Sooner or later every author is asked to contribute to a charity, endorse a worthy cause, or shout out a kickstarter/patreon.
Here’s why it’s a problem, Gentle Reader.
When you ask for an endorsement, charitable or not, you’re asking me to trust you with my whole reputation as an author and as a decent human being. That’s my livelihood and integrity. That is HUGE ask.
How do I know you aren’t a scam?
I don’t. So I have to spend hours researching your trustworthiness. On the internet! Because you Tweeted at me?
Your 5 minute Tweet request has now taken up half my day.
So here’s what I can do:
I can support a select group of causes, schools, and libraries with both donated books and funding. I value literacy and education. That’s how I enjoy giving back to my community because that’s how I earn a living.
I prefer to stay private about the specifics of my philanthropic endeavors and have personal reasons for choosing causes. I spend a good deal of time researching to ensure every single one I choose is run efficiently and with few ulterior motives or agendas.
I simply don’t have the time or the money to research, qualify, and support every request I receive.
I receive a LOT of them.
It’s for this reason that I prefer not to endorse publicly (through retweeting or other means) additional charitable organizations. (Or non-charitable ones, for that matter.)
I’ve adopted a policy of proactively finding causes dear to my heart, rather than responding to solicitations. I hope that my Gentle Readers out there will understand and respect my wishes in this matter.
FYI, I contribute foreign editions to Pat Rothfass’s Worldbuilders Fundraiser for Heifer International.
Moo!
Once I even offered up a hat tuckerization! (Appears in the final Finishing School book.)
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~ Unknown