What got me thinking about this, though, is that's literally how all product marketing works. While our sneakers, fast food, and lip balm may not be physically addictive the way hard drugs are, the same marketing tactic often aims to create that kind of customer loyalty. It's why so many companies give out those little snack boxes, tee shirts, and travel-sized trial samples of their products. It costs them money in the short-term, but it also gets that product into the hands of people who may never have tried it in the first place, and who now want more of it.
If you tell stories for a living, this can be a way to help build your readership. "Can" being the operative word.
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| Don't worry... first one's always free! |
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!
Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
There's Still Other Obstacles To Overcome
On the surface, this seems like a simple enough proposal, right? You either hold a giveaway of one of your books, or you create a story that's expressly offered for free as a way to get readers' interest in the hopes they'll actually buy more of your books once they've had their free trial.
And in theory, it is that simple. In practice... not so much.
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| Just go for it! The jump isn't THAT far... |
Price is just one reason people aren't reading your work, and in some instances it isn't even the biggest reason. If you don't have a huge following of people subscribed to your social media channels and boosting your work, then the algorithm may be strangling your signal so that no one actually hears you. You might be writing in a genre folks aren't a huge fan of, or your elevator pitch might need some work. Some people may not like reading electronically, while others are looking more for audio so they can listen to your stories while doing something else. Maybe your samples are decentralized, making them difficult for folks to find more of even if they liked one of them.
The list is legion, and it's daunting as hell.
However, as I so often tell people, you can't win the game if you don't roll the dice. While free samples may not be the perfect solution for building your audience and brand, they can make for enticing bait when you're fishing for new readers. So don't depend on them alone to get people interested, but at the same time, remember there are folks out there who will become supporters because you gave them that "no strings attached" taste of what you can do.
And remember, stories aren't like chocolate chip cookies or loaves of bread; they don't have a shelf life. So just because you gave them out once, that doesn't mean you can't hand them out over and over again until you reach the people you need to.
Speaking of Free Samples...
If you made it this far, and you're one of those people who enjoys trying a bunch of different flavors any time you're at an ice cream parlor, I've got a treat for you. I've put out a lot of free stories over the past few years, and I thought that since this was my topic for the week that I'd collect and categorize them for folks who are looking for something to kill a bit of time with.
For those who enjoy these tales, I have full books on the market as well! However, even if you don't have the money for making purchases right now, sharing the stuff you like on your social media channels so that it gets more attention is also a big help (especially for the audio, since I'm still trying to build that YouTube audience). So make sure you follow my social media pages linked at the end of this post, and subscribe to any channels whose content you enjoy!
Now, without further ado...
Pathfinder Tales
Folks who've been following my work for a while know that one of my earliest publications in the RPG world wasn't actually for game mechanics; it was the short story The Irregulars which was part of the Pathfinder Tales series by Paizo. To recapture some of that high-fantasy fun, I thought I'd do something similar and write a pulpy series of shorts following my current game group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path.
The city of Kintargo is under the bootheel of Barzillai Thrune, who has brought the iron fist of the hellknights of the Order of The Rack to quash any independent ideas running through the populace. This hardline stance, though, has inspired a ragtag group of revolutionaries who want to break Thrune's hold on their city. In their search they've found references to a group that's been all but scrubbed from the history books... the Silver Ravens! Adopting their name and mantle, these revolutionaries set about trying to free their city. Thrune won't let go without a fight, however, and then there's wild cards in the deck... like the mysterious Ghost of Old Kintargo who appears when the Silver Ravens need his aid, and then vanishes just as suddenly!
- Part One: Devil's Night
- Part Two: From The Ashes
- Part Three: Raven's Nest
- Part Four: Circles in Salt
World of Darkness
For example, if werewolves are your thing, then you should check out Tales From The Moot. And if you're not sure this is an anthology you really want to spend a couple bucks on, you can read the introduction story for free! It's by yours truly, and it sort of establishes the framing device for the book going forward.
