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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44762
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44762
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

One way to build your "list" is to contribute shorter works to anthologies -- someone may buy(borrow) the book because of interest in the topic/prompt OR because they know one writer in it (Peter Beagle did a story here? I need it).

Many readers will read the whole book (or at least start each story to give it a chance to grab them), and while you may be not as good as More Famous Author, you are now in their "company" in a way. Plus, potential reader has now heard your name, and that breaks through a bit of a barrier. Instead of being Random Person, you're now Person Vaguely Heard Of, then "Oh yeah, that writer" and then eventually they'll know who you are.

From [http://changingminds.org/principles/repetition.htm](http://changingminds.org/principles/repetition.htm) :

> Use friendly repetition to create familiarity and hence liking. Use it to help the other person remember the things you want them to remember. And whilst you are at it, associate the repetition with a trigger that can re-stimulate good feelings.

Similarly, any other shorter things you can contribute can boost your "list" (email or whatever), to ultimately boost your market for your Novels . So this may include participating in podcasts (if your story is a superhero deconstruction, analyze superhero movies (guesting on an existing podcast perhaps), writing columns/essays, etc.

Another option is to Kickstarter (or similar) - again, this works better if you have built a "list" of some sort. But I backed a book analyzing WonderWoman because I liked this guy's blog, and he sent chapters-in-progress to backers. (7/8 of the chapter may be pretty-close-to-finished, and then some areas had a paragraph of Ideas To Include/Research.) He sent about 1 chapter a month, and the money he asked for was as much as he would get paid to adjunct-teach a single class -- he could then drop that class to devote the time to writing instead.

Original score: 3