There are lots of things you can do to help your favourite authors. Authors need your help. The reality is that there are thousands of new books published each day and it is becoming harder and harder to sell books. This is true of traditionally published and self-published authors.

"But authors are giving their books away free, they don't need my help," I hear you say.

When authors give away books free, it's because they are trying to find readers, readers who will read their books and tell others about them. Unfortunately, this is backfiring; with so many books being given away free these days, there are millions of unread books sitting on Kindles. Many will never be read.

"What can I do to help?" you ask.

Here are some ideas:

When you read a book you love, leave a review. The best places to leave reviews are Amazon, and Goodreads. There are lots of other websites out there as well. Leave your review everywhere you can.

Word of mouth is still the most effective method for selling any product. If you like a book, tell your friends.

Last week, I wrote a list of 50 books worth reading and nearly 2000 people have viewed it in under a week. This proves people love recommendations. They want to read a book that's been recommended by someone else. Why not make a list of your own if you have a blog?

The harsh reality is that most writers will never make a living from their books. Most are working day jobs. If they don't sell books, they will stop writing at some point out of necessity. Bills need to be paid, food must be bought, etc.

The best thing you can do for your favourite writers is buy their books. If, for example, you've read a book by that author without paying for it -- maybe a friend lent it to you, or you downloaded it free -- why not buy one of that author's other books?

Also, NEVER download a book free unless it's advertised on the author's official website or as part of a free promotion on Amazon or other booksellers, by the author. There are many pirate sites out there that will offer free downloads. They are not approved by the authors. Many of those sites also contain malware that might be downloaded when you download the book and could potentially harm your computer.

Request your favourite authors' books at your local library. Order them in your local bookshops. Getting the books on shelves helps with promotion. More people will find out about them.

Follow your favourite authors on Twitter. 'Like' their Facebook Pages. Share their books on Facebook and Twitter and your other social media sites.

Don't let your favourite author be the one who stops writing because she/he can't afford to carry on writing.

You might think that you can't make a difference, but you can. Read, review, recommend.

If anyone has other ideas about how readers can help, please feel free to add them to the comment section below.

Happy Reading!