When I decided to write this post, I had independent authors in mind, but I do believe this also applies to mainstream authors because, let’s face it, everybody knows writers starve! It’s not a profession to enter into lightly, though when a writer is bopped on the head by the writer fairy, they must answer the call. Support from readers who love them is sometimes the only thing to keep them from losing faith in themselves because sometimes it’s extremely difficult to keep going when you’re not sure if anyone out there is even reading your work! BUT, if you love books and you want to keep books by authors you’ve enjoyed readily available for you and others to enjoy, please keep reading. There are ways you can help.
1.) Buy some books instead of getting illegal downloads. Most authors hate the pirating sites and I can see why. You spend months working on your book (which is quite a detailed process in itself) and then some jerk comes along and offers it for free on a free books website. Yeah. The little devil comes out! But, there are readers out there who can’t afford new books sometimes and they get these free books on pirating sites. So, if you’re one of those readers who uses pirating sites, at least have the damned decency to take the next few steps (below).
2.) Write a review. Post this review on Amazon, Goodreads, and in your blog if you have one. On Amazon, click “like” on the book’s page, share the link on facebook, tag the book, and make sure you’re honest. In your blog, make sure to add the purchasing link to Amazon and–if you’re feeling froggy–anywhere else the book is sold. You can leave links to the author’s website, blog, and Facebook/Twitter. That helps, too! But, whatever you do, make sure you tag your post appropriately. For example, if you wrote a review for The Demon King by Rhiannon Mills, you could use the tags Rhiannon Mills, The Demon King, demons, paranormal, horror, paranormal romance, romance, etc.
3.)Tell your friends you read X book by Y author and it was FANTASTIC. Or not so fantastic. Be honest, but word of mouth is great. Sometimes friends are so similar they have similar tastes in books, too. And once you and your friend have both read the book, you can talk about it together.
See. That was easy, wasn’t it? Independent authors desperately need the support to keep going and so do mainstream authors. No author could make it out there without the support of their readers and fans and, believe me, we love you all. And this is also the bit where I go into the fact that authors should also support each other. In most cases, I’ve seen nothing but support from other authors to each other and to me, which is very helpful, too.
Rhiannon Writes On 
Yes, support writers. Those amazon reviews help, yet people shy away from even writing, “I really liked this book.” Every little bit helps. Thoughtful post, Rhiannon. Thank you.
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