Attracting Readers with Free Stuff

Readers can easily spend $25 or more on a hardcover book. In today's economy, that's real money. Personally, I'll spend that much on Robert B. Parker, Brian Freeman, or Jodi Picoult, mostly because I've read their work and I know I won't be sorry, But if I don't know the author, I'm less likely to whip out my wallet. And if you're a beginner, a lot fewer people will know you.

Enter the first rule of digital business: give something away.

Gasp! you may say. I'm trying to make money at all this, not let people read my writing for free. I can do that now without any effort.

By making some of your work available to readers, you may get them to buy more. You'll also built traffic to your site as they tell their friends the wonderful product you made available for nothing.

Jodi Picoult probably makes a fine living selling what she's written. With 16 published books, several of them best sellers, she's no beginner. But if you check out her website, you'll notice free stuff: downloadable MP3s of interviews, behind-the-scenes information, even a short story. To steal a phrase, she's Jodi Picoult and you're not. Honestly, even my family may not care abotu the research behind my novels. But they--and people who don't even know me--might be interested in reading a well-written short story.

In the upcoming posts, we'll talk about how to spice up your website with free stuff.