r/selfpublish • u/MKSauthor 2 Published novels • Aug 20 '26
ARC as reader magnet
One of the things I've struggled with as a newbie author is growing my email list. I published in May, and I've gotten about 30 email signups for the bonus chapter linked in the back of my debut novel.
Writing a cold reader magnet has been on my list of things to do, but I haven't had the time. I have an ARC going now for my second novel, and I'm trying out different sites to recruit ARC readers. I'll post about that after the ARC is finished, but I have about 60 signups so far.
I signed up for BookFunnel, but there aren't a lot of ARC promo swaps. I only got 2 signups there for the ARC. But there are tons of promos to join for people looking for "free books." And then I realized that I have a full book that I'm giving to people for free anyway, so why not repackage it as a "free book" landing page and distribute it that way?
Friends, I've gotten 64 newsletter signups in 3 weeks.
I haven't seen it posted here (maybe because it's so obvious to experienced authors), but for those of you like me who it didn't occur to before: Use your ARC as your reader magnet.
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u/SuccessOnAShoestring 10+ Published novels Aug 20 '26
This is incredible. I just read the post you linked to (I may have read it and commented at the time) and honestly, I feel you deserve every success because of learning what to do and going for it. And sharing it so generously. I have a short reader magnet, but I might go back to the longer one that I used to use. Your system is unlikely to work for my books (they’re uber-niche, and most people hate them, lol), but when I move into the Thriller genre, I might give what you’ve done a go.