Professional Associations

We recommend authors join The Authors Guild, which is the lead organization for staying informed about many topics authors are involved with on a regular basis. There are other groups to consider, too, based on interest, career experience, and genre focus. Here is a list to help you get started.

General & Industry Advocacy

  • The Authors Guild: Offers contract reviews, copyright protection, and legal advocacy for published and emerging writers. The daily member discussion email is a great way to stay informed about what other authors are experiencing, their recommendations and insights.
  • National Writers Union: Functions as a labor union representing freelance writers across all genres and mediums.
  • PEN America: Advocates for free expression, human rights, and offers literary awards and grants.

Genre-Specific Groups

Although Pogenon Books does not publish in all of these genres, the list may help authors who write in multiple areas of interest.

Building Awareness

According to current research and insights, the most successful resources for authors to build a loyal readership include direct newsletter platforms like Mailchimp or Kit, dedicated reader communities on BookTok (TikTok) and Bookstagram (Instagram), and reader-retention sites like BookBub. These tools help writers connect with fans and share regular updates. As an author, you should carefully research what platform or platforms best suits your genre, your readership, and what sort of investment you’re willing to make in terms of time and money. Many resources are free, but many resources also offer various levels of monetary investments for you to consider. Think about what is needed most: building name recognition within your genre, marketing a first book, or both?

Here are some tools for building awareness of your name and/or your bookl(s)

Direct Communication

  • Kit (formerly ConvertKit): Send emails directly to your fans.
  • Mailchimp: Create automated welcome messages for new subscribers.
  • Substack: Publish serialized stories and paid newsletters.

Social Media and Communities

  • BookTok (TikTok): BookTok is a sub-community on TikTok. Share behind-the-scenes writing videos to find active book fans. Here is a guide for using TikTok for authors.
  • Bookstagram (Instagram): Bookstagram is a popular community on Instagram. Post aesthetic book photos and connect with reviewers.
  • Discord: Discord calls itself a “Group chat that’s all fun & games.” On it, you can build a worldwide community, customize your own space to “talk, play, and hang out.”

Reader Discovery and Retention

  • BookBub: Promote book deals to a massive list of active readers.
  • Goodreads: Engage with reviews and run giveaways. Make sure you set up an author dashboard page, not your personal “reader” page. Goodreads treats those pages differently.
  • Patreon: Offer bonus chapters and special merch to super-fans.

Launching Your Book

Helpful links

More resources will be added later, so please bookmark this page and return periodically for updates and additions.

NOTE: links to websites are subject to change. Those changes are completely out of our control. If you run across a link on this page that no longer works, please notify us via email at admin@pogenonbooks.com. We will research the link and make the necessary adjustments. Thank you!