"Why doesn't anyone read my book?"

"People are reading, but they're not leaving comments!"

"Ahh! I have no votes! OMG I must suck giant, flaming, donkey balls!"

Does any of that sound familiar? Perhaps it's that voice in the back of your mind when you write a book and the flocks of readers you were anticipating adamantly refuse to show up?

Listen to that voice. That voice is a barometer of your feelings, and your feelings are the most important thing in the world when it comes to writing!

Ha ha, I'm kidding. 

Your feelings don't mean anything and have almost no value to anyone, including yourself. Don't hate me for that, I'll explain what I mean in the next chapter.

First of all, the voice isn't a measure of anything, it's just your insecurities trying to push you into a slump. Your insecurities don't want you to try, because trying means you might fail, and failing would send invitations to those feelings that will either challenge them, which is the last thing they want, or run them over catapulting you past despondency and into depression.

Ignore that voice and pay attention... 

...to yourself, your venue, and your audience. Consider that the people on the other side of the page have no connection with you or your story until you craft one. It's about eyeballs and getting your work in front of them. 

Learn to market your work, reach out to groups that will read and comment and do the same in exchange, find forums (since WP, in a fit of WTF has obtusely dismantled theirs) where you can connect with other writers, link your book to a social media page and build a following. That's the source of your reads, comments, and votes. If you think you can't do it, you're making excuses so you don't have to sign on one day and find that you don't have any followers on Instagram either. There's a method to capturing an audience, and there are thousands of people in the world sharing that method, and you have Google to track them down.

BUT

(and this is a big but,)

...nobody is going to stick around if you aren't providing them with something they value. Because, and here is the second rule in this book,

WRITING IS TRANSACTIONAL

I'd say it again because it's THAT important, but it's in bold and all caps and even underlined, so I'm sure you heard me the first time.

As a writer who wants an audience to read their work, it's your job to give the audience something they want in exchange for their time. Sometimes it means writing erotic Spongebob fan fiction if that's the audience you're trying to capture, and if it is, please stop reading my book because I literally can't even.

MOST of the time, it just means writing well, learning how to craft a story that your average reader, apart from their preferences for the genre, would want to read. Provide them with the kind of escape they need, in a way that generates no resistance to them slipping comfortably into your story and remaining until the end. That's their value.

What's yours? If it's reads, then find the venue that works for you (I'm assuming it's Wattpad since that's where you're reading this) and if you've written a good story the reads will come. Work on cultivating those eyeballs, just give it time and be persistent. If it's votes and comments, you might have to solicit them. If it's money, then you had better step up your game because now they're paying twice, once with cash and again with their time, and you need to create more value in the form of a better story.

Remember, nobody owes you any of that; they're providing you with something you value in exchange for a dopamine rush, and you're their dealer. You sicko.