I do not have the biggest following ever yet, but I do have some devoted fans a little over a year and a half after releasing my first book. One of the best things anyone ever told me is that I am their favorite author; this reader came from my Touken Ranbu fanfic days but has now jumped over to my original fiction, which is great.

This is an attainable goal for any good writer. I’m not uniquely charismatic; in fact, I’ve been a friendless loser for a significant portion of my life. The reason I’ve attracted and retained these fans comes down to mindset moreso than talent or magnetism.

Here, I’ll break down some factors I’ve noted make you more likely to achieve a loyal readership. This isn’t comprehensive, as I’m not omniscient, but I do hope it will get you noticed.

Assume your readers are intelligent.

I discussed this aspect in detail by breaking down bad book marketing, but it bears repeating.

No one likes to be talked down to unless they have a humiliation fetish. This makes your books feel condescending; plus, it makes others view you as less approachable, which is exactly what you don’t want as an author.

You do not need to spell out everything in nauseating detail, nor do you need to walk your readers through the entire backstory of the world. It’s okay to leave things a bit vague.

Additionally, try to avoid using too many big words. This isn’t about dumbing things down, but building common ground with your readers. Having to look up a word every single page is frustrating, and it’s going to turn people off. When you do use unique words, couch them in plenty of context clues. People will get what you mean.

Build a website.

I know I always harp on the fact that you need a website, but it truly is key. This becomes a public repository of your material, improves SEO, and ensures readers always know how to find you.

And stay consistent with your website, or it won’t rank well. Create a content schedule and stick with it. I recommend that you build up your content before launching and advertising your website so that readers aren’t confronted with a blank page, and they can expect regular posts. You can queue things months or years in advance on WordPress, so have at least a few months of content ready first.

Infuse your social media posts with your voice.

When I was advertising 9 Years Yearning, I got slammed by a few people for using the typical trope formatting. This has been totally overdone, and readers hate it by now.

What has worked for me, though, is being deranged.

Authenticity, not sterile corporate advertising, is a selfpub author’s secret weapon. It reminds readers that a real person wrote this: someone who really loves what they’re doing and wants to share it.

So get weird about your work. My advertising is a bit rough around the edges, obviously designed by me, and that’s great.

While readers don’t want to think about you when they’re reading, they do like knowing the person behind the story when they’re done with the book. When they like you as a person, they’ll be more willing to engage with your work and come back for more.

Share your process.

While not all readers are particularly curious about what goes into making a book, fellow writers are. Always remember that people care more about what you can provide them, not what they can provide you.

Plus, hearing more about what’s involved in writing a book helps demystify the process and reminds readers that what they’re enjoying didn’t drop whole-cloth from the heavens; it was created over many hours, all designed with love for them.

You will gain more respect if you are honest about what you’re doing rather than implying your books are divorced from hard work.

Leave some mystery.

When a book wraps up every thread, readers can’t get invested. They put the book down and forget because there’s nothing to process once the story ends.

The most interesting books have hints of lore, of a world beyond the borders of the story. This is the reason why The Lord of the Rings is such an enduring piece of literature; Tolkien lets us know there’s a lot more to explore in Middle Earth that he simply didn’t have time to offer us.

We see flashes of unique cultures, hear whispered tales of ancient times, and wonder about how everything came to be. Whole conventions are dedicated to analyzing every word and pondering what was left out of the books.

Don’t hesitate to leave some things unspoken. This doesn’t make you a lazy writer but a smart one, who is engaging readers in conversation and inviting them to think harder about what you did provide.

In the Eirenic Verses, I tell readers about mysterious lands far beyond Sina and Breme. What Is Cannot Be Unwritten mentions other cultures, like the drug-addled followers of Haiv and the detestable Down Dalry with its carnivorous sheep. Readers are left to wonder what’s going on in these places and why they’re important.

In fact, several people have asked me what the hell is up with the Cow Republic. Is it called that because it’s overrun with hyperintelligent cow people? Do they have a cud-chomping moo god? Is it a beef-based economy? Do they ride bovines into battle? All of the above?!

I know what I think the answer is, but I’m not sharing. That’s left up to you.

Not only does this give readers something to chew on, but it also allows me to write other books set in Eirenen. I several ideas for stories that explore far-off lands like Caelum, the Lake Empire, and Truth or Consequences, so I have plenty of material to play with after the Eirenic Verses is complete.

Offer casual snapshots of your personal life on social media.

