Annie Neugebauer

I had a wonderful birthday last week. I got many lovely wishes and some truly thoughtful and amazing gifts. It got me thinking about the act of giving, and how it’s really just a way of showing that we care. Big expensive gifts are great, but the ones that truly touch me are those that someone put time, effort, or consideration into. Really, when you break it down to its simplest form, it’s another form of communication.

And of course, since I work in the book industry, my mind took it there. I feel incredibly lucky to work in a job I truly love and in the special industry that surrounds it. It would be difficult (and sappy) of me to detail all of the many ways people in this industry have touched my life, so I’ll spare you that. Instead, I thought I would brainstorm some ways that I, and you, and all of us can give back to an industry that has given us so much.

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Buy Books

This might seem painfully obvious, but the book industry is first and foremost business-driven. Without money in the form of purchases from consumers, there wouldn’t be an industry to support artists in a career capacity. And as much as I love libraries, if everyone rented every book they read instead of buying some, the whole business would go broke.

In that spirit, I’ve recently been going back and buying some of the books I rented from the library for free (thanks in part to this post courtesy of Nina Badzin) – especially those books that truly impressed me. For one thing, I’ll likely want to either reread or loan out most of them. It’s also a good way to encourage my favorite authors to keep on publishing their work. Essentially, I’m giving everyone who worked on that book my vote of endorsement, from writer to cover designer.

Review Books

Second, like my buddy Laura, I’ve been reconsidering my stance on doing book reviews. I haven’t come to a definite conclusion yet, but I’m weighing my options. The posts where I discuss books are some of my most popular posts (Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey (which I’m pretty sure was a mistake; you guys all seem to think I’m super kinky now)), which makes me think I have something to offer readers in regards to book reviews. So I don’t know; we’ll see.

But it’s undeniable that book reviews help the industry. (My quandary is whether or not other authors – specifically me – should be the ones to provide them, not that they should exist.) Positive reviews boost sales for authors. Negative reviews steer readers towards good choices that will keep them reading. And all reviews build hype and awareness for books in general. If you’re in a position to do book reviews, it’s a great way to give back.

Talk about Books

Maybe you can’t afford to buy books and instead get them at your public library. Maybe, like me, you’re a writer who’s chosen not to do reviews. But there’s still one vital way you can support authors and books themselves: tell your friends.

If you love a book, recommend it. Loan it. Spread the word. If everyone who loves a book does this, the book gets a wider audience and, eventually, more sales and support. This is something that any reader can do. (For even more ideas, I absolute LOVE this post by Chuck Sambuchino at Writer Unboxed: “How to Support an Author’s New Book: 11 Ideas For You.”)

Send Fan Letters

Last week I blogged about how to write a fan letter. I took you through the steps, sprinkling in some tips I hope were useful, but what I didn’t have space to do was talk about why writing fan letters to authors is so important.

Writing can feel like such a lonely occupation. It’s a career riddled with rejection, critique, and criticism. Sales are great, but they aren’t personal. I can’t imagine an author in the world who wouldn’t be touched by a personal letter praising their art. Really, it’s what writers strive for: touching others with their words. Being concretely told that they were successful is a beautiful thing.

Support Writing Organizations

In talking about supporting the industry, I would be remiss not to mention writing organizations. Their main purpose is the support of writers! So if you’re not sure how you personally should give back… you can always support organizations who decide for you.

If you’re a writer, you can join them. Dues go to funding that help the group do good deeds. You can also contribute your time, your expertise, your leadership, or your moral support.

If you’re not a writer, you can still help these groups by donating money or volunteer hours. Most groups do fundraisers once or twice a year.

And please forgive a quick plug for one of my favorite non-profit groups. Every time I buy a book online, I go through the Amazon banner at the top of this website to help fund my local poetry organization. Supporting local poets AND supporting the authors I love? Win/win. We would love for you to do the same! After you click on the banner to get to Amazon, the rest of your shopping is exactly how it always is, but we get a small percentage of your total purchase.

Share Things You’ve Learned

Ah, advice. When I was new to this writing-as-a-career thing, I was so anti-advice it wasn’t even funny. *hides deleted blog posts under the table* I was convinced that there was no one “right way” to do things, so all of this advice hype must be bullshit. And you know what? There IS no one right way to do things. But… there are many things that have been proven effective for hundreds of writers time and time again. And who am I to belittle that?

Part of growing as a writer is accepting that I don’t know everything. One of the benefits to growing as a writer is actually learning a few things that drastically improve my craft, lifestyle, etc. So for me, advice to other writers is all about sharing the things that have most helped me personally. Advice can come across as “my way or the highway” or “I know it all,” but if it’s shared humbly, with the intention of genuinely helping others, and with the acknowledgement that everyone is different… it’s hard to go wrong. The advice naysayers are certainly free to ignore it.

So if you’re a writer and you’ve heard some good advice that helped you, go ahead and share it! Will it work for everyone? No. Will it help someone? It just might.

