Many years ago Valerie Comer asked the authors in our blogging group to provide a link to our author newsletter for the Inspy Romance website. She later asked us to provide information on our free reader magnet stories that are available for our newsletter subscribers. I had great intentions of creating a reader magnet for my author newsletter, and I never got around to actually doing it. There’s an Author Newsletter link in the Books section of our Inspy Romance website that features a dozen or more free stories from our blog members. It’s definitely worth checking out!
https://www.inspyromance.com/author-newsletters/
I do have a reader magnet drafted for Honor Me, my upcoming Chapel Cove Romance release that I’m currently writing. The reader magnet could be shortened into a prologue scene, and there’s always debate in writing circles regarding the wisdom of including or not including prologues. The main reason I’m keeping this potentially overly long prologue as a separate story is that it needs a trigger warning. Despite my heroine’s life being impacted in a major way by these past events, it doesn’t need to be included on-stage at the start of the book.
The readers who want to know more details about my heroine’s past and her complex back story will be able to learn more for free by subscribing to my monthly author newsletter. The readers who don’t want or need to know all the details can read the book and happily ignore the reader magnet story.
One marketing activity that’s rarely disputed these days is the importance for authors to have a newsletter email list. Laurie Larsen wrote a blog post in January that discusses author newsletters in more detail. There’s no right or wrong way for authors to set up and run their newsletters. The goal for authors is to connect and engage with readers, and provide valuable content.
Reader magnets provide value for email subscribers. I have a dedicated email account for what I call reader email news, and it’s where I receive book advertising emails and author newsletters. I’m happy to hand over my email address in exchange for a free story if I’m interested in sampling an author’s work. Or, if it’s the only way to receive exclusive content I really want to read. Sometimes I prefer to spend a couple of dollars and buy a book instead of obtaining it for free via subscribing to an author newsletter. I don’t have time to read author emails from every author I like to read. Thirty seconds or less of skim reading each email in my reader news account is normal for me. If something catches my attention, I’ll read that section in more detail.
Love, Faith & Tender Kisses is a multi-author box set that’s on sale for 99 cents until the end of March. The collection includes a few novellas that are currently or were previously available as reader magnets.
Last Flight Home by Milla Holt, a novella from her Color-Blind Love series, is her free reader magnet that’s listed on our Inspy Romance Author Newsletter web page.
Inspy Romance author Carolyn Miller has written a brand new prequel novella for the box set collection, Originally Yours, that introduces her Original Six Hockey Romance series.
Lisa Renee’s novella, Fake Engagement Mistake, the prequel to her Christian romcom series set in Clear Creek County, Colorado, is available as a standalone ebook and audiobook as well as her free reader magnet.
Autumn Macarthur’s novella, Imperfectly Proverbs 31, from her Huckleberry Lake series, is available as a standalone ebook, audiobook, and is also her reader magnet. Autumn has set up a new free reader magnet gift for subscribers who join her newsletter list via links in Love, Faith & Tender Kisses.
Lorana Hoopes’ novella, The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet, from her Sweet Billionaire’s Second Chance Romance series, is available as a standalone ebook, audiobook, and paperback, and is also her reader magnet.
Meredith Resce’s novella, Falling for Maddie Grace, is available as a standalone ebook, paperback in a novella collection, and was previously her reader magnet.
My story in the collection, His Perfect Catch, was written back in 2015 as a prequel novella for a future Aussie CCR series set in Australia. The novella is currently available as a standalone ebook, and was previously in SPLASH! multi-author box set. It’s on my to-do list to eventually write and publish my Sapphire Bay series, which is when His Perfect Catch will be promoted to reader magnet for the series.
What are your thoughts on author newsletters and reader magnets and free books? Do you follow authors via their newsletters? Does a reader magnet entice you to sign up for author newsletters? Is there anything you don’t like about the concept of reader magnets? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
I had not heard the term ‘reader magnet’ before. I finally worked out you mean something like teasers.
I enjoy receiving author newsletters.
I love reading authors’ sample pieces to get a sense of their style and the kinds of stories they write.
