In today’s growing market of books, it is sometimes hard to find a story that grabs you and makes you want to read more. What are two elements that help you decide? One may be a free book from the author; the other element may take you by surprise!
Everyone loves to get something for free. More and more authors today are offering free books to entice readers to take a chance on reading their stories. I have several free books available for just that reason. The number of free books has grown so much over the last couple of years that the market is saturated with these free offers. The pain for the reader is shuffling through the good stories and the not so good stories. I think we have all encountered those. Writing a good story doesn’t come cheap – or free – for the author. It takes months, sometimes years, for an author to write a story. Then, comes the costs of editing, book covers, formatting, advertising, and more. These costs can run into the thousands of dollars. This is a hefty investment for anyone to make in the hopes that a reader will enjoy the story enough to purchase additional books. But, why would a reader buy another book by the author if they can get so many of them for free? This leads into the next element: writing style!
Readers who really enjoy an author’s writing are more likely to purchase additional books the author has written. An author’s writing style is more than the book cover, the editing, or the formatting-all of which are important. It is the voice of the author. The way they tell a story that makes it interactive where you laugh, cry, cheer, and get angry with the characters. It is the way the author creates a world that is so vivid you feel like you are a part of it and have a vested interest in what happens to everything and everyone in it. It is about the author’s branding and what they believe in. Writing styles cross genre and make a so-so author into a great author. It takes a special author to connect with readers on an emotional level that the reader can identify with. The author isn’t writing something just to make a buck or waste your time, they are writing to take you on a journey that would otherwise be impossible and help you deal with the stress of daily life.
A story should take you away from where you are and into a new world. A great story should be interactive and make you feel like you are there. When an author gives you a free story to read, they are giving you a chance to hear their voice and get lost in their world. If you do enjoy their story, please consider supporting them by purchasing another of their books.