🇨🇦 Buy Canadian. Boycott U.S. 🇨🇦
Yes, even the books!
It’s getting a bit ugly in some bookish spaces online, so before any of that ugliness comes here—not that any of my readers even act like that—I want to say something.
It’s good and right that Canadians are boycotting U.S.-made products and services. They have to, because of Trump’s insane tariffs. I’m American and adore my Canadian friends, readers, colleagues, associates, and publisher. That will never change! I don’t take Canadian boycotts personally because they aren’t personal attacks on me.
Authors, please don’t be angry with readers for your sales dropping. There are a few elements at play, here (one of those is Amazon’s sudden move to prevent readers from downloading ebooks they’ve purchased on their Kindle to their computer). People are speaking out with their dollars, and we should be supporting that; everyone wins when we support each other. (Amazon’s abuse of authors is something we need to talk about, but not today.)
I don’t want to get all soapbox-y, but we really do need to stick together and work cooperatively.
Here are some ways Canadian readers can still support their favorite American authors without spending a dime!
Join authors’ email lists ✍🏼
I’m genuinely surprised every time a reader doesn’t know I have a newsletter. I feel like I’m always pushing it, sometimes obnoxiously so, haha. Most authors have a newsletter (and if you don’t, you should). Joining an author’s email list lets them know you’re a fan, and doesn’t cost you a dime (it actually costs us). It’s also a great way to ensure that no stupid social media algorithm will keep you out of the loop.
My newsletter is free, and I typically send one every month. You’ll also get exclusive goodies and instant access to my serialized books.
Like, comment on, and share authors’ social media posts 💬
I’ve been serializing my River Reapers MC dark romance books here on my website, which doesn’t cost anything to read. If you’re a Canadian reader boycotting U.S. authors, liking, commenting on, and sharing those chapters is still a great way to support me. It’d actually help me out quite a bit, as it helps other people discover my website.
Even if authors aren’t doing anything like that, they’re usually posting on their socials, and engaging with those posts in any way is a huge help. Just like traffic, likes, comments, and shares helps people discover author websites, your interactions on social media help other people discover those author pages.
Email authors ✉️
Emailing an author out of the blue might feel awkward, but authors love to hear from readers! When I get an email from any reader, it always makes me smile. You don’t have to write a long letter or explain that you’re boycotting or tell us how much you love our books. You can simply say hi. It’s really encouraging to know there’s someone out there.
Post a review or rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For indie authors especially, a book’s reviews and average rating are everything. If you’ve read an author’s work in the past, and didn’t get to leave a review, now’s a great time to throw down a quick 1-5 star rating. If you’ve got the time, write a couple sentences about what you enjoyed.
If you haven’t read the book yet, ask the author about their ARC team. I did a short-term review program for readers who weren’t able to buy my books for whatever reason, and I’ve been thinking about opening that list back up again. It was such a win/win.
Borrow books from the library 📖
This can be a bit tricky, since libraries have to purchase both print and ebook licenses, and if the publisher or author is American, Canadians may not want to borrow. If the library already has the book or ebook in circulation, though, it’s your tax dollars already spent, so you might as well make use of it.
A note on print-on-demand (POD) 🖨
In the same vein, purchasing indie ebooks in Canada gets really tricky. Although POD services like IngramSpark will ship to Canada, they don’t have printing facilities there (I asked).
Good news for Aussies, though! If you purchase one of my books in Australia, it’ll be printed in Australia. Same goes for American readers who like supporting U.S. businesses (Ingram Content is an American company operating out of Tennesee).
KDP does not have any printing facilities in Canada or any countries outside the U.S., as far as I know. I don’t use them, so if someone could get me a definitive answer, I’d really appreciate it!
I support all readers (and people) who are boycotting. It’s not easy, and it’s so important. We all need to do our part if we want to enjoy the world we live in and make it better for the future. I really hope these tips help.
Happy boycotting, and happy reading! 🖤