How to Support an Author Without Paying a Cent

 

Some Christian authors in Australia are selling tons of books and are able to write full-time for a living. BUT NEWSFLASH! Most of us aren't. In fact, a lot of Christian authors in Australia only sell a few hundred copies of their book or less. 

If you're traditionally published, you would typically get about 10% of the royalties, though contracts do of course vary. So if your book retails for $20, you might get $2 per book. You don't have to be a maths genius to work out that you need to sell a lot to make much. 

And in case you think the publisher is 'sitting pretty' on all the profits, they are only getting a small percentage as well because they're the ones who've paid for all of the editing, cover design, layout, distribution and so on. They have to sell a lot of copies to recoup their costs before they even start earning anything on your book. 

If you've indie-published, you get to keep the profits. YAY! But you may have spent thousands to produce the book in the first place, so you also have to sell a lot to get back the money you've invested. 

This might sound grim, but it's not all about money. Presumably, you've written your book because you feel God has given you a message that He wants you to share. However, that's difficult if it's not actually getting into the hands of readers.

The most obvious thing you can do to support an author is to buy their book. However, there is a cost-of-living crisis in Australia at the moment and a lot of people simply can't afford to buy extras such as books. But never fear! There are a number of ways you can support an author and help raise the profile of their books without spending a cent.

Order Books For Your Library

As part of the Australian Lending Right Schemes, eligible authors can receive some compensation when their books are being borrowed from libraries. However, their book has to make it into the library first, and that's where you come in. Libraries have budgets for new books and they are looking for suggestions, so why not request some? 

Check with your library first, as they would have a system in place for doing that. For example, my local library has an online form you can fill out for requests and they allow you to have three requests in at a time. They won't always purchase a book you request because it has to meet certain criteria and be something they think other readers would also like. Sometimes, they will get an inter-library loan for you instead of purchasing the book. However, you never know until you ask. I've successfully requested dozens of books for my local library over the years. Why not give it a try?

Once the book is in the library, other readers can discover it and read it. If they like it, they might request more books from that author or purchase books from that author. Win-win!

And if you've finished reading a book you own, think about donating it to your church library or a local neighbourhood library or street library. You never know who might be touched by it.

Write a Review

Consider writing reviews of the books you read and put them on sites such as Goodreads, Koorong, and Amazon. Reviews can help to increase the visibility of books on those sites so that readers can find books they might like. Remember these types of reviews are for readers. You don't need special qualifications. Just say what you liked or didn't like about the book. A review can be any length, but you can do a really good one in just four sentences:

• First sentence - What is the genre or what is the book about?
• Second sentence - What specifically did you like?
• Third sentence - Was there anything you didn't like or that didn't grab you?
• Fourth sentence - Something positive to end on, such as your overall impression or your suggestion regarding the type of person who might like this book.

Did you know that if you put a review on the Koorong site, you get points towards their reward scheme? So for every dollar you spend and every review you submit, you accumulate points towards a voucher. I think it's only available for Australian citizens, so check the details. Also, check the guidelines for the particular sites you use. Amazon has quite a strict set of guidelines and you have to have spent a certain amount in the last year to be eligible to review an item. Goodreads is often a good place to start as it's very reader friendly. 

If you want to write a review for every book you've ever read, then go for it. However, most of us have limits to our time and energy. Think of the books you've read recently, and maybe start by writing a review for someone who doesn't have many other reviews or ratings on the site. The author who already has 2000 reviews really doesn't need you to write another one for them. The person who only has two reviews could really use your help. Unless of course you hate their book and your poor rating will negatively impact their overall ranking. This can create a conundrum. There may be something about the book that you want to warn others about. However, if it's just not your cup of tea, maybe think about whether you really need to put that review up. There's nothing wrong with constructive criticism. In fact, it can even give more credence to your review. However, don't nitpick either.

