work will be released. It’s also a vote of confidence in their work. Signing up for newsletters or emails is an easy thing to do that only takes a minute.

10. Recommend them to local bookstores and book clubs.

I’ve been recommending that my readers order my book from their local booksellers to support the brick and mortar bookshop establishments. It also helps get the word out and gets my book in stores while showing support for the booksellers we, as authors, depend on to promote our work through what they shelve and word-of-mouth recommendations. When we recommend an author to a local bookstore or even to book clubs in our area, we’re helping give that author added visibility.

If bookstores get a few calls from a few different readers, they may decide to order a few copies to keep in stock.

11. Let the success of other writers inspire you — not make you jealous.

Writing just isn’t a competition. I want success for myself, but I don’t get eaten up with jealousy when someone else wins an award, gets an amazing book deal, has an incredibly large following, or manages to hit a best seller’s list. If we allow ourselves to be motivated and inspired by the success of others, it raises our vibration, helps us manifest our own success, and generally makes us all-around nicer people and, hopefully, harder-working writers.

We can enthusiastically cheer others on without allowing envy to sidetrack us from our own journey. Our work isn’t their work, and their success doesn’t mean that we’re failing. We can be inspired and use that feeling to reach our own writing and career goals.

Personal success is too often defined by money and our following, but what I define as success won’t be the same as someone else. I think there’s plenty of room for all of us to have successful writing careers, and it helps us all when we look at writing as a cooperative, supportive network rather than a competition.

Originally published on Medium