They say the key to this whole self-publishing thing is getting people to notice your book. That’s tricky, since there seems to be an endless quagmire of books out there, great ones and bad ones, and it’s not always the good writers who get noticed. So how does one get noticed?

I wake up every morning thinking about that. The first thing I do when I get on my computer in the morning is go to AMAZON to see if any new reviews have been posted. At this point, almost 450 people have read my book, yet I only have 17 reviews as of this morning. Many, many people have told me they enjoyed the book, so how do I convince them to write those reviews on Amazon, recommend me to a friend, and so on?

The bottom line is, I want to get noticed. I don’t want to fade into obscurity, I don’t want to be just another author in an endless sea of authors. My book is good, and I have talent.  I WANT YOUR SUPPORT. I want to give my writing to you, I want to talk to you, I want to say, “This guy/girl helped me become a successful author.”

But as readers, and readers who enjoyed my books, you need to play your part: encourage me to keep writing.

I think it’s easy to forget that readers have a responsibility here, too. It’s easy to buy books now, and it’s easy to find writing you like. Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder for writers to continue writing. If readers want their favorite writers to keep doing what they do, the reader must spread the word. Become loyal. Help with word of mouth, with purchases, with donations. I want to keep writing. Do you want me to?

Anyway, I’ve been stuck at the same page on my new novel, “Men Waiting For Sleep,” for quite some time. I want to get it done, get it edited, and get it to you. The question is, do you want it? If so, how am I supposed to know that?

It’s time we started thinking of ourselves as a team: writer and reader, here to make the markets better, more accommodating, more interesting, and more fun. What can we do for each other?

As of right now, I want to make a deal with you. I want to know you’re out there, and I want to know you’re enjoying my writing. Most importantly, I need to know you want me to keep writing.

I want your support, so here’s what I will do for you:

—Every two weeks, I will give away a t-shirt, hat, book, and short story to one of my customers/followers/fans/people stalking me online. To get in on this, you need to do one of the following:

• Write a review on AMAZON of “Confusing the Seasons”
• Write a review on GOODREADS
• Purchase anything from the BROWN TIE PUBLISHING store
• Become a fan of my FACEBOOK page
• Tell a friend to buy my book, and have them give me your name as the person who recommended the book
• Post a comment on this BLOG

DON’T FORGET THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: contact me through the CONTACT page to let me know what you did. The more you do, the better your chances are of winning free stuff.

In the end, you support my cause so I can keep writing. I support your cause by giving you more stuff to read! It’s win-win! What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?

If the idea sucks, help me develop a better idea. What would make you continue to come back to my site? What would encourage you to buy my book? What would you like to see from a writer these days?