It goes without saying that your review should be your own honest opinions. I've made a decision not to put up a negative review for authors I know personally. If I can't honestly give their book at least four stars, I don't review it at all. But everyone has to make their own decision about this. Don't give a five-star review if you didn't like the book, or worse if you haven't even read it. If you think people wouldn't do that, I saw a five-star review once in which the reviewer said something like, 'I haven't read this book yet, but I know I'll love it.' Please don't do that.

For any of the sites, you would need to include a disclaimer if you have received a book for free. For example, 'I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher for the purposes of review, but these opinions are my own'. Sites like Amazon don't allow you to review a book if you've had anything to do with its production (e.g., publisher or editor), but check specific guidelines.

I hope I haven't made this sound too complicated. The main thing to know is that reviews help, especially if the author doesn't have many of them. Your review doesn't need to be long, but be specific and honest, and maybe pick up some bonus points from Koorong in the process.

Engage with Social Media

We live in the age of social media--Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), Threads, Goodreads, TikTok, YouTube and no doubt many more that people my age have never heard of. I don't claim to be an expert on social media, but I do know there are these mysterious things called algorithms that determine who sees your posts. You might have 500 friends on Facebook, but your post will only appear towards the top of the newsfeed for some of them. If you have an author business page, it can be even worse, especially if you post an external link to a blog post, event or newsletter; or if you use any key words like 'giveaway', 'sale', 'competition', 'book launch', and so on. 

The algorithms seem to have tightened up over the last few years. I understand that social media platforms are not charities and that it costs them money to keep them going. But it can be tough if you're a struggling author and just want to let people know that you have a new blog post out.

I don't pretend to understand how all of these algorithms work, but one thing all of these platforms want is engagement. Once people start liking your posts, commenting on them or sharing them, then more people will end up seeing them. So you can help an author by doing all of those things. Not only does it increase the likelihood of their post being seen, but it's also encouraging. I'm sure many of us can think of times when we've put a lot of effort into a blog post, but no one comments. Those little bits of encouragement can help us to keep going when the going gets tough. 

Sign Up for Author Newletters

As the algorithms on social media have gotten tighter, author newsletters have become more important. For many authors, it's the main way they can let their readers know about their books, upcoming events, giveaways and so on.

This is a tricky one, because most of us get more emails than we can handle and we don't want more 'spam' to add to the mix. I must admit that I've sometimes subscribed to a newsletter and later unsubscribed because it was coming too frequently or it didn't contain anything of real interest to me. However, if authors give their readers something of value rather than just always urging them to 'buy my book', readers will want to subscribe and read their news. 

Try signing up for some newsletters of authors you like. If they pose a question to readers, spend a minute to respond. If you like something they said, tell them. If they've got a link to their latest blog, read it and leave a comment on the blog site. Some of these things only take a minute or two, but they can mean a lot to an author.

Pray

Sometimes authors will put prayer requests on social media or in their newsletters, and we can join them in their prayers. However, we could also get into the habit of praying more for each other. (I'm writing this to myself too, as I often forget to pray for fellow authors.) We can pray for the books or other manuscripts they're currently writing, we can pray for upcoming events, we can pray about personal issues that are affecting their ability to write, and we can engage in spiritual warfare on their behalf. The enemy is not going to be pleased if any of us are writing Christian books that can impact others, so we can expect attack. However, praise God that He is stronger and His Word will prevail. I felt like I was under attack in the days leading up to my latest book launch, and it meant a lot to know that the members of my home group were praying for me. Everything went smoothly, thanks to God. Let's not neglect the importance of praying for each other.

Caveats

Are you feeling overwhelmed by all of these ideas? The good news is that you don't have to do them all. In fact, that would be impossible. We all have things that we need to do each day and social media can be a big time waster. However, it also has its advantages. It doesn't take long to 'like' someone's social media post, write a comment on their blog post, or answer a question they've asked in their newsletter.

There's also the 'do unto others' principle. If you're an author and you want people to write reviews of your books, comment on your posts or sign up for your newsletter, you need to be willing to do the same for others. I've written a previous post on that topic and you can read it here. We're all part of the Christian writing community and we operate best when the whole body is functioning well and supporting each other.

