What you can do to help?

As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, the second most common question I received was, "What can I do to help?" Before I answer it with some ideas, I need to clarify that it's really two separate questions: what can you do to help with my particular campaign, and what can you do to help with the greater issue.

I'll focus on the former for most of this post, so let me address the broader question first: Get involved. Learn more. Start conversations. Donate money to my Falling Whistles partner or to any other organization that's working to help child soldiers and other children in war. As with any cause, if this one speaks to you, put some time and money into it.

That said, if you want to help with my particular effort, there are many things you can do. Here are five relatively straightforward ones.

Buy the book--or, even better, pre-order it from your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookseller. Yes, it's obvious, but this is a very big deal. If we could get as few as ten thousand people to pre-order the book, that would help generate a lot of attention to the cause--and raise a lot of money.

The novel also makes a dandy gift, by the way. It really is a fun read--in a month or two, I hope to have real reviews to that effect--and at the same time its serious side will encourage people to think about this awful problem.

Spread the word via your social networks. Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, whatever--anywhere you hang out online is a good place to spread the word.

If you work at a company, see if they'll publicize this effort. Publicity will help spur sales, which will help raise more money.

If you attend a school, particularly a university, publicize it there. Post this news on all their activist listservs, tell your newspaper, inform your activist groups, and so on. If they bring in speakers, tell them about both the Falling Whistles people and me. For at least a limited number of groups, if they will cover my expenses, I'll come speak for no fee.

If you work at a bookstore anywhere near me or know people who do, encourage them to have me do a talk and signing there. I'll drive to them, it'll cost them nothing, they'll make money on the book sales, and more money will go to the cause.

You get the idea. Getting involved can be as quick and easy as ordering a book or as time-consuming as you're willing to let it be.

Let's sell a ton of books, raise a ton of money, and help these kids.