Six Reasons Why Fellow Authors Should be Your Friends not Foes

I write a post awhile back about things authors should neverdo. One of them was about attacking fellow authors over the internet for their different point of view. I argued that it was bad if a reader saw the post and that may turn you away from your books. But I didn’t make clear that fellow authors shouldn’t be just people on the screen or enemies to be driven down. They should be your friends. And here are six reasons as to why.

1.       They have experiences you can learn from

Yes, we all may think we are brilliant, but we aren’t. There are some areas in which all of us are lacking. For every author it is different, which means some authors will have great experiences and advice on an area you may struggle with. Be friends to get their golden words of wisdom and it will help your career.

2.       They can help in your marketing

Marketing is more effective if it comes from someone else. If you become friends with fellow authors and you share some of their work, they might share some of your work: Allowing you to reach more people.

3.       They can allow you to reach readers you don’t know

This is especially true for writers in the same genre. Even if you have more followers or likes on social media – I bet your fellow writers will have some different. By sharing and helping each other you gain exposure to more readers without having to do too much work.

4.       Your products are not in competition

This is the funny one for me. People seem to think that each book competes with another. While this is true in some regards, i.e. a reader may only be able to buy one book – for the most parts it is not. Most readers will buy their books based on if they like the cover, blurb, inside look, etc. If it is a choice between two books this month and they choose another, then maybe next month they’ll come back for yours.

5.       It could be your book not the others that are losing you sales

Interesting concept huh? Not really. As above readers choose their books based on several factors. If you get those right you get a sale. If you don’t then there is something wrong. It could be as simple as you’re an unknown author and they don’t want to risk it, or it could be the cover, blurb or preview. That is something the other author cannot change.

6.       It’s lonely when you have foes not friends

Being a writer is a lonely job. Why not add some fun into your day and engage in conversation on social media with fellow authors. There is nothing better than sharing anecdotes about your writing and books with another writer.

I hope you have enjoyed this list. If you have any questions / comments or would like to add another reason, please feel free to comment.

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