So what about you? Are there any of these things you could do right now? Are there a couple of these things you could do sometime this week? If we're intentional, we're more likely to do it, so let's support each other as part of God's team.

Have you already tried some of these things or do you have other suggestions? I'd love to hear your responses.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine loves weaving words of courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel 'Scattered' was shortlisted for the 2021 CALEB Awards. Her second book 'Comfort Zone: A 40-Day Devotional on the Father of All Comfort' was published by Armour Books in March 2025. She would love to connect with you through social media and her newsletter. For more information, see her website at www.nolalorraine.com.au

Photo Credits

Featured photo was taken at the launch of the anthology 'Symphony of Grace' edited by Anne Hamilton and Ruth Bonetti. The photo shows 17 of the 22 authors. Nola Lorraine author photo by Wayne Logan at Encouraging Photos. All other photos from Pixabay. Library by naobim, woman typing by jane13b, social media by AzamKamalov, newletter by LadyBB, and prayer by doungtepro.

By Your Love for One Another

Our collaboration from 2012

John 13:34-35 (NIV)

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

What a wonderful community we have as Australian Christian Writers.

 Having lead Omega Writers for four years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing connections made, friendships formed, cooperation enacted, partnerships agreed upon. In the few years since I passed that mantle onto Penny Reeve, that glorious network has continued to grow. It warms the heart to see a thriving community of Christian writers. As our region of the world is small (in numbers) there is so much to be gained by standing together to encourage and promote creative writing.

But that doesn’t mean we will always experience roses and sunshine.

 The closer we become, the more chance there is of us finding out each other’s faults. This likelihood is increased when authors choose to work together in cooperation on certain projects.

Just like every other family or community, there is going to be diversity of character, personality, experience.

Each of us will have a different way to write; a different way to discipline our process; different achievement goals; different perceptions of God’s Grace, and how it works; different social justice understandings, and how they should work. Goodness, we will barrack for different teams in sport, or won’t follow sport at all.

The thing about this wonderful colourful depth of experience and personality is that it is like two echidnas falling in love. How they come together must be done very carefully.

The thing we all have in common is our love for God, through the wonderful saving power of His son, Jesus Christ. That, and our passion for engaging a message of hope through writing.

Through my work with various Christian leadership and creative teams, I have found that this diversity means I work with leaders who don’t always agree. But so far, the grace of God in our midst has allowed most leadership teams to find consensus and move forward in grace and peace.

Most writers are leaders. A person who can discipline themselves to learn and apply from conception through to product is a person who has the ability to lead themselves, and most likely others around them.

I’ve worked in Christian leadership situations since I was sixteen. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the beautiful over forty something years. Sometimes we can be ugly. Sometimes we are offended. Sometimes we are reactive. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we are frustrated. And sometimes others see a version that is not our best self.

What do we do in these situations?

The opening Scripture: “…everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” sounds like good advice, but if we are honest, we don’t always feel very loving. Sometimes we’d like to give someone a piece of our mind.

In my long experience of conflict management (can you believe I’ve ever had conflict in my life? Joke) loving someone means submitting everything to God and asking for his wisdom and grace. We need His strategy in how to navigate towards restoration and His peace.  It isn’t always easy. Actually, I’ve never found it to be easy. 

That is the thing about love. If it is easy, it probably isn’t deep, abiding, Christ-like love.

I have a strong and bossy personality. A number of people have told me this over many years. I don’t like hearing it, as it’s usually delivered in a derogatory sense. Sure there might be a chuckle to go along with it, but I want to believe I’m a sweet easy-going personality. Needless to say, there has been more than one occasion when I’ve put my foot in my mouth, and followed it up by opening my mouth to change feet.  I don’t want to hurt anybody. But it is an inevitable part of being a strong and confident personality. So what do I do when someone reacts.

My human nature wants to fire up and shoot back, but the grace of God, which has grown to some degree in my life, calms me down, and I pause to reflect.

