5 Ways to Love a Writer

(Let's keep it PG, though.)

TL;DR

5 totally PG ways to love a writer this Valentine’s Day:

1. Buy their Book (duh)

2. Review their Book (pretty please)

3. Share about their Book (you’re always complaining about needing post ideas, so here’s an easy one)

4. Send them a Message (DM, email, carrier pigeon, whatever)

5. Buy their Other Stuff (like 1:1 consulting, merch, etc.)

Yesterday, I received an unexpected Pal-entine’s Day gift (a.k.a., Feb. 13th) from a recent LinkedIn connection. She left me a voice message:

“I just felt compelled to send you a quick voice message to tell you how much I’m enjoying your book… I just love how you say ‘don’t start with the Why’ and you’re funny, and it’s a great read, and I just wanted to let you know.”

Well, let me tell you, those words quite literally made my day. And it got me thinking…

There’s SO many different ways you can share the love with the writers in your life. But don’t worry, I’ll keep this decidedly Safe For Work, okay?

1. Buy Their Book(s)

   I’m not trying to be Captain Obvious. I’m trying to be Major Obvious. Go. Buy. Their. Book. Look, I like the library too, but given that most of us only see a few dollars from royalties, make sure you actually buy it. You can always gift it to someone else later or thrift it later if needed.

2. Review Their Book(s)

   This one’s huge. If you’ve read even just a couple chapters of someone’s book—and liked it—go give them a review on Amazon or Goodreads. If you benefited at all, go give it a 4 or 5 star review. Here’s a handy guide to help:

   

   Speaking of, I’m stuck at unlucky 13 reviews currently. Just sayin’.

3. Share About Their Book(s)

   We all know that social media is for talking about yourself, positioning yourself, yadda yadda yadda. No one talks about me online more than me. That’s the nature of the beast. And that’s why it means so much when you choose to give up one of your posts to talk about how someone else’s book helped you. (Especially if it’s my book and you have 10 million followers. Let’s make that happen.) I’ve had people randomly post pictures of my book on their socials and it always sends my heart all a-flutter.

4. Send Them a Message

   Since the release of Start With Story, I’ve had multiple people reach out to me in my DMs to tell me what the book has meant to them and how it’s helping unleash their Inner Storyteller. One of my clients even bought it and said, “Okay, now all of this makes sense.” Reach out and tell someone how you liked their book. They might just respond back.

5. Buy Their Other Stuff

   Most writers can’t live off their royalties (see #1). Which means they have to offer up some other kind of service: Speaking, consulting, or even merch. That’s why I started up both an Etsy shop last year and a Stan Store this year.

   

   And though I’m not getting rich off of either (yet), it’s always cool when I get a notification. Not because of the money (I make, like, $3 on a mug), but because of the community.

And if you’re a paid subscriber, I’ve got some love to share with you, so make sure you scroll down to read more.

Until next time, keep telling your story.

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