I have joined lists to get the free read but normally its cos its a prequal or something similar. I actually signed up to one recently because of the free sequel but for some reason the link didn’t work. I tried about 3 or 4 times using different browsers but never got the confirmation and gave up, it was a new to me author who I probably wont read unless I win a book or its in a box set so I can see if I like the books.
I did sign up to Laurie’s newsletter after her post and loved her reader magnet and have one more of the books to read. I also sign up and never take up the offer of the free book too. I too skim some newsletters and recently have been unsubbing from newsletters of authors I no longer read often authors now writing in genres I don’t read as much or if they send to many
Hi Narelle! Never thought or heard of free books that authors offer in newsletters as reader magnets. LOVE it. Reminds of the magnets I have on my refrigerator. Since I only read newsletters from my favorite authors, I no longer subscribe to a newsletter for a free read. Have more than enough to read from author recommendations or suggested books I receive from Amazon and Bookbub. I enjoy purchasing boxed sets to explore new authors. Purchased Love, Faith and Tender Kisses because 5 stories and authors are new. Best wishes.
I LOVE author newsletters! Sometimes I get subscribed to them before I’ve read any books by that author and because I start to like the author personally through the newsletter, I buy one of their books. I look forward to newsletters by some of my favorite authors and I especially enjoy pet updates and book recommendations from what they’ve been reading. I rarely take advantage of the free book they offer for subscribing.
Hi Mary, Reader magnets can be hard to describe and define because they’re not all the same type of writing. They’re designed to attract readers who will enjoy reading an author’s books. Short stories, novellas, deleted scenes, bonus material, series prequel stories, and full length novels can all potentially be used as reader magnets for author newsletter subscribers. Reader magnets can be described as gifts to readers in exchange for an email address, and readers can unsubscribe from the email list at any time. If you enjoy the author’s newsletters, that’s an added bonus from subscribing. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Milla, yes, it’s fun to discover new authors via reading samples of their writing. 😊
Hi Jenny, It’s frustrating when the link doesn’t work. I like Book Funnel because it’s reliable and I can use their App to keep track of the books I’ve accumulated in my Book Funnel library. Yay for discovering Laurie’s books! I have her new NYC series in my TBR list. I find the author newsletter email more manageable now I’m only using the one account for signing up. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Renate, I’m not sure who originally coined the term ‘reader magnet’ – most likely one of the marketing gurus. I also have a TBR list that doesn’t need to grow, but I know it will, lol. Thank you for purchasing Love, Faith and Tender Kisses, and I hope you enjoy the stories in the collection. Best wishes. 😊
Hi Ellie, Author newsletters are fun, especially the ones with cute pet photos. I’m always interested in book recommendations, not that I need to add any more books to my tbr, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊
I love ‘reader magnets’ – not that I had heard the term before. I discovered most of my favourite authors that way. Some newsletters I really enjoy, some I skim and to be honest, some I unsubscribe as soon as possible!
welcome today. i have not heard the term “reader magnets” before. but now I know. thanks. I follow many authors and do enjoy the snippets of their stories. it helps a lot in weather I get it or not. then there are just those authors that no matter what they share in their newsletters I love their books because of the way they write
I don’t subscribe to NL for a free book. I only subscribe if I’m interested in following that author. On a side note, as a reader who buys a lot of books, I tend to read the ones I paid for before I touch the free ones. Most of ones, I’ve downloaded for free are still waiting for me to read. Not because I don’t want to read them, but I have so many others that cost me, and I don’t want to waste my money.
I enjoy reading author’s newsletters, and I enjoy when they give free reading magnets too. It gives me a chance to get a sense of whether I’ll enjoy their books or not before plunking down money on books. Its fun to catch up on what the author is working on currently, but I do agree its nice if they only send them out once a month or so, otherwise they can become too much. I generally always read them though.