What have I done to cause this reaction? Has the other person got the wrong end of the stick, or have I been insensitive? Either way, I need to open up dialogue when the time is right, and apologise. Sometimes the apology goes like this: “I’m sorry that you were hurt by what I said. I perhaps didn’t express myself properly. This is what I really meant.”

Sometimes I realise I have been insensitive and what I said was a trigger or unnecessarily harsh. I just need to straight up apologise.

I have learned, however, that waiting for the right time is important. Blundering into a volatile situation, even with the best intentions, often adds insult to injury. Best to wait on God for His timing. But I keep the situation before him in prayer, and ask for the courage, grace and wisdom to reach out when it is right.

As our Christian writing community continues to grow, and as many of us form connections and working relationships, I encourage us all to reflect on the love and grace of God.

 One thing I know we would all want is for those around us to know we are Christians by our love for one another.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

Please look out this month for the release of 'My Funny Valentine' box set of sweet clean rom coms (NB not Christian Fiction). Our romantic comedy 'Daring Mr Darcy' is featured in this set. Loads of fun from Carolyn Miller and myself. Available for pre order now.

Also, a group of Australian Christian authors (+ one Kiwi and one American) have banded to release a series of contemporary Christian romance novels. The Trinity Lakes Romance series will start at the end of February with Narelle Atkin's 'Never Find Another You'. Available for pre-order now. 

My title, 'The Ocean Between Us' will be released next month.

 Meredith Resce, author of the 'Luella Linley - License to Meddle' series and the 'Heart of Green Valley' series. For more information please visit her website www.meredithresce.com

 

 

Shut Doors, Open Doors – by Ruth Bonetti

The times are a-changing sang 70’s folk singers. Fifty years later, we're buffeted by tidal waves crashing mayhem into our lives. How can we ride them rather than flounder and sink? 

Writers can express words of hope for the many who struggle around Australia, the globe. 

Fellow authors encourage

Did you sign up for NaNoWriMo? Did you meet the goal to write 50,000 words? For the uninitiated, like-minded writers group in a digital ‘cabin’ to encourage each other, joke, support and share emojis of chocolate and coffee. 

 

November is the cruellest month for tired teachers drowning in end of year concerts, student exams, reports. Plus their own performances. So I knew there was slim chance I’d meet the word count but hey, I enjoy the friendship. This year, I produced a teensy 670 words. But so what? Just to articulate a project prompts subconscious planning. My WriMo version can evolve over the next two months when teaching and performing halt. 

Other writing counts

There are many forms of writing besides that novel or screenplay. Emails to politicians, letters to the editor of a newspaper. Heartening messages to uplift those who share their despair on social media. Many dread uncertain futures. How can we reassure them–ourselves–that even as doors shut, others will open? 

Active vs. passive shutting

As I clear out my teaching studio for the year (maybe forever?) I'm heartened by a gospel spiritual that never seemed appropriate for primary school students:

Shut de door, keep out de devil

Shut de door, keep de devil in de night.

Shut de door, keep out de devil

Light a candle, everything’s alright. 

The Light of the World

The Holman Hunt painting reminds us to open our heart and life doors to Christ. 

One opening door is opportunities to share Christ's light with hurting, fearful people. To encourage those facing doors slamming on their career, business, mortgage – and life. 

Edicts from our rulers threaten that those who resist will be barred from public buildings. 

Was my November performance with Noosa Orchestra my last ever? The program included The Lark Ascending for solo violin and orchestra. I poured my heart into the supporting clarinet solos. 

The lark circles higher, soars, surmounts the ugliness of the present world. 

So, also we must lift up our hearts. 

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' (Jeremiah 29:11)

 

Keep looking up. 

ABOUT Ruth Bonetti

Ruth's many earlier books give practical support for confident performance of words and music, drawing on a lifetime of experience as a musician and educator. Her Trilogy Midnight Sun to Southern Cross has won awards including the CALEB Nonfiction prize. In coming writing, Ruth is open to a genre transition...

Blog (occasional!)

