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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46810
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46810
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I haven't heard of it. When you can get whole books for free, and many books for 99c, this seems an unlikely route to successful marketing.

If any piecemeal approach has a chance of working, I'd suggest giving away 3 chapters for free, as a free sample of the writing quality, with a payment for the rest of the book.

There are some authors using a scheme that seems pretty successful, in that they have one set of books they give away for free (cycling through, like changing the free book every three months), and they sell the rest of the books (including some that are never free).

For example, if you wrote a series, give away the first book, but sell all the other books in the series. Hopefully, enjoying the first book motivates them to buy the rest of the series.

Here's the MAJOR SUPER IMPORTANT trick of giving away books or anything else for free: To get the free item, readers absolutely positively must register on a site with their email address. You will either email them the book, or email them a link or secret one-use code or something that lets them get the book from your website.

They may end up sharing your free book, that's fine, it is an advertisement after all! Just make sure you have a page up front (with your copyright info or dedication page perhaps) that lets other readers know, in large letters, where your website is so they can visit it themselves, and register for some other free book. Or register to buy the rest of the series! Heck, you could put your website address as header (or footer) on every page, in an 8-point font.

Give people rewards (like another one of the free books, or half-off your next book, or something else that doesn't cost you anything) for referrals that _get registered._

Always be building your mailing list, whenever you finish another book, these are the people you want to sell it to.

Original score: 3