Marilyn's Musings

Remember I got all these ideas from Tracy Weber.   Say hi to them at a conference!   There are fan conferences worldwide at which authors and their fans can gather, learn from each other, and basically have a good time.  If you attend a panel with your favorite author or see them schmoozing at the bar, go up and say hi!  Trust me, it’s not an intrusion.  Nothing is better than knowing someone appreciates your work. (I love meeting readers at conferences and conventions.) Add them to your circles on Google Plus!   I have to admit, I’m not a Google Plus user, but many authors are, and it’s a “circle” of friends that may not already know about their next favorite author! Share news about your author to your circles, and invite your favorite author to join you. Any way you can connect is nothing but goodness!  Follow them on Twitter.   I’m not the world’s best Tweeter, but many authors think Twitter is a great way to build and connect wit...

Friend them on Facebook.   Not every author makes their personal pages open to the reading public, but many do.  I have a personal page.  And I love it when readers “friend” me!  My Facebook personal page shares more about my daily life and allow me to get to know my readers as well.  So…look for your favorite author on Facebook.  If they have a personal presence, consider sending them a friend request.  You can friend me at   https://www.facebook.com/marilynmeredith Ask your local library to carry their books.   Library systems vary greatly in budgets and ability to act on patron requests, but you never know until you try! Sometimes all it takes is a single request for a book to get placed in the ordering system.  And even if your library can’t carry THIS book, you’ll have put your favorite author on their radar screen for the next time they order.  Just think, you may be introducing  your favorite author to dozens of rea...

I borrowed these ideas from Tracy Weber. She came up with a list of 50, but I decided to share only a few at a time, and pick the ones I liked best. So here goes: Add your favorite author’s books to your Goodreads bookshelves.   “Shelving” your favorite books gives them more visibility to other readers.  Goodreads even has a way to automatically add the books you purchased on Amazon! Write a short (1 – 2 sentences are great!) honest review of your favorite author’s book(s) and post it on Amazon.   Love Amazon or hate them, they are a key player in book sales, and reviews help your favorite authors rank higher in the search engines.  Some promotional opportunities are only available to authors if they have a certain number of reviews. Tell them you love them!   Most of the authors I know make essentially no money on their writing.  (Sad, but true!)  So why do we write?  For our readers!  Drop your favorite author a line and tell t...