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Mentors, Godparents and the Writing Thing.

 ‘Me? She really asked if I would consider being her mentor?’

I was flabbergasted. Me. A mentor? I don’t know anything. I’m barely able to work through my own issues in life and someone wanted me to be their mentor? And what was a mentor supposed to do?

Would you believe me if I said I looked up the definition?

A wise and trusted counsellor or teacher. [Pft! Wise? I’ll probably have to look that up in the dictionary too, but I know I’m neither old enough or experienced enough to be wise.]

An influential senior sponsor or supporter. [Ha! I should never be left unsupervised, let-alone influence anyone.]

I checked the thesaurus, maybe there was a better fit than mentor — adviser, coach, guide, instructor, trainer, tutor, counsellor … maybe not.

Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

Lisa Bevere released a new book in late 2020 called, Godmothers — Why You Need One. How to Be One. For some reason I remembered this book after my friend and I had this bizarre conversation about mentoring and thought I would check it out. I mean, I have a young niece / goddaughter who lives interstate and I sadly don’t have much contact with her (purely my fault - life and all that) and isn’t mentoring kind of like being a godparent or part thereof?

Someone to whisper a blessing and a word of courage over your life. Someone to help you close your gaps. A guide who sees your potential waiting to be recognised, your challenges in need of transformation, and your questions requiring honest answers.

— Lisa Bevere

Looking back on accepting the opportunity to write blogposts on this website full of far more experienced, wise and knowledgeable writers than I, I remember feeling the exact same way as I did about the possibility of mentoring someone. 

Me? Write a post, on writing, for Christian writers … who would read it? I had nothing to say. My ‘so-called’ voice was still being developed. I didn’t have a published book, or short story, or poem or article or any other form of writing document. I did however have a very poor, first draft of a novel, a small group of friends who knew I liked to write and an open opportunity to have a go. Was it the right thing to do? I didn’t think so at the time. Was it the right thing for me? Well, let’s just say, that same very poor draft which has been edited here and there over the years (and has miles to go—according to me) was my submission to the Caleb Awards last year. I was one of the finalists in my category.

 

When we’re afraid of succeeding at the wrong thing, we run the risk of doing nothing. 

— Lisa Bevere.

Those of you who linked in to the Omega Writers Online Retreat last month would have heard Edie Melson speak on Soul Care for Writers. One of my take-aways from her session seems quite small and ironically and hilariously something you’d think a writer, any writer would be already doing. Writing. But not just writing all the stories we have bunched up in our heads, writing down our hopes and fears. Writing though the doubts that constantly hammer each of us everyday. Writing out the logical-sounding ‘why I can’ts' and working through these oppositions with the one thing we like doing the most.

The importance of an idea, dream, or hope can be measured by the opposition you experience when you dare to embrace it. 

—Lisa Bevere.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

I know from experience (I can say that now), you don’t need to be the best writer, you don’t need to have something published, you don’t need to feel wise or knowledgeable for that matter. Everyone (yes, I’m talking to you) regardless of what path you’re going through in your journey with Christ, you have something to contribute to this writing community. Be bold. Be brave, or don’t be, but put yourself out there anyway.

Words, whether written or spoken, have the power to highlight our paths. 

— Lisa Bevere.

If you think you might want to try your hand at writing a post for Christian Writers Downunder and have been a contributing member to our Facebook page and/or engaged via comments in these posts; and been apart of this group for more than 6 months, let us know. We’re looking for some new blood, a few new voices to help bring fresh ideas, encouragement and blessings on this wonderful writing community we have. You can contact us through our Facebook Page, comment below or email us at CWDBloggers@gmail.com.

A Good Storyteller

The Storyteller

Once upon a time

The plot thickens

Strange goings-on

That can't be good

I’m a good storyteller. 

That statement may sound either arrogant or the sign of someone who is extremely confident in their own ability.

However, it is a statement that each of us who attempt fiction or memoir need to know is true for them. 

As writers in the current competitive world of bookselling, it is also a statement that is possibly challenged and undermined on a regular basis.

