The Free Thing

Bonus content. Who doesn’t love bonus content? I mean, it’s a bonus, right?

I’m going to find out the answer to that shortly.

In preparation for the book launch of my new romcom, Running with Hounds…and an English Degree, I’ve been trying some marketing tactics that certainly aren’t new to marketing, but are new to me. And one of those things is writing something called a “lead magnet” or “reader magnet.” The idea is to offer content for free to introduce new readers to your work and try to build more of a connection with your audience. As an indie author who doesn’t have a lot of books or published material under her belt yet, this tactic was a challenge.

The biggest issue was the most obvious one: what kind of content was I going to offer? It’s often easier for non-fiction authors writing about a specific topic to generate something of value for their readers, whether it be a list of helpful hints, a workbook, or things they learned while researching the topic. For a romantic comedy about a college grad who dog-sits retired greyhounds because she can’t find a job and complicates matters by dating two guys at once, it was a different matter altogether.

After reading a few blogs about what romance authors did, I learned that a common theme involved additional interactions between characters. Whether it was a never-before-seen date, love letters/texts, or background information on the couple, I could offer a behind-the-scenes look into my characters’ lives, something that could add a layer of understanding to my novel as a whole.

And that’s when it hit me.

One of my beta readers had made a comment about where I began the novel. My protagonist, Denise, is in the middle of her sixth interview gone wrong and is struggling to figure out what she’s going to do after college. The reader mentioned he wanted to SEE Denise at her highest point and go through the downfall with her, rather than just learn about where she was through her defeated thoughts. I chose not to change my “in medias res” tactic because I wanted the novel to take place within a book-ended timeline, meaning the story is contained within that summer after she graduates. But his comment did give me an idea.

And thus a bonus chapter was born.

You get to see Denise when she’s shining her brightest. She’s excelling in her classes, she’s getting ready to send her work out into the world with the full expectation of great returns, and she’s dating her ex, Alex, for the second time, something she sees as a plus (not a problem). She’s sure they’ve worked out the kinks (and maybe added some fun ones) so this time around will be different. They’re both in better places to make it work, so naturally this upward trajectory could only end in triumph, both in her personal life and professional one. Right?

Wellllllll, guess you’ll just have to check it out for yourself. 😊 The pre-order links for the Running with Hounds…and an English Degree ebook are available on my Books page, and when you sign up there or at the bottom of any page on my website you’ll get the bonus chapter for free. I hope you enjoy this journey with Denise as much as I did!