My Instagram for the Eirenic Verses is also my personal one, and I don’t intend to change this. While some may think this is unusual, I find it perfectly normal.

Firstly, I’m just too lazy to run a professional Instagram and a personal one. My writing blog is plenty hard work as it is; I would constantly forget to switch accounts, meaning that my Instagram would get low engagement because there’s not enough going on.

The second reason goes back to what I said before. Readers don’t care about you when they’re reading because they’re immersed in your world. But after the book is done, they may want to follow you so they can be alerted to new books. This is the perfect time to build rapport by demonstrating you’re a normal person.

Not every reader will bother, of course. I personally don’t follow a lot of my favorite authors, and that’s fine; I just want to know when I can purchase their new material. If I like them, I’ll follow them on Amazon and be done with it.

But not every reader is me, and I respect that. Some do want to engage with authors outside of the books and get to know them. Not to the extent of an unhealthy parasocial relationship, but just to consider what inspires them and keep abreast of their offerings.

Sharing light and upbeat personal updates maintains this connection with readers. They get to see you as a three-dimensional person whose life extends beyond the pages: someone they might like to have as a friend.

However, it’s key that you keep these things light. I share pictures of rock climbing and horseback riding; I post dumb memes in my stories. It’s clear that I’m a pretty friendly and outgoing person outside of my books, which makes me seem more approachable. As such, readers will want to support me because I don’t seem like some unreachable demigod.

Maintain a consistent publishing schedule.

Like anyone else, readers have Pavlovian reactions that do best with consistent intervals. I’m not saying that readers salivate when they think of your books, but if you publish around the same time every year, they’ll begin to expect it, even if subconsciously.

I publish two books a year, always on the same two dates: June 23 and November 7th. These are personally significant dates to me, and they will not change for the rest of my writing career. I begin my marketing and review campaigns around the same time each year, even if the dates don’t perfectly align.

Even though I haven’t been following this exact schedule for very long, I have noticed that it helps a lot. When I published Saint Luridalr and the Peony Phoenix out of nowhere in April last year, no one knew to look for it because they weren’t primed to. As such, it’s gotten fewer sales, even though it’s cheaper.

The first few weeks after publishing are the most essential times for the algorithm. If your book doesn’t get engagement right away, it’s likely to languish unless you put some serious firepower (and money) into your advertising.

Show gratitude.

Because selfpub authors are closer to readers, we also have more chances to engage with them. Each time we do so, we should be showing appreciation that they chose our books over someone else’s.

Readers owe you nothing. They don’t owe you a purchase or review. They’re not here to help you recoup your financial losses, and they have no obligation to provide feedback or keep reading.

You, on the other hand, owe them everything. If they’re spending their hard-earned money on you work, you need to give them an excellent product that matches their expectations.

Providing a good experience includes lower prices to improve sales. This does suck, and I get it. You feel like you’re devaluing yourself. But remember that as a selfpub author, readers are not guaranteed quality. Pricing low reduces barriers to purchase and demonstrates that you respect their budget.

Additionally, a simple thank-you means a lot to readers. If you market yourself in person, give readers something for free, even if it’s just a pretty bookmark.

I show my gratitude by writing a bunch of free articles for everyone to enjoy. I’m offering people something they can benefit from, which makes them more willing to give me something in return: their sales.

Approaching your marketing and engagement with the assumption that readers will give you nothing back ensures you’re not getting entitled, which really turns people off.

Publicly celebrate your successes.

Success begets more success. When you show you’ve achieved something, people assume you must be good at what you’re doing; otherwise, why are others paying attention?

If you break milestones, like selling 250 books, make sure to tell people. Contextualize it for them; most casual readers don’t realize how few units that selfpub authors sell, so they need to understand why this is a big achievement.

Now, I want to be clear that you should never lie about your success. While your sales numbers aren’t public, people will get suspicious if you’re not high in rankings but bragging about selling millions of books.

Be honest about how you’re doing, even if it’s not as good as what someone might expect. This infuses your posts with humility and assures them that you’re honest. No one likes a liar.

Growing a following is damn hard work, and it doesn’t spring up overnight. You need to stay consistent, visible, and authentic if you want people to notice.

Don’t get discouraged if it’s been months or even years with little engagement. This is normal. Publishing is one of the most saturated fields on the planet, so you will have to fight for attention. But you can do it, as long as you’re persistent. You’ll find the work is well worth the reward.