It’s safe to say I’m an obscure novelist. I know lots of other obscure novelists and even a few you’ve likely heard of. When they’re friends, I try to make them a little less obscure. It doesn’t take a lot of effort. Authors love reviews, but a full review isn’t necessary. Any mention helps if it isn’t too negative.

If you have a blog or use social media, mentioning the books you’ve read lately helps the authors. Dan Brown may not care, but it can make a significant difference to someone who’s hoping to hit a thousand sales. If you use sites like LibraryThing and Goodreads, follow the authors you know and rate their books. If they run a promotion, let your friends know about it.

You might even learn something about your friends’ interests and knowledge from the books they’ve written.

To put my keyboard where my mouth is, here are some novels by authors I know who are less than famous:

• Walter Donway, Retaking College Hill
• Lee Gold, Valhalla: Absent without Leave
• Kari Maaren, Weave a Circle Round
• Roberta Rogow, the Halvar the Hireling series
• Craig Stanfill, Terms of Service

And yes, I won’t object to an occasional mention myself. 😊