by Jenn Windrow

Today we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics, reader magnets!

So, what is a reader magnet?

A reader magnet is a marketing tool that authors give away for free. They can come in many forms, but their purpose is to introduce readers to your characters, story world, and writing.

Intriguing reader magnets:

• Short stories or poems or even a chapter pulled from the final MS.
• Maybe some of the back story you didn’t include in your finished story.
• Prologues or epilogues that you decided against adding.
• Really anything that you don’t mind giving away for free to entice a reader to pick up Book One and start reading.

I have a collection of short stories, one poem, and a novella from my story world that I offer to readers who join my newsletter list. It’s an easy thank you, only about 95 pages worth of content that I am happy to give away for free to give readers a taste of my writing before they buy. But it also adds to the depth of my world.

Not only are reader magnets great marketing material, but they are inexpensive too. Make sure you place a CTA (call to action) at the end of any subsequent book or reader magnet, pointing your reader to the first book in the series, and you have officially marketed like a pro.

Tools That Help with Reader Magnets

There are promotion sites like BookFunnel and StoryOrigin where you can upload your reader magnet. Once you do, you can search out their lists of promotions and add your content to the list.

I have done several promotions with BookFunnel in the past and had great success with all of them. You can use promotion sites like these to collect email address and beef up your newsletter list. Both sites offer free and paid options depending on the kind of promotion you are looking for.

Note: This doesn’t have to be a pricy endeavor. I hop in and out of the paid option for BookFunnel all the time. I use it when I need to and save the money when I don’t. I retain all of my information when I change my pricing plan and can go back and look at my past promotions when I need to without worrying about my history being deleted.

Here are the paid options from both BookFunnel and StoryOrigin.

But if you don’t want to use the options above, you can always place a link on your website or social media site that directs readers to sign up for your newsletter list and email them their free gift.

Other ways to use Reader Magnets

In-person book signings are another great use of reader magnets. If you are speaking with a reader who isn’t quite sure they want to spend money on an author they have never heard of, giving them a downloadable QR code card can help with the sale even after they have walked away.

I have also seen authors print out their reader magnets into a small book and hand out a free physical copy. Then the reader walks away with a free gift and something new to read. This would of course have an overhead cost, so this is something you must decide if it’s worth it.

Giving away content doesn’t only have to be for enticing new readers, it can be a way to reward and thank your faithful readers for continuing to support you as an author. Reader’s love getting a behind-the-scene peek into the characters they have fallen in love with. Plus, if you are a slow writer like me, then the bonus content keeps them interested until the next book comes out.

Let’s talk about the Ominubus

In the past few years, the omnibus has become very popular with readers. An omnibus is a large volume book that contains all the content related to a book series. I created one this past spring for my urban fantasy series. It contains almost 900 pages of content that includes, 3 short stories, 1 poem, 1 novella, and all 4 novels. I bought a separate cover, spray painted the edges a fancy color ( a very stressful process), and created a fancy bookmark that they could only get with that book.

I called them a collector’s edition when readers inquired about the very large book at my table. I sold out on the second day of the event. And it wasn’t just new readers who were buying the special edition, it was some of my most faithful readers who wanted the whole Alexis Black world bundled in one fancy book.

Here is my omnibus in case you are curious what they look like.

So, the next time you cut a whole chapter or remove backstory or get rid of a section of dialogue between characters, don’t trash it. Save it and use it as a fun way to draw new readers into your world and reward those who have been with you since the start.

Now that you have an idea of what reader magnets are, can you think of any content you have deleted that you want to bundle together and give away for free? Do you use reader magnets already? Share the great ones down in the comments!

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About Jenn

Sass. Snark. Supernatural Sizzle. 

Award winning author of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Vampires, Greek gods, and a bit of Demon Destroyer fun for everyone.

Jenn Windrow loves characters who have a pinch of spunk, a dash of attitude, and a large dollop of sex appeal. Top it all off with a huge heaping helping of snark, and you’ve got the ingredients for the kind of fast-paced stories she loves to read and write. Home is a suburb of it’s-so-hot-my-shoes-have-melted-to-the-pavement Phoenix. Where she lives with her husband, two teenagers, and a slew of animals that seem to keep following her home, at least that’s what she claims.

Website: https://jennwindrow.com/

Top photo purchased from Depositphoto. All others are from Jennifer Windrow.

 [JH1]Unless you plan to link to your earlier posts as a group, you don’t need this.