Be like Samwise and Frodo and Help a Writer Out

In this guest post, Sharon Wagner, author of The Levitation Game, considers ways that writers (and friends and family of writers) can help support fellow writers. 

Friendship isn’t like a Lifetime movie. Often, our tribe can disappoint us. No one knows this better than a newbie writer. Most of us are counting on our friends and family to be early readers and the choir that will exalt our praises on social media when our masterpiece lands on Amazon. These are the same friends and family that sent brownies when we studied for exams in college. They saved us from life’s bullies, attended our weddings, and always remembered our birthdays. They even helped us carry box after box when we moved into our first apartment. They may even let us cry on their shoulders if our sales are bleak or we’ve received a rotten review. Thank God they love us because publishing a book is akin to reaching the hell fires of Mordor, dodging monster reviewers, and barbs and arrows while clutching our precious tome between white knuckles. Indeed, taking our manuscript from an unedited draft to a golden book is an epic journey like in The Lord of the Rings. Will our books succeed? Or will they burn? Only the Eye of Sauron sees all. Or maybe Jeff Bezos.

Writers want a friend like Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. Samwise follows his best friend, Frodo Baggins, to Mordor, intent on destroying a powerful golden ring coveted by dark forces. Carrying the ring is a deadly burden for Frodo, and if Samwise could take the lethal object instead, he would do it. Now that’s friendship. If Frodo had written a book, Samwise would have preordered it and shared Frodo’s precious words on social media. He would have shouted the news from the top of a Hobbit-hole and brought a copy to stash in the Shire’s little library. But your best friend probably won’t do any of this. That’s why you need to support other writers; they will understand when you need a literary friend.

“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.” ~ John Wooden

Here are some spirited reminders to help you find your Samwise:

1. Have you read a writing article that inspired you? Reach out to the author and tell them what their words meant to you. Express what you learned and thank them. I reached out to an author once who wrote an excellent piece for Author’s Publish, and eventually, she blurbed my debut novel. Flash forward; she’s an editor at a small press and asked me to be part of an anthology. We’ve had each other’s backs numerous times, and it started with a simple email. Samwise carried Frodo many times; if you carry another author, they might schlep around with you, too. Oh, and that short story I wrote for my editor friend went on to win an honorable mention in the 2024 Writer’s Digest competition, so it was a double win. 
2. Do you have an author newsletter? I hope so. Most importantly, subscribe to other debut authors’ newsletters and actually read them. Maybe you can do a cross-promotion with them—a newsletter swap. But you won’t win many Sams if you don’t open their newsletters, learn from their promotional efforts, and connect with them.
3. Don’t burn bridges. I had a bad experience with two successful authors before my debut launched. They left me in the lurch, and I had to search for new blurb candidates. But I didn’t burn those bridges, and I’m still friends with one of them on Facebook. When I have good literary news, he’ll like my post. I want to play the long game. Perhaps this author will help carry my ring someday, on one finger or another, and keeping those connections could pay off in the long run.
4. Don’t forget to review your writing mentor’s books. I’m in a successful author’s Facebook group, and when she launched a new novel, I read and reviewed it, even though she hadn’t read or reviewed my book. But she was happy to follow me on Instagram, and maybe someday she’ll hold my ring!
5. Be kind. After losing two blurb authors, I gained a best-selling author in my genre by reaching out with humble sincerity. Afterward, I shared her book on Instagram multiple times. Pay it forward, and you may reap future rewards. 
6. Support your writing group peers when they publish a book; hopefully, they will support you someday. It seems obvious, but some peers might withhold help like a stingy Gollum. But you’re smart enough to play the long game.
7. Follow other authors published at your imprint or press, and maybe they’ll follow you. They are your peeps and might be building a following just like you.

I’m no expert at connections, and I wish I had more golden influencers, networks, contacts, and friends in the industry. But paying it forward is good business, and this is a friendly nudge. Good luck!

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” ~ Saint Augustine