Like books? Thank an author.

An author friend of mine, who I think is an amazing writer, recently stated that sometimes he felt like he was performing inside an empty music hall. Many other authors responded that they felt the same way at one time or another.

The fact is that being an author is a fairly lonely process. Hours upon hours are spent imagining, writing, re-writing, editing, and then proofing their work before they send it off into the world.

There are outlets for authors to get feedback, like Goodreads, Amazon and when the author does events like signings and such—yet I believe those avenues aren’t an accurate representation of what people in general think about a particular book.

I’ll admit that at times I’ve wondered, “Is anyone even reading my work? Would anyone care if I never published anything ever again?” And then there are those magical moments that make it all worth it.

I was recently at a school and I introduced myself. A student raised his hand and asked, “Did you write The Hidden Sun?” I answered that I had—wondering how he’d heard of it. He then said, “I loved that book! When’s the next one coming out?” When I told him it was already out—and had been since May, he freaked. “Really? No way! I soooo need that book!”

When I got a chance to ask him later about where he’d heard about The Hidden Sun, he said, “My cousin read it and told us it was really good. I’ve told my friends. They are going to be excited to learn the next one is out!”

So, yes, this is somewhat self-serving, but if you’ve enjoyed a book—let the author know somehow—like visiting their website and leaving a note, or posting a nice review on one of the many book sites out there.

A little positive feedback given to an author goes a long way.