Here’s a really interesting promotional idea worth trying online — something the author calls the Used Book Effect. And it’s not limited to romance novels, or even fiction (say, you’ve written and are selling a series of related instructional ebooks). This is a particularly good way for you to put an old title of yours that may already be out-of-print (or maybe just not selling that well anymore) back to work, helping generate even more sales of your current work.

Software publishers have been doing this sort of thing for the longest time (shareware, freeware, donorware, etc.). But I can see now how the model works far, far better for “serial” writers. Very, very interesting. — EES

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Free Romance Novels? A Marketing Strategy for Romance Writers
Article by Andreya Stuart

Does it ever make sense for a romance writer to give away a novel they’ve worked on for several months? The surprising answer may be yes. Here’s why…

Most of us who have fallen in love with romance novels over the years are veterans of used bookstores and garage sales. My first “keeper,” Love’s Tender Fury, was found at the top of a bag full of books my mom brought home from a rummage sale. Years later I’m still finding pirates in people’s dust bins and earls on the library’s sale rack.

Little did I know that used books were an exceptionally good marketing strategy. The most expensive thing about marketing is the cost associated with getting the word about your work out to people who might be a market for it. Anyone who has ever issued invitations to a charity event, even one with food and a local celebrity, knows it’s almost impossible to figure out where you can advertise effectively.

The cool thing about used books is that people buy a copy, then hand it around to others who can’t wait to buy your next book for themselves. My first copy of Harry Potter was used; I now own all seven in hardback. I waited in line at midnight to get six of those seven.

For those of us who elect to publish some or all of our books electronically, there is no legal “used book.” Every digital copy of our book is exactly like another. If we open the door to book sharing it makes our lawyers itchy. They say, “You’re giving people permission to steal.”

So to create the Used Book Effect you have to post one of your books online and hope people find it. You hope they like it enough to share it with others. You hope the result will be that folks decide to buy the books (print and ebook) that you don’t give away for free.

Since I made my first romance novel, A Pirate’s Fierce Passion, available free, my sales have gone up tenfold. I made a second illustrated romance available free because it is targeted at a different audience and my sales increased again. People can buy PDF versions of these books to own if they so desire. But they can read them entirely online at no charge if they prefer.

Many writers give away short stories and excerpts from their novels, but my experience is that those do not result in as many new sales as a free book does. I’m not sure why that is. I suspect that people feel cheated somehow.

If there’s anything to commit to memory from this article, it’s the paragraph above! — EES

For romance writers who are wondering how to springboard their careers, I recommend that you write several books, then choose one of the best to give away free. You probably fell in love with your favorite romance writers through free books. Give your fans their chance to do the same.

Andreya Stuart has been writing romance novels since she was 13. Read one of her free romance novels, A Woman’s Honor.

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