The Feed and Caring of Your Favorite Authors

We all have favorite authors and you may be surprised that after you put down that last, wonderful book there are actually some things you can do for THEM:

1. Buy your favorites the week they come out. This may seem weird, but bestseller lists are not based upon how many books your favorite author sells. They are based on how quickly they sell those copies. Someone had emailed me when Scandalous hit the Waldenbooks list to say how happy they were that I'd hit the list so early. But the fact is that my only real chance to hit any list at any time in my career will be the first and second weeks my book is out. The reason? That's the best chance I have for people to run out and buy it all at once. Bestseller lists are based on velocity and you have the best chance of getting velocity the first week of sales. So if you have a choice, try to buy your favorite author's book in the first days it hits the shelves.

2. Share your thoughts! Especially if you love a book, write an email or post on an author's message board! Most writers, from the newest debut to the biggest bestseller lives in constant fear that this is going to be the book that everyone hates and puts their career into the toilet. Getting a few kind words from a reader is always welcome (though every author may not respond based on their deadlines and other things).

3. Put it out there. If you liked an author's book, post a review on Amazon. Sometimes it seems like people only leave public feedback when they hate a book. In detail. So it's nice to have a few nice reviews to counteract those comments and also to give a more balanced rating in case someone is shopping Amazon before they buy an author's book.

4. Tell a friend. Word of mouth is one of the biggest sellers of books, movies and music. So when you love something, set it free. Make a recommendation! Introduce someone you care about to an author who makes you happy.

Otherwise, just know that every author I know is sitting down trying to write the very best, most romantic, most entertaining book in her power! And we all hope that we succeed in giving you a few hours of pleasure.