Be a Cheerleader

And last but not least… never underestimate the importance of moral support. It weren’t for the love of my incredible family and friends, I would most likely be straightjacketed right now, trying to write a novel by pecking the keyboard with my nose. Or worse, I might have given up completely.

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So, dear readers, what have you been doing lately to contribute to the book industry? Do you have some ideas I didn’t think of? I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re a reader, chances are pretty good that at some point in your life you’ve read a book that changed you, shook you, kept you up late, stayed with you for weeks. In the past year, I decided to start sending letters to those authors of mine, letting them know the impact they’ve had. It seemed a small trouble to go to considering all I got from their writing.

So I thought I would share some of the guidelines I used to write those letters, in case any of you are looking to send out some “fan mail” of your own. I’ve outlined 10 tips below, but keep in mind that these are guidelines that are supposed to ease any anxiety you might have over the process – authors are like rock stars to readers, after all, which can be squee-inducing to the faint of heart – not rules you “must follow.”

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1) Send it snail-mail.

This isn’t a must, but it’s a touch that I think makes a difference. Yes, email is easier, but that’s why taking the extra 5 minutes to put a piece of paper in an envelope means so much. If you can’t find their address—which is hopefully the case—just send it to them c/o (care of) their agency, which should have an address listed online. Hopefully their agent will forward the letter to them at home.

2) Introduce yourself and the book in question.

This doesn’t have to be extravagant! A simple, “Hello. My name is ____ and I just finished reading ____,” will do nicely. If you have some sort of connection to them, such as being an aspiring writer in their genre, etc., you can mention that if you want, but don’t go overboard. Which brings me to…

3) Be personal.

If you know this writer through real life or some sort of social media, by all means, speak in your natural voice. Just because it’s snail mail doesn’t mean it has to be stuffy. If you tweet back and forth with this person all the time, you don’t need to address them as Ms. or Mr. Lastname.

The point of this letter is to express a reading experience that went above and beyond average. So yes, the letter can get personal. You can tell them why something about their book touched you. If your parent just died and the book is about that—and helped you get through it somehow—that’s a beautiful thing to let them know. But…

4) Don’t get creepy.

Sometimes the temptation to idolize people you’ve never met is strong, especially if you feel like you know them because you’re familiar with their work. But remember, this is just a person, like you. Keep it appropriate. Don’t ask for favors, don’t ask for personal details, don’t ask for help. Just keep it to letting them know that they’ve impacted you positively in some way, even if it was just a weekend of entertainment.

5) Keep it short.

If this is a published author, I think it’s courteous to assume that they’re a busy person. And yes, you’re doing a nice thing, but that doesn’t give you the right to ramble on for 18 pages (front and back!). Unless this is truly a personal letter, I think 1 page single-spaced should be adequate.

6) Keep it mostly about the book.

Maybe you think so-and-so is hot. Maybe you love the bits of their personal life they reveal on Twitter. Maybe you have a super crush on them or their adorable doggy. But those things being true is a lot less creepy than telling the author those things are true. You don’t want to give off stalker vibes.

7) Be specific.

What is it that you loved about the book? Be specific! Writers love to know what exactly worked and why. But…

8) Don’t speak in hyperbole.

When we hear the words “fan letter,” we tend to think of long raves. Which is okay, if you feel the need to do that. But don’t fake it. Don’t tell them it’s the best book you’ve ever read if it’s not; tell them it’s good or great or excellent. Don’t tell them you’re going to buy all of the books they’ve ever published if you aren’t; tell them that you gave it five stars on Goodreads or that you’ve recommended it to a friend.

Remember, they aren’t *expecting* this letter, so any level of compliment you give (besides backwards or underhanded ones, of course) will be a pleasant surprise. Be honest, genuine, and candid. Don’t blow smoke up their ass.

9) But don’t talk about negatives.

This might sound obvious, but there are many reasons that people feel the urge to tell someone something they didn’t like. Maybe it makes us feel clever or superior. Maybe it’s a disclaimer. I know I truly love some flawed books, and when I recommend them to people I mention the negatives so they don’t think I’m oblivious or have awful taste. But a praise letter is not the place to talk about those things. Even one negative comment buried in a nice letter can hurt. This isn’t a critique group where the writer is expecting criticism; it’s a friendly letter. This goes for backhanded compliments too. (Even though your main character annoyed the crap out of me, the plot was so amazing that I couldn’t put the book down!) Don’t hide insults or little jabs amongst your praise.

10) Include your contact information,

just in case they want to reply, but don’t expect a response.

And finally, thank them and/or wish them well. Sign your name and send it off. Hooray! Hopefully, you just made someone’s day. =)

~*~

Have you ever written a fan letter? Do you have any tips for the rest of us?

And authors out there… have you ever received a fan letter? What was that like for you? Do you have any wisdom to share from the experience?