All the Ways You Can Support Writers
Support doesn’t always cost you money as a reader!
After I wrote a snarky response to James Patterson’s bullshit about reverse racism, some people reached out and asked what they can do to help.
To start, I recommend tracking the diversity in your own reading. I started tracking how many woman authors I read several years ago. After I crossed the 50% mark there, I started tracking how many POC and LGBT authors I was reading. I don’t have any rules for this, but it’s good for me to keep a finger on the pulse of my own habits. I seek out voices that are different from mine, and different from the old-white-straight-christian/christian-adjacent man establishment.
In addition to looking at your own reading habits, there are some things you can do publicly to support authors. If you want to support diversity in publishing, or just publishing in general, here are all the ways I know of to support authors:
- Buy books — This sometimes feels like a “No, duh” moment, but every purchase helps. Yes, sales put money in an author’s pocket, but they also shape the possibilities of future book contracts. No sales? No contracts. Buy books as gifts, buy them and donate them to shelters or schools, buy them and read them, buy them and display them as a collection. Just buy them!
