Soon after being
released from Ravensbruck concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom began a worldwide
ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation that took her to more than sixty
countries over several decades. During
those years, she was billeted in the homes of hundreds of people, and experienced
their warm hospitality. She thanked God
for these wonderful hosts, but also credited her parents with planting
the seeds of generosity. All throughout
her childhood and into adulthood, their home was open to anyone. There was
always an extra place at the table, a word of encouragement and an open
ear. Corrie later reaped the benefits of
her family’s hospitality.
We’ve all heard the
adage ‘do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Lk. 6:31), but do we
apply this in our writing? We’re
fortunate that there are supportive writing groups like Christian Writers
Downunder, Australasian Christian Writers, Omega Writers and FaithWriters. All of these groups emphasise community and
helping each other. However, I’ve also
seen the other side where some writers exude a sense of entitlement. They want everyone to support their writing,
but are reluctant to help others in return.
Such a person might join a group of writers purely to market their own
book without giving anything back to the community; or they might expect their
publisher to nurture and promote their book, yet be reluctant to even share
posts about their publisher’s books, services and events.
‘Give, and it will be
given to you. A good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.’ (Lk. 6:38)
How can we apply that
in the marketing of our books? Here are
a few suggestions to ponder.
- If you want people to review your book on sites such as Amazon or Goodreads, you must be prepared to review other authors’ books. (See my post about reviews here).
- If you expect others to buy your book, you need to be willing to purchase other people’s books. If your budget is a problem, see my suggestions later in this post.
- If you expect people to share your book news on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram; you need to do the same for them.
- If you want someone to give you feedback on your manuscript, you need to be prepared to give them feedback on their writing.
- If you want people to comment on your blog, you need to comment on other people’s blogs.
- If you want people to subscribe to your newsletter, give them something in return (e.g. a special offer or some subscriber-only benefits, such as a free story).
- If you want people to help you with events such as workshops, book fairs and book launches, you need to be willing to lend a hand to others.
I could go on, but I
think you get the idea. If we’re going
to support each other as a community of writers, we need to give before we
take.
There are some caveats
to what I’ve been saying. Firstly, we need to watch our attitudes. We should help others because we genuinely want to support and encourage them, not just because we want something out of it. People can spot a phony a mile away and no-one likes being used.
Secondly, ‘doing unto others’ doesn’t mean we give someone a five-star review because they gave us a five-star review. Honesty is critical. There have been times when I’ve started reading a book with every intention of posting a review, but then felt I couldn’t really endorse it. If it’s an author I know personally, I’ve chosen to not review the book rather than post a negative review. There have also been times when I’ve been asked to share a Facebook post or tweet, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. This could be due to the content or to other practical considerations (e.g. I'd shared other posts recently and didn't want to spam my friends and followers).
Secondly, ‘doing unto others’ doesn’t mean we give someone a five-star review because they gave us a five-star review. Honesty is critical. There have been times when I’ve started reading a book with every intention of posting a review, but then felt I couldn’t really endorse it. If it’s an author I know personally, I’ve chosen to not review the book rather than post a negative review. There have also been times when I’ve been asked to share a Facebook post or tweet, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. This could be due to the content or to other practical considerations (e.g. I'd shared other posts recently and didn't want to spam my friends and followers).
Time and money
constraints can also be issues. It only takes
a couple of seconds to retweet a message on Twitter, but it can take ten hours
or more to read someone’s draft manuscript and provide constructive feedback. For that reason, I’ve decided to only do that
favour for my critique partners. Most
people don’t have endless pots of money to buy books, but we can still help
authors and publishers by borrowing a book from a library or a friend, and then
posting a review. Some authors and publishers will be happy to give you an Advanced Reader Copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. If you sign up to NetGalley,
you can also receive free e-books in exchange for reviews.
Nola Passmore has had more than 150 short pieces published, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles, and academic papers. She and her husband Tim run a freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish. You can find her weekly writing tips blog on their website.
Website: http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NolaPassmore
