Go ahead – brighten my day!

pexels-photo-3826674

I ran across an older post by Susan M. Toy entitled “How YOU can invest in authors and books… without spending any money!” In it, she lists ten ways to help, including borrow and read their books, tell your friends, talk about them in your own blog, and my favorite – contact them personally.

“Contact the Author privately (usually their websites will offer a way of connecting) and tell them how much you enjoyed their writing and books. It’s one thing to receive a positive public comment from a reader, but if you make the effort to tell that author, one-on-one, what you really think about their writing and their books… it is so, so much better than in a public review. Because again – it’s honest and heartfelt!”

I couldn’t agree more! In a more recent post, Susan shares a quote from Graeme McGaw’s newsletter which sums up the idea nicely:

“Take a minute to write to your favorite authors and thank them. Thank them for the books they have written, the adventures they have taken you on, and the worlds they have allowed you to escape into… thank them for pouring months and months of their life into their stories. Authors have it rough. Not only is it a lot of work, but they’re also putting themselves out there. Think of all those negative reviews an author receives on a book. That sort of thing can be crushing… So yeah, take the time to write to your authors. It will make their day.” 

I’ve received several personal contacts from readers lately, and each one put a long-lasting smile on my face, chased away the doubts, made me feel good, and strengthened my determination to keep going. It only cost a few moments of their time, but meant so much.  

“First of all please allow me to congratulate you for your writing. You just acquired another fan!!! I have immensely enjoyed the first two books Expectant Moon and Traitor’s Moon and I loved the way you made me feel reading them. I started the first two days ago and I just finished the second and I was so sad that the third is not out yet. In these difficult times, reading about Ben and Evan and their friends and family is giving me a glimpse of hope, and I thank you for that. I hope you will get the necessary inspiration to allow me to dream a little longer.” John from Belgium

“I loved Rise of the Draman. Clean language, wonderful nonstop adventure. Interesting take on dragons and their bonded. It was nice to read about good dragons and kindness throughout. It’s how we should be with each other. I really hated for it to come to an end. Thank you for sharing.” Romae

“I thoroughly enjoyed the book (Rise of the Draman). You are a talented writer and hope I get to read many more of your works.” John

 Aren’t these great? Interaction with my readers is one the big perks of being a writer. When I get notes like this, I doubt the people sending them realize the positive and powerful impact they have. The cool thing is – YOU can be part of it! 

Authors – make sure to provide an email or snail mail address where readers can reach you. When they do, be sure to respond and thank them.

Readers – never underestimate the power of a personal contact! Even if you can’t leave an official review (also really great), make a habit of letting your favorite authors know how much you appreciate their work.

pexels-photo-2764669

 


Posted

in

, ,

by

Comments

7 responses to “Go ahead – brighten my day!”

  1. Theresa Avatar
    Theresa

    I too have enjoyed all your books. I’ve loved the stories & characters & the way they come alive in my mind. I always felt that I myself have a book I’d like to write, but in my wildest dreams, I could never make them come out like yours! Keep writing your stories & we will keep reading them!

    1. Alexander Elliott Avatar
      Alexander Elliott

      Thank you so much! I have a feeling a few of those good reviews might have been yours…

  2. H.R.R. Gorman Avatar

    I’m glad some good things have happened in the past month! It seems your shifters series continues to bring you praise!

    1. Alexander Elliott Avatar
      Alexander Elliott

      My readers love them, but they’ve both been a slow burn. I need more money to promote, but you know how that goes!

      1. H.R.R. Gorman Avatar

        I think I’d be terrible at promoting – just terrible! So it’s impressive you even have plans.

  3.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    very interesting. I have always assumed an author wouldn’t want to be bothered all the time but I guess you’re right. Who wouldn’t want to be told how much someone loved your work? Thanks for giving me that glimpse from the other side of the fence!

    1. Alexander Elliott Avatar
      Alexander Elliott

      You’re welcome! May your tribe increase!

I'd love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Powered by WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: