There are several ways to show support for your favorite authors and you don’t even have to purchase their books.
Probably the easiest way is to word-of-mouth. If you like (or dislike) the book, tell other folks. Continue the dialogue by asking others what they're reading or what they'd recommend.
Another way to show support is to visit websites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and Shelfari and leave reviews of the books you’ve read. They don’t have to be elaborate and long. Simply a few sentences on why you like, or didn’t like a book, and give it a rating.
If you don’t like to write (because you prefer to leave that up to writers), you can just leave a rating for a book. Or if you see a review you like, such as those on Amazon, click to show that it was helpful or wasn’t helpful to you.
You also can join discussion groups that are provided at book-related websites. While you're expressing an opinion about a book, or author, you can also read opinions from others that can help guide you to new books and authors.
And another way to show support for authors is by checking out their books in the library. Librarians keep tab on circulation, and those books that gather dust on the shelves often end up in library book sales. You also can request a librarian to order a book for the their collection. Librarians like recommendations because they realize quite a few good books fall through the cracks.
Of course, if you want to spend a few dollars to support your local author, you can buy their books. But I think you already know that.