Or if you're a fan of audio dramas and short fiction, then you should check out this little piece about a Nosferatu trying to make contact with a fellow lurker, taken from the SchreckNet collection above.
Or for those who prefer their skullduggery to have a faerie flavor, you could follow along with this story as a Winter Court handler meets with one of his field agents after dealing with enemy operatives, taken from 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings.
The most recent piece we have, which I titled "Hedge Caller," is also up now. The first in a series of small adventures featuring the Hedge guide Jacoby, it gives us a little insight to the bizarre things that can happen in the Hedge.
As mentioned above, make sure you subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel if you like these, and want me to keep doing them! The publisher pays attention to numbers, and the more subscribers and views I bring in, the more of these I can make, and the more involved they'll be able to get.
Warhammer 40,000
In case my love of grim, dark things didn't give it away, I'm a fan of the Warhammer 40,000 setting. I find its sprawling nature fascinating, and the sheer amount of potential it offers intriguing. And it was out of a desire to add a few drops of my own to the bucket that I wrote a couple of tales set out in the blackness of the far future.
- Waking Dogs: A World Eaters Tale: On a lost and unimportant battlefield, one of the infamous World Eaters space marines stares around him. Amidst the blood and carnage, he remembers a time when he had a greater purpose. When all the violence meant something. In that moment a sea change happens within Crixus, and the War Hound aims to remind his erstwhile allies that this old dog still has his share of tricks.
- Field Test: When Inquisitor Hargrave came to New Canaan days before an ork rock was going to hit, she promised them a weapon that would wipe out the greenskins. Caught up in the fury of movement and preparation, all the people on the world looked to the skies... but the inquisitor's weapon was right there, moving among them and ready to be unleashed with a single command.
Now, while I would ask everyone interested in these tales please read the text versions linked above (and share them to help me get eyes on the stories), as I said above I know that digital reading isn't everyone's cup of tea. Which is why I wanted to let folks know that the very talented A Vox in The Void has done dramatic readings of these stories. So check out both versions, see which ones you like better, and subscribe to his channel while you're there!
My Novels and Independent Short Stories
In addition to tinkering in existing worlds and universes, I also create quite a lot of independent, original content. I've got several novels on the market, all of which have pretty generous free samples to help you decide if this is the kind of book you want to dedicate your time, energy, and wallet to. And I've also got some free short stories that you can take a peek at, as well!
- The Rejects: A collection of short stories that always wound up as bridesmaids but never brides, I decided it was time to give them a home of their own. The first story in the collection, Dressing The Flesh, is a tale about a homeless kid on the streets of Chicago trying to find a missing friend after a blizzard. He winds up in the teeth of a monster worse than the storm outside, but Ace still has a card up his sleeve.
This story was also read by yours truly at the start of the pandemic, so take a listen if that's your preferred medium!
- Crier's Knife: A sword and sorcery novel, when Dirk Crier's cousin goes missing, it's his job to track the boy down and haul him home again. If he's alive, so much the better, but if he's not then Dirk aims to be certain he has plenty of company on the dead man's cart.
- Old Solders: The Myrmidon were made during the war with the Hyperion that reduced the Earth to a polluted, subterranean wasteland. They helped win the conflict, but now Pollux wanders through this city like a ghost, unsure of where he belongs in a world that no longer needs him. Trying to build a life, and to grapple with the demons that live in his head, he's starting to get his feet under him again. When an assassination attempt fails, though, he rounds up what's left of his old squad, and opens the caches they stashed just in case... whoever was behind this is going to learn they should have just let these old soldiers fade away.
- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: Leo is a Maine Coon bruiser who likes to keep his nose out of other people's business... but problems just keep washing up on his doorstep. From helping out a church mouse on the south side and uncovering a turf war that makes no sense, to helping track down a missing cat for an old flame, Leo just can't stay away from old friends, and new enemies.
Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!
That's all for this week's Business of Writing!
If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!
If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!
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