Let me tell you a story:

About twenty-six years ago, before my first novel was published, I had been writing a lot, having discovered the joy of writing fiction. When my father’s sixtieth birthday was approaching, I decided I’d like to write a story about him. My dad is a larger-than-life character, and I had plenty of material from my childhood observations and from all the stories my grandmother used to tell me about my father. When I think about it, the storytelling gene came down from my grandmother. The first part of the book, I recounted tales told to me as a child. Then I interviewed my mother, and got some of the finer detail about Dad’s young adult years, and their story of romance and marriage. 

At the time of writing, I had not had the advantage of having attended writing workshops or even knowing what the editing and publishing process was about. I simply wrote from the heart, and told story after story about my dad—most of which had a lot of humour attached. I finished the book, and gave it to him printed on A4 paper and spiral bound. And that was that.

Three years later, I self-published my first piece of fiction, still without the benefit of the proper editorial processes and reviews. That title, to this date, has sold over 8000 copies in Australia and has had five editions.

Fast forward to recent years. Being a member of Omega Writers, having attended many conferences, read many blogs, consulted may experienced editors and writers, adjusted and reworked much of my work, I don’t have that happy, ignorant confidence I had when I first began. In fact, my current work, in my humble opinion, is far superior to what I wrote in the early days, and yet I struggle to find an international publisher, agent or even market. Confidence has crashed in direct inverse proportion to the increase in the quality of my work. I have talked about this with writing friends and colleagues, and while we can comfort each other, and encourage one another, it doesn’t usually make any difference to the quest to let our work fly free into the greater reading world.

So back to the story I wrote for my dad. 

 I was up visiting my now 86-year-old father on the farm a couple of weeks ago. My mum is still living there as well, and she is in the throes of writing her memoirs. Being a sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis, she is not very mobile anymore, and spends a lot of time at the computer. I was cooking dinner for them one evening, and mum asked if she could read a section of her memoirs to me. She began to read, and I was engaged and amused. It wasn’t long before I realised she was reading what I had written 26 years ago. 

‘I decided not to rewrite this section,’ she said, ‘as you’re such a good storyteller’.

Having just listened to it being read back to me, I agreed.

 By jingo, I am a good storyteller.

And then it struck me. The piece she had read was written pre-education. It was pre-editing and polishing. It was simple, unedited storytelling, and it was delightful.

So the message came to me to share with you:

Are you a good storyteller?

 The question isn’t: have you found a niche in the market?

 It’s not: have you found an agent who has accepted your work?

 It’s not even: Do you have a mailing list of thousands of fans who can’t wait to pre-order your book?

No.

The question is: are you a good storyteller? 

The answer to that question for me is: yes. Yes, I am a good storyteller. 

Will I ever find that agent, or that international market, or list of thousands of fans?

 Maybe. Maybe not.

 But have I delighted my readers over the years—well written or not? 

The answer to that question is a resounding yes. Though I cringe when I read any of my work pre 2012—head hopping everywhere, speech attributions galore, adverb heaven, and telling, telling, telling (who knew what showing was?)—the general feedback I get from anyone who admits to having read one or more of my books is: I love your books! 

These people pop up now and then, and are enthusiastic in their praise. Bless them. I want to apologise for all the poor writing, but they don’t even understand what I’m talking about. They engaged with story and character, and loved it. 

So …

I am a great storyteller. I also think I’m getting better as a writer.

How is it going for you?

 Do your family and friends love what you write? Are kids enthralled when you’re telling them what it was like ‘in the old days’ (you know, back in the 1970s when dinosaurs roamed the earth).

Chances are, you’re a good storyteller too, and there are those in your life who love the stories you tell.

 Getting agents, publishers and international markets to buy it is a whole other matter. But does that really matter, in the long run? Or do you get pleasure out of telling a story?


Meredith Resce
Author of 'The Heart of Green Valley' series; For All Time and many other titles
President of Omega Writers Australasia


Meredith's Website