Welcome to our new Literature section, curated by our Editor, Laura Rodriguez-Davis. With a focus on the powerful narratives of migrant women authors, we invite you to join us on this journey. From captivating books to inspiring authors, get ready to immerse yourself in a diverse and dynamic realm of storytelling.
By Laura Rodríguez-Davis/Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash
A warm welcome to book lovers and word nerds everywhere. On behalf of Migrant Women Press, I am delighted to introduce our new literature section featuring the works of migrant women authors. The book community is one of the most robust on the internet, and we are excited to take part of it by celebrating literature written by migrant women.
Here at Migrant Women Press, we are passionate about giving voice to migrant women. In a world that frequently marginalises female migrants, we aim to put them front and centre, amplifying their cause and words. In addition to highlighting books and authors, we want to invite you, dear reader, to join us in supporting migrant women writers. Here are a few ways you can give some love to your favourite migrant women authors.
1.Pre-order books
Pre-ordering books means a lot to authors. It signals to the publishers that there is interest and a fertile market for those kinds of books and writers. Strong pre-order sales allow authors, especially new ones, to demonstrate to their publishers that they have staying power in the industry. For self-published authors using Amazon, pre-orders can boost their ranking on release day. If you know of a migrant woman author with a soon-to-be-published book on the near horizon, definitely consider pre-ordering their book. It will mean the world to that author.
2.Join an ARC team
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, an ARC team is an Advanced Reader Copy team of readers that receive a copy of a book prior to its publishing date. Generally, ARC team members will read the book in advance and leave a review to help generate interest in the book. Early (and honest) reviews are incredibly valuable to authors trying to launch their books. So if you see a beloved migrant women author giving a callout for ARC team members, why not join the team? Besides, who doesn’t love being ahead of the curve on a good read?
3.Leave reviews
This likely goes without saying, but it’s certainly worth mentioning as reviews are incredibly meaningful to authors. In addition to providing validation and the excitement of knowing a book is being read, reviews can help authors attain other promotional opportunities. Your review doesn’t necessarily need to be a 5-star review. Even lower star reviews can still be helpful to authors as books with nothing but perfect five star reviews can appear suspicious to readers. So make sure to give some written love to your migrant women authors when their books hit the shelves.
Photo by Piotr Cichosz on Unsplash
4.Share on social media/BookTok
In today’s age, social media is a crucial (and inevitable) part of any marketing or promotional plan. Therefore, authors love to see your posts about their books. It can serve as a kind of virtual word-of-mouth, recommending reads to your community who might also have similar interests and tastes as you. You can use relevant hashtags (#bookstagram #indieauthor #migrantwomanauthor) to help the book find its audience.
If you consider yourself a TikToker, then you’re likely already familiar with BookTok, a subcommunity on TikTok dedicated to books and literature. Practically revolutionising the course of book recommendation, BookTok has become a powerful force for sharing reads and influencing bookworms. Some indie authors have credited their success to BookTok. If you’re TikTok savvy, making a video promoting your favourite migrant woman author to other BookTokers is a great way to support her work.
5.Using Goodreads
Another staple in the book enthusiasts community, Goodreads, owned by Amazon, has recently come under fire. Most readers use Goodreads as a way to write reviews for books, find other recommendations, and connect with friends and other readers. However, since Goodreads does little to verify its users, some say it makes the platform vulnerable to potential malpractices, such as “review bombing,” in which a book is flooded with bad reviews with the purpose of bringing down its ranking.
Many in the book community are familiar with the recent scandal of a first-time novelist writing fake reviews praising her own work while leaving scathing reviews for the books of other authors. A notable portion of the writers targeted by those negative reviews were authors of colour. It goes without saying that review bombing can be extremely detrimental to a book’s success, but it is especially devastating to new authors.
In an attempt to combat these harmful practices, Goodreads has improved their account verification and is encouraging users to report any activity that is suspected of not being in compliance with their community guidelines. So what does this mean for supporting migrant women authors on Goodreads? Leaving helpful, honest reviews can be a great way to promote your favourite migrant woman author, but if you notice activity from other users that looks suspicious, you should consider reporting it to ensure she is protected from review bombers or other misusers that could threaten her success.
6.Buy directly from the author
In the era of Amazon, Waterstones, and the small but mighty renaissance of independent bookshops, we don’t often consider the option of buying a book directly from an author. However, this is absolutely doable, usually by going to their website. Also, authors tend to have pre-paid copies of their own books that will not be returned to the printer if they do not sell. If you have the opportunity to buy a book from an author in person, this is a great way to support her work and investment.
7. Subscribe to her newsletter
Authors love to use newsletters to stay in touch with their readers. It’s a fantastic way to keep abreast of new releases, special offers, author events, and more (especially if you’re taking a break from social media). Give your inbox a refresh and sign up for email updates you’ll actually want to read!
8. Request her books at your local library
Short on money? Don’t let finances get in the way of supporting migrant women authors. You can always request the book at your library, so they will purchase it and make it available for library users. This also allows other library patrons to benefit from the book’s availability to help spread the word about the book. Let this also be a sign to get a library card if you don’t already have one!
9. Give her book as a gift
We all have that friend who is difficult to shop for. Why not give a book from your favourite migrant woman author? Whether it’s a new hardback waiting to be shelved or an e-book for a Kindle lover, introducing a book to a friend or family member can go a long way in expanding an author’s reach to a new reader, who could then go on to recommend it to someone else. Go on and spread the word (and the love)!
10. Go to the author’s events
A lot goes into launching a book and if a beloved author creates an event, they’d love for you to be there! If you’re in the area (or on Zoom), this can be a fun way to connect with other supporters of the author and even meet the author herself. Don’t miss the opportunity to get your book signed and let the author know how much you appreciate her words.
These are just a few of the ways you can support your favourite migrant women writers and authors. With a little creativity and inspiration, you can find other opportunities to get the word out about literature from migrant women. And, of course, be sure to stay tuned here (and subscribe to our newsletter!) as we launch our new literature section to bring you even more migrant women voices and stories.
Laura Rodríguez-Davis is the Migrant Women Press Literature Editor. She is a writer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work has been featured in Shared Future News, Heroica, and The Chritical. Laura is Puerto Rican and originally from Florida. She recently completed an M.Phil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation. When Laura is not writing, you can find her performing, reading, or watching Drag Race. You can connect with Laura on Instagram @laurarodriguezdavis and X (formerly Twitter) @LauraLRodrguez1