Reilyn J. Hardy

My 5yo likes to tell herself stories before she falls asleep and she just came out to me in tears because she accidentally killed off a character.

There’s a fic on fanfiction(.)net that I’ve kept tabs on for years to see if it’s been updated or not. While I’m no longer even in the fandom it’s written for, it just has one of the greatest storylines I’ve ever read. Last time it was updated was 2011.

This actually goes for traditionally published authors (and probably self-published authors), too. When you get a book published, unless it’s an instant bestseller or something a publisher has thrown a lot of marketing dollars behind for whatever reason, there’s often a small splash in the four weeks on either side of publication and then, basically, crickets. (I saw a writer on Twitter describe it recently as “a firestorm of silence.”) That can be really daunting for authors–especially new ones! The best thing you can do for them if you liked their book (and want to see more of their work) is to leave reviews, talk the book up on social media, and keep recommending it even after the launch excitement has died down.

i'm ugly, but

If they don’t like what you’re bringing to the table let them eat alone. Simple as that.