Pen Pals – Five Ways Authors Can Show the Love

Publishing is a highly competitive industry, with more than 60,000 books expected to be published this fall season alone. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when your book is on the verge of a breakthrough but your efforts to promote it are threatening to break you as well.

Whether traditionally or self-published, we’ve all been there, with experts telling us what to do at every turn. Build your platform on social media, drive readers to your website (why can’t they take a cab?), become a subject matter expert in a world where SME’s are a dime a dozen. So what’s an author to do?

I’d say start with acknowledging that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. With so many authors in the same boat, why not synchronize our rowing? Here are five ways to put this concept to work:

1. Rachet up the Reviews—If you’ve recently signed with a publisher, contact a few authors with whom you are going to share a catalogue and suggest you exchange reviews, either in advance or after publication. Above all, we are writers – so why not harness our skills in the service of each others’ work? If you are -self-published, you can reach out to authors in your genre on GoodReads and do the same.
2. Power in Numbers—Form or join an author’s group that meets online bi-monthly. Not only is this a morale booster, it is also a great way to brainstorm ideas. Authors whose books are similar can join forces and offer a presentation to a book club. Someone who needs help with their book cover or wants to explore audio-book recording options can ask for advice.
3. Go National—Join an organization that supports authors.  There are so many to choose from depending on your needs. I belong to Sisters in Crime, which hosted my first book launch in Seattle many moons ago and has continued to be a wonderful source of information and opportunity. The Author’s Guild has a lively discussion board where knowledge and encouragement fly back and forth every day. Romance writers, authors of literary fiction, paranormal and fantasy novelists – all have their own corners where they meet and strategize. Find your niche and share your own expertise while you learn from others.
4. Get with a Group—There is no better feeling than helping another writer find the central theme of their book—or improve their word choices –or pay more attention to their character arcs—or fix mistakes in continuity—the list is endless. In writing groups, this help is reciprocal and exchanged in a safe environment where everyone can grow from receiving constructive criticism. Believe me, I speak from experience. My writing group is a lifeline that frequently saves me from drowning in my own creativity.
5. Become a Mentor—Not all of us relish group interactions. Whether on the giving or the receiving end, one-on-one mentoring offers a chance to develop a deep relationship based on trust and commitment to improving one’s craft. When we deepen our knowledge and encapsulate it to share with others we become learners too. It’s a win-win.

I expect the readers of this article will have many ideas of their own about how writers can help each other to succeed. Please share your comments!

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Joyce Yarrow is the author of literary novels of suspense that “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual stories with an international setting.” – Library Journal

Her latest offering is a historical fantasy – ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT – from Adelaide Books in Dec 2020.

A New York City transplant now living in Seattle, Joyce began her writing life scribbling poems on the subway and observing human behavior from every walk of life. Her published novels include ASK THE DEAD (Martin Brown), RUSSIAN RECKONING – available in hard cover as THE LAST MATRYOSHKA (Five Star Mysteries), RIVERS RUN BACK, co-authored with Arindam Roy (Vitasta, New Delhi).

Joyce is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have appeared in Inkwell Journal, Whistling Shade, Descant, Arabesques, and Weber: The Contemporary West and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Yarrow is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.

Find out more about her on her website https://www.joyceyarrow.com/

ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT

Seattle journalist Alienor Crespo travels to Spain to claim the promise of citizenship offered to the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. As she relives history through her vijitas (visits) with her ancestors, Alienor also confronts modern-day extremism and commits herself to protecting an endangered “Library of Light.”

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips