Book 2, No Job for a Woman, came out less than two months
ago, and I already launched another book. Hearts by the Sea is a prequel. It
tells the story of Jamie, a twelve-year-old boy, who meets thirteen-year-old
Ella on a seaside holiday. Before Ella loses her mother and runs away from
home, she is a lonely child. She is also daring and wayward, looking for
adventure and fun. For a moment, Jamie Flowers’ home seems like a perfect
refuge from her troubles and a place to be carefree with his cheerful sisters
and loving parents. But only for a moment.
Why did I write a novella (22k words) and give it out for
free? I wanted to practice writing in Jamie’s voice in preparation for Book 3,
Imprisoned. But mostly… it’s an investment.
I came up with the idea for this book in November, during
Vegas 20 Book to 50K conference. Several presenters there spoke about creating a
reader magnet (also called a lead magnet)—a free book that entices readers to
subscribe to the author newsletter. That newsletter is the author’s most
important marketing tool because it’s the tool we own. Readers follow me on
Facebook and Instagram. Some get notifications from Amazon or BookBub about new
releases. But I don’t own those platforms. The list of newsletter subscribers,
however, is the list of my readers that I own and protect. And I want to treat
these subscribers well.
Everyone loves free books. People who enjoyed A Girl with a
Knife or No Job for a Woman are likely to download a free prequel. New readers
who are not familiar with my books may want to check out a free novella before
spending money on my series. Some authors give out the first chapters or
deleted scenes. I don’t know if I’d read those. But I’d read a free novel or novella.
Thanks to technology, I built a welcome sequence. A reader
types in their email address on my landing page, receive a confirmation email,
and gets the Hearts by the Sea e-book. A couple of minutes later they get a
“Welcome Aboard” email where I introduce myself. Two days later, in a second
email, I ask if they downloaded the free book and tell them a bit about it.
Five days later, in a third email, I tell them how I started writing. From this
point, they get a monthly newsletter, where I share news, personal stories, and
pictures. They can unsubscribe at any point. They can get my free book and
unsubscribe immediately. That’s completely fine. I’m building my loyal crew. Only
My People need to stay on my ship.
Three days after releasing my reader magnet, I gained twenty
subscribers. Great result! But I will keep going. With my free book, I’m eligible to enter promotions
to expose the book to new subscribers. I can also do author swaps—have another
author provide a link to my book while providing a link to their free book. I
met authors who grew their lists into thousands of subscribers, all thanks to
their free books. It’s an investment that has great potential to pay off.
Marketing fiction books is not easy. It’s our job on top of
writing, which is a job on top of a regular day job. You are shouting down the
well—a well of other books. Building a list of fans who are excited about my
next book is an investment in the success of my series. Enjoy Hearts by the Sea
and welcome aboard!