As women look for opportunities to unify and uplift one another, a group showcasing how we can all do better is the young adult authors community.

A dirty little secret about becoming a professional writer is that there can be an ugly undertone. Competitive, bitter, jealous and insecure, authors can get so focused on self-promotion that they avoid promoting other authors entirely, afraid that a reader for you is one lost for me.

The truth is, though, there are more hungry readers than there are writers and only good can come from supporting one another. Take these lessons from the YA world and apply them to your own community of writers.

Take Your Support to the Streets

At Stephanie Elliot’s book launch event for Sad Perfect, she gave a shout out to all of her fellow, local YA authors who attended her event AND had a display of all of their books in addition to her own.

Show Up For Your Comrades

Speaking of events, remember when Becky Albertalli (award-winning YA author) and Nic Stone (fellow 2017 debut author) surprised debut author Angie Thomas at her book launch event?

Or that one time, Angie Thomas and Adam Silvera took a break from the North Texas Teen Book Festival, to go see author Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall hit the big screen opening weekend!?

At the Very Least, Always Give a Shout Out

Angie Thomas just debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for her debut novel, The Hate U Give. Here were some of the reactions from the YA community, including some big name, established YA authors. Also, please note, Angie’s response to Stephanie: Thank you and congrats to you on making the list too!

Work With Other Authors to Support a Cause

There is no shortage of opportunities for authors to unify and utilize their voice for good. Why fight alone when you can persevere among friends? YA authors (some would argue) are at the forefront of the #WeNeedDiverseBooksMovement. Inspire and connect fellow authors and work together to make a difference.

Never Forget Where Your Bread Is Buttered

The number one thing that YA authors love more than supporting each other, is shouting out their readers. Nicola Yoon (a HUGELY popular YA author with over 18K followers) personally takes the time to thank her fans. Just look at all of these “thank you’s!”

There is a graciousness and a willingness within the YA community that any business or individual for that matter can aspire to. The more we all adopt their supportive and inclusive outlook, the better off we’ll be.