Okay, my first thought when you said “reader magnet” was a real, physical magnet you give your readers with some kind of book quote or short blurb of your book to put on their refrigerators…lol! How silly is that? :-D
I probably subscribe to FAR too many author newsletters that often get buried in my email & then get purged once a month (or sooner depending). I’m sure I don’t even open some of them simply because I don’t see them. I need to make a more conscious effort to cull out ones I’m no longer interested in so that I CAN get & SEE the ones I am really interested in. I do like the occasional freebie story or novella some authors include, I also like contests to win a book/gift card just for subscribing. These are often monthly contests the authors hold that the reader is automatically qualified for just receiving the newsletter. Author news about upcoming books, or even just life outside the writing world is also of interest to me. Maybe recommendations for other authors books that point me to a new-to-me writer would catch my eye too.
I see lots of value in an authors newsletter & love connecting in this way. As I’m sure the author feels the same! :-)
I’ve found lots of great authors by signing up for their emails and getting the free books! And, I stay in touch with authors I’d already known, too. I follow many authors through their newsletters, some I read every word, some I skim through. So glad you’re going to be writing for the Chapel Cove series!! I’ve read all of the ones out so far, and LOVE them!!
Aww you ladies are making me blush! :) Ha ha.
I’m all about authors sharing bonus material in their newsletters, but not exactly as a reader magnet, just as one of the perks of being subscribed. Still, I enjoy hearing the news about upcoming releases or teasers about what they’re currently working on, or even just to know how they’re doing. :) I also agree with you in that I like the newsletters that are divided into segments and let you read what you’re interested in. If the newsletter is on the wordier side I’ll either unsubscribe or just not read it.
Hi Jeannette, yes, the bonus material in reader magnets is fun. We all have different likes and dislikes regarding newsletters, and I will unsubscribe if the author switches to writing in a genre that doesn’t interest me. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Lori, yes, there are authors I love and I auto-buy their books but I don’t follow them via their newsletters. It’s good that we have options in how we interact with authors. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Kimberly, yes, I usually read the books I’ve paid for first, the exception being if the free books are part of a series. A few years ago I stopped downloading free books that I wasn’t likely to read. A large portion of the unread books in my Kindle are free books or 99c impulse buys. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Megan, The free reader magnets are great for discovering new authors. My spam folder tends to collect the newsletters that are sent frequently, which means I miss seeing them because I forget to look there. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Trixi, I have seen and collected author promo swag that includes fridge magnets, lol. That’s not a silly thought at all! I enjoy connecting with readers via my newsletter. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Trudy, The Chapel Cove authors have been very patient with me and the delays I’ve experienced in writing Honor Me. It’s exciting to write a story set on the Oregon Coast which I have visited twice during trips to the US. I’m glad you’re loving the series! Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Priscila, Bonus material for newsletter subscribers is a perk I enjoy as a reader. Subheadings definitely make a longer newsletter easier to read. It’s like reading blog posts – I’ll read the first line in a paragraph and skim or quit reading if it’s too long and rambling. Thanks for commenting. 😊
LOL 🙂
I’ve never heard about “reader magnet”. I follow authors via their newsletters.
I don’t like loooooong newsletters….
Kimberly, that’s me too. I may never get to the free ones because I’ve got paid books to read.
Yes, I receive author’s newsletters. The reader magnets really do not matter to me. A prime example of emails in my inbox. Today, by the time I was able to open my emails, I had 316 emails. I glanced and skimmed through them. There are a few that I did not delete that I will go back and read later. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
don’t like long and daily newsletters
I sign up for newsletters if the books are in my type of reading. I love extras like magnets & others swag in the mail even signed books but it must be my type.
I like the magnets & other items but mostly it depends on the type of books the author writes for me to sign up to newsletters.
Hi Natalya, The overly long newsletters aren’t my favourite, either. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Debra, I can relate, and I have so many unread emails that will likely remain unread until I do a big inbox purge. My sanity is using multiple email addresses for different purposes. Then I can look at a specific inbox and not feel overwhelmed. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi bn100, I would hope that the authors who have daily news to share on a regular basis would be blogging and/or sharing via social media. I haven’t come across a daily author newsletter, and I’d rather see daily content in Feedly (the App I use for following blogs). Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Amy, I have unsubscribed when an author switches to a genre I don’t read. Reader magnets are fun. Thanks for commenting. 😊
Hi Sylvain, I’ll only subscribe to an author newsletter if I’m interested in reading their books. Thanks for commenting. 😊