Reader Appreciation

posted by gullar sahir

Writing and publishing is a CRAZY business!

There, I said it, and I know none of the Banditas will disagree with me. (And no, not just because they are scared of my riding crop.)

Another statement on which I'm SURE all the Banditas (pubbed and AYU alike) will agree is:

READERS ARE THE GREATEST!

Back in the day when I was AYU (As Yet Unpublished) I lived for those occasions when my critique partners or beta readers would tell me how much they enjoyed a certain chapter or passage in one of my WIPs. Written words of praise from contest judges or agents and editors (even if they were on a rejection letter) I treasured for the pearls they really were!

Even though I am now a multi-published author (Aunty supresses a tiny squee of joy), not much has changed. Hearing from readers that they enjoyed one of my books, whether it is an email, snail mail letter, or phone call from a friend, is the high point of any day!

Fan mail truly makes all the other craziness worthwhile.

But how can us writers let readers know how very much we appreciate them? Well, I tried to do my part. Last Sunday I threw a party for all my local friends and readers. "Officially" it was a Launch Party to celebrate the release of The Treasures of Venice. But "unofficially" it was an excuse for me to get together with everyone who could be there and give them pizza, cake, and sign copies of their books.

It was all great fun, and I got to see friends and former co-workers I hadn't connected with in weeks, months, or in some cases years. Since the book had already been on store shelves and shipped from online sellers for a couple of weeks, a lot of people had already read it. That meant I got to hear how much they enjoyed the story. "When is your next book coming out?" was a question I happily answered at least a dozen times.

Okay, so maybe the party wasn't entirely an altruistic gesture on my part. I enjoyed all the LOVE 'my baby' kept getting from everyone. And all those 'atta girl' pats on the back weren't bad either.

Yes, I have every intention of throwing another Launch Party when my next book is released. I just wish more of the Banditas and the BBs and all my wonderful online readers could be there!

What about you? If you're an author, what are some things you do to show your readers how much you appreciate them? Besides writing more great books, of course. And for all you fantastic readers, what can we authors do to show you that you really are appreciated?