Although the lyrics of that old Beatles song fail to reflect the comprehensive character of my personal worldview, there’s definitely a sense in which I get by with a little help from my friends. Every writer knows the importance of networking.

A writer can’t construct a platform without building name recognition, which requires networking through social and printed media. A writer can’t get anything published without coming into contact with a publishing representative who expresses interest in the work, and that usually means networking at a conference. Even after publication, a writer relies on networking through online contacts and old-fashioned word of mouth to market and sell books.

Writers, perhaps more than any other profession, get by with a little (or a lot) of help from their friends.

Friends help writers by supporting their work and spreading the word. Tell people about it. Mention it on Facebook or your blog. Write and post reviews on Amazon and other sites. And, of course, you should buy the book. Buy a copy for yourself. Buy copies to give as gifts. But, please, do buy it. That’s the only way writers earn money and know that they should keep writing.

You would be astounded how many people tell writers, “You wrote a book, didn’t you? I thought about buying it.” I wonder how many writers reply, “Well, why didn’t you? Do you like working for nothing?”

Since I get by with a little help from my friends, I’m giving a little help to a friend today. Yvonne Anderson has written some of the most extraordinary books I’ve ever read. They’re a hybrid of sci-fi and Christian fiction that falls into the speculative fiction genre. They’re well-written with fascinating plots and, with a little help from her friends, should take off into hyper-drive.

The Story in the Stars, first in the Gateway to Gannah series, is available from Amazon in Kindle or paperback.

The second book in the series, Words in the Wind, is also available in paperback or Kindle form.

You may not ordinarily read either sci-fi or Christian fiction, but anyone who appreciates good writing and an engaging plot will enjoy these novels. In fact, someone who writes about actively avoiding the topic of religion posted a positive review here.

I’ve mentioned Yvonne and her books before:

in this interview with her,

in my review of her first Gateway to Gannah novel, The Story in the Stars,

and in my review of her second Gannah novel, Words in the Wind, 

as well as in a few other posts on this blog. Do a search if you’d like to read more about her work or check out her cleverly-named blog, Y’s Words.