by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
A big question many new authors ask is whether or not to offer a free prequel to gather followers and newsletter signups. This isn’t an easy answer and many things must be considered when making this decision.
I will start by telling you what I did. My debut novel, You Belong with Me, comes out with Revell in September. I opted to release a prequel novella to the series, P.S. Goodbye, as a free giveaway to my newsletter subscribers. I have had a lot of success with it but I still don’t recommend it to everyone. Let me explain.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
I had P.S. Goodbye 90% done when I signed the contract for You Belong with Me. I offered P.S. Goodbye to my publisher first when the contract was being written up. When they declined it, my agent had it included that I could write and publish P.S. Goodbye during the terms of my contract. Because You Belong with Me is my debut novel, I had to be careful not to publish P.S. Goodbye as an indie novel on Amazon. I had to make it a free giveaway. Otherwise, P.S. Goodbye would have become my debut novel. Because my publisher contracted my debut novel, publishing P.S. Goodbye on Amazon would have changed things when it came to contests. However, after September 3rd when You Belong with Me is released, I will move P.S. Goodbye to Amazon as a bait book. I will put it in KU and discount it for a while. This will make some money and help with the sales for You Belong with Me since P.S. Goodbye leads into that story.
BENEFITS:
1) I have gained over 400 new subscribers to my mailing list and it climbs a few each day.
2) People have LOVED it and it has gotten many great reviews on Goodreads, which have produced more signups from true readers and not just connections.
3) It has created a buzz for You Belong with Me as many the people who have read it have preordered You Belong with Me.
4) I have developed a stronger launch team as 2/3 of the team are fans I have not met and not only friends.
DRAWBACKS:
1) I gave away a 48,000-word novella for free.
2) I put as much time, energy, and heart into that novel as a full-length book.
3) I spent over $500 on editing the novel that may never make me money.
4) I continue to pay for advertising to extend the reach of the novella.
4) I have spent hours on designs, layouts, and details and I know I am not done if I plan to move it to Amazon.
5)I have only grown my reach by 400 and that means it cost me about $2 per signup. That is a costly signup.
TAKE-A-WAY: It can be worthwhile if done well, but you need to be willing to take on all the drawbacks. Shorter novels are hard to write well and a half-hearted effort could backfire. I’ve read a free giveaway novella that was done poorly. Even though that person has become a well-established author, I haven’t picked up another book by her. I also read a novella collection by a group of great authors of full-length fiction, but their novellas lacked that punch and it soured me against their books. It is a lot of story to get into a few words.
NOTE:
Be very cautious about the non-competition clause in your contract. Don’t take that lightly. Like I said, my agent had it written into my contract.
I’ll let you know at the end of summer how this venture has progressed. If you are interested in reading P.S. Goodbye, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.tarifaris.com
What Secrets Are Hiding Behind the Doors of this Small Town?
Real estate agent Hannah Thornton loves the historic community of Heritage, Michigan. Unfortunately, selling houses is not one of her fortes. She sees each house and the larger town of Heritage as something to be valued, not sold off to the highest bidder. When a business mogul arrives in town determined to exploit the land and build a new strip mall, Hannah is determined to stop him from bulldozing her town’s past. At first, no one supports her efforts—not even her best friend, Luke. Can Hannah help the town of Heritage see that true value lies in the things you cannot put a price tag on?
Even though Luke Johnson has grown up in Heritage as a foster child, he never truly felt like he belonged. Anxious to earn his place in the town and in Hannah’s heart, Luke applies for the job of assistant fire chief. But Luke does not anticipate the interview process to unearth secrets from his past he has kept carefully hidden. Will the pain of being honest be worth the risk? Can he pull down the walls he’s erected around his bruised heart?
Tari Faris has been writing fiction for thirteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She signed with Revell for her debut novel – You Belong with Me – which will be released in September 2019. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and blog coordinator for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com. When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rock hounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com