Until a few years ago, I was under the mistaken impression that most authors were making comfortable livings writing books and drinking coffee all day. The hard truth is, most authors make less than $5,000 annually from book sales, and according to NPD BookScan, the average book published today is selling less than 300 print copies over its lifetime. Not only that, they’re not even finding their way onto the shelves where we buy books. Steven Piersanti, Senior Editor, Berrett-Koehler Publishers says, “a book has far less than a 1 percent chance of being stocked in a particular bookstore.”

So why do writers bother when the odds are so painfully stacked against us? I can’t speak for all writers, but for me, the stories swirling in my brain are begging to get out, and if I didn’t write, I might as well not breathe. Putting pen to paper and keyboard clicks to screen are a life-force.

Even more than I love writing, I love reading. Getting lost in other worlds and falling in love with imaginary friends on big adventures never gets old. I love books. But if I were to fill my library (I don’t have a library. I have a crowded home office with two bookshelves stacked two books deep) with every book I’ve read and every author I want to support, I’d be out of space and money. I rely of libraries and swapping books with friends to feed my passion, but I still want to support authors and help them overcome that staggering 1%. Here are some ways we can all show love for our favorite writers without breaking the budget. Or being buried alive under endless volumes of paperbacks:

1. Borrow books from libraries. Authors earn money when libraries stock their titles.
2. Review books on sites like Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. The algorithms favor books with more reviews. Meaning, the more reviews a book has, the more likely it is to be seen online by potential readers. There are some arguments as to whether or not readers who hated the book should leave one and two-star reviews. The obvious issue is that they can hurt sales. However, in this era, mixed reviews can add authenticity and prove that a book isn’t being overhyped by spam bots or only being read by the author’s grandmother’s friends.
3. Subscribe to the author’s newsletter and check out the website. It helps them build search engine visibility and improves their marketability for future book deals. Connecting with authors through their websites also increases future book sales, as we are all more likely to preorder a title from someone we’ve made a connection with than from a stranger.
4. Recommend books. I’m much more likely to try a new author if a friend recommends them to me or if I’ve seen recommendations on Facebook reader groups. And I know y’all feel the same way because I recently looked up a particular Christian Fiction rom-com based on recommendations I’d seen online, and there was a six month wait to borrow this book from the library.
5. Like and follow authors on social media. While the research is showing likes and follows don’t necessarily equate to book sales, the overwhelming philosophy still supports authors with the largest followings snag the best publishing deals.
6. Did I mention write book reviews? Yeah, do that! They don’t have to be flowery or eloquent. A simple “This made me laugh” or “so good” are sufficient.