Buying Books

Although I've written for many years and published in over forty magazines, I'm relatively new to publishing books. It has been 22 months since my first book came out in the print version, and I can honestly say this has definitely been a time of learning and several surprises. One thing that has astounded me is the fact that writers don't seem to buy books from other authors, unless it is something they need for their writing or research.

Because I now know how much this means to authors, I make it a point to go out of my way to purchase books, especially from those I like to read, local authors, and authors I know. I've bought books I may never read because they're not in a genre I enjoy, but I wanted to show my support. I go to book signings with the intention of buying, because I think if I want people to buy my books I need to be a buyer as well. However, I don't see much of this happening elsewhere, and it puzzles me. 

In addition, authors don't tend to leave book reviews, although we all know how much they mean. I leave an amazon review for every book I read. It's a way to log and keep up with them, and I know how important reviews are. As we start the new year, I leave these thoughts for readers and writers to ponder. I know our resources aren't unlimited, but I do think we could do a better job of supporting each other.

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