Greetings from Jennifer AlLee here in slightly-overcast Las Vegas. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, which may explain the love in the air. As authors, we feel the love when readers buy our books. But how do we share the love with them? Answering this question is not only a sweet thing to do, it’s a good marketing move.
The natural thing for us to give is the gift of story. It’s what people expect from us and (another bonus) we can give away our stories freely. If you have a website (and if you don’t, you should… which is the topic of a whole other post), that’s the perfect place to post your free content. You can share its existence with your readers via your newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, or social networking platform of your choice.
But how do you decide what to give away?
The first step is determining what excites your readers. Let’s say you write historical romances. It’s a pretty safe bet that your readers enjoy history. Now, let’s narrow that down. What kind of history? Is there a theme that constantly pops up in your novels? Do you concentrate on a specific time period? Are your novels funny or serious?
For illustration purposes, suppose you’ve decided that what your readers really enjoy is your light-hearted take on life in the old west. With that in mind, here are some free content ideas:
- A short story featuring a secondary character from your novel.
- A deleted scene from your novel… a blooper, if you will.
- Anecdotes that you dug up during the research process.
- A “build your own adventure” type scenario in which you begin the story and let your readers choose where each installment will go.
That’s just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. Find ways not only to show the love to your readers but to engage them. Now it’s your turn… How have you decided to share the love with your readers? What’s worked? What hasn’t? Ready… set… go!
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