Twenty years ago I started writing for pleasure. The first thing I remember writing were lyrics to a song entitled S&M Dream, which I did as a joke in response to some friends who thought that would be a funny title for a song sung by a barber shop quartet.The words just sort of flowed, and I couldn’t believe how quickly I finished the song, or how good it was. I’m sure I still have the lyrics scribbled on a sheet of paper somewhere among binders in a plastic bin. Part of me wants to find that sheet of paper for nostalgic reasons.But another part of me never wants to see it again and risk the chance that maybe the lyrics aren’t good. Perhaps time and distance have improved their quality in my mind, even if I can’t remember anything beyond “Wake up in the morning/ what happened last night?/ Do I remember? /Oh yeah, I think I might.”Bob Dylan’s not worried.Regardless of how good or bad those lyrics are, they’re important for one reason: they taught me that writing can be fun.Soon after I began writing a “column.” I imagined myself as a young Bob Greene or Andy Rooney. I’d write 700 words a day about whatever came to mind. Then I’d e-mail the column to a list of readers I had recruited through America Online. A few dozen read the column. Others deleted it. But I kept writing.In the two decades since, I’ve written a number of poems, short stories, essays, and blog posts. I’ve written half a dozen novels, most of which only a handful of people have read.But about eighteen months ago I decided to change that.I’ve wanted to make a living as a writer since I finished the lyrics to S&M Dream, but I haven’t figured out how to do so. Breaking into traditional publishing is difficult, and even if a book is published it’s unlikely to do well enough to permit the author to write full-time.But thanks to some entrepreneurial writers, Facebook, and Amazon, it’s possible for talented writers to build their own careers without relying on good fortune and assistance from traditional publishers.So that’s what I’m doing. And today is the next step.Three years ago I self-published a book on Amazon called The Death Market. It’s about a young lawyer who gets involved with an illegal market where participants wager on whether specific people will die within a defined period of time.I designed the cover myself, I proofread it a couple of times, and I published it. Other than letting my Facebook friends know that it existed, I had no idea how to sell it, so it didn’t sell.Today I’m making that book available to you, Loyal Reader, for free. But it’s better than it was before. A guy who has done covers for Stephen King designed a new cover. I rewrote it, edited it, revised it, made it better. It’s the same story, but tighter. Cleaner. Better.And if you haven’t read it, then I encourage you to download it right now. But wait. Finish reading this first.You can download the book by visiting my brand new website, brettbakerwrites.com. There you’ll find a link to download the book for free. All you have to do is provide your e-mail address.The best part is, for a limited time, if you download the book, I’ll add you to my Advance Team. So not only will you get The Death Market for free, you’ll get every book that I publish for free, and in advance of its release date.All I ask is that after you read the book, you go to Amazon and post a review.But read quickly, Loyal Reader, because in just a few weeks, on August 28, I will release two new books! They’re the first two books in a new series about a secret, underground crime-investigation organization, and Mia Mathis, a fearless agent who always find herself in the thick of the action.This post and my request for your involvement are just one piece in a carefully-planned effort that will permit me to write full-time. I’m not there yet. And it may be some time before I get there. But this is another step in the process.So thanks for reading this.You can download The Death Market here.Wasn't that well-written and fun to read? You should subscribe to my blog and we'll send you an e-mail every time I write a new one. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
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