Yes, no. 1 and 4 in my Isabel Long Mystery Series are free to get on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18. That’s Chasing the Case and Killing the Story. The one catch is that deal is for Kindle readers only.
So why in the heck would I give my books away for free? Simply put, to attract more readers to my series. Also, I do make money if the books are picked up by those who have Kindle Unlimited when they read pages.
I tried this experiment earlier this spring and was surprised by the results. I found readership rose on the other books in the series, plus the ones I’ve self-published — The Sweet Spot and Peace, Love, & You Know What. Last weekend, I gave away Peace etc. and found people picking up a short collection of short stories — Professor Groovy and Other Stories — that has been largely ignored.
Then, there are reviews on Amazon, where my series is available. Chasing the Case, the first, has now 118. That number jumped dramatically when I started giving it away.
As I’ve said before, there is writing and then there is the business of writing. The second is the trickiest, considering drastic changes in the publishing industry and the flood of self-produced books of varying quality. I have a strong ally in Darkstroke Books, for my mystery series, but as a small indie publisher, authors must actively promote their books. It’s kinda tough considering my time-consuming job as editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper and my early morning writing sessions.
But, hey, I am determined. And, I’ve learned to pay for promotions — not a lot — but that has made a big difference on these freebie weekends. My social media presence doesn’t have their reach, which is in the multiple thousands.
So, here are the links to Chasing the Case and Killing the Story. Enjoy and if you are so inclined, leave a review on Amazon. I do appreciate your support.