Happy Agent Monday, everyone! Phew, it’s been quite a summer. My debut picture book GREEN GREEN: A COMMUNITY GARDENING STORY (FSG/Macmillan, co-authored with my husband Baldev, and illustrated by Sonia Sanchez) just came out. That means I’ve been doing a number of book signings and radio interviews and author appearances. Simply put, a book must be found by readers if it’s going to be successful — so authors must do promotion. The truth, however, is that an author can only do so much, and because of this, many books are just never found by readers — even readers who would really want that book. What we really need for our book to be found and to succeed is reader promotion. Do you have a friend or family member with a new book out? Then they and their book need your help – big time! You can make a huge difference fast, no matter where you live. Best of all, it won’t cost you a cent. Here are six simple ways that you can be their book hero :
(1) Have a library card? Then you can tell your library to order the book. Simply go onto your library’s website, and request that they order it! On my library’s site, I can click on Catalog, and there on the right side of the page is “Item Request.” Imagine if every friend and relative that knew your author buddy did that? And imagine how great it will be for readers all over the country to discover that book on their library shelves!
(2) On Goodreads? If you mark the book as “to read,” all your followers on Goodreads will see it! Give it a bunch of stars as a rating, and they’ll see that, too. Or go for the whole enchilada and write a review! These all really matter, because nothing is more valuable than word of mouth, and making a book visible to potential readers. You can also enter it on various lists on the site that apply, like Best New Picture Books, or something like that? 😉
(3) Read the book and loved it? Then say so – to your friends, to your book group, to your librarian, and bookseller. Write up a review – even if it’s something REALLY simple and short, like “Wow, loved this!” And don’t feel you have to write that review over and over on different sites — just copy and paste your review in. Where can you put it? Go for Goodreads, barnesandnoble.com, amazon, librarything.com, etc. And don’t forget your social media spots, like Facebook and Twitter.
(4) Stopping by a bookshop? Then find the book on the shelf, pull the copy out and re-position it so that it is cover out, vs. spine out, so it’ll be seen easier. That simple move can make the difference of someone skimming past it, vs. noticing it, picking it up and buying it. You could ask the bookseller if you could do this, or, sssh, go covert and just do it on the sly…
(5) Support your author by retweeting their posts and reviews, and plain old showing up at a signing just to show you are on their team. Don’t feel you have to buy the book if you don’t want to or can’t afford it. Just showing up and cheering the author on will be much appreciated, believe me.
(6) Have a blog? Perhaps invite the author to guest post or do a Q&A on your site. It’s all about being seen by others.
So there you have it – 6 simple, easy and FREE ways you can be your author buddy’s book hero. It isn’t about spreading money around. It’s about helping to spread the word. And if you get a few others in on doing this with you, it’ll magnify the positive results for your author in HUGE WAY.
Your author friend will definitely feel the love. And their wonderful book will make it into more hands, all because of you. I hope you’ll share these tips with others. And I sincerely hope this info helps those wonderful books written by the wonderful people you care about. And to all the wonderful people who continue to support my books – I send my deep and heartfelt thanks!
*Marie is a Literary Agent at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency in New York City. To keep up with all her Agent Monday posts, subscribe to her site.
“They say it’s your BIRTHDAY!” Yup, it’s true. Today is the official publication day of 
And thank you to the many folks in my life who continue to support this wacky writer! My family, my wonderful friends, my network of amazing writer buddies…my community! You’ve all helped me grow. 🙂 And thank you to the fabulous network of bookstore friends, librarians, and schools who are sharing GREEN GREEN! And to readers out there? Adults who take the time to sit with a child in their lap and make a book come to life for a child? Wow. You are the real heroes of any book.
Marie Lamba, author 