How to pick up a free story and support this humble author

As promised in the last post, you can pick up a copy of Winged, With Sharp Teeth for free this week. Just follow the links here to claim your copy: Amazon US | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK

And here’s a little taste of what you’re getting if you follow the link.

The rain draped over Brisbane like a wet sheet, bringing with it a chill and sharp gusts of wind. Not the kind of weather you hoped for when planning a first date, but Steve wasn’t complaining. They were huddled together in the Siam Palace on Sandgate Road, seated beneath the watchful eye of a giant golden Buddha. They ate Pad Thai, traded stories about their lives: the events of the week, where they worked, what they studied at university. Wait staff hustled between the tables, delivering drinks and plates of fragrant curry. The wind chased new patrons through the front door, setting the candle flames on every table dancing. Their own lanky, blond waitress brought a fresh beer as Duke finished telling Steve about the crocodile. “I know it’s not the sort of thing you confess right up,” Duke said. “It’s just…look, it’s been a thing, with other guys, before this. I know it’s been a thing. They tell you it’s not, but it is.”

Winged, With Sharp Teeth: A Short Story (BrainJar Press Short Fiction Lab Book 1)

You can pick the story up for free until Midnight on Sunday in America, which translates to around 6 PM Monday here in Australia. Signal boosting in the form of liking/reposting during the free period is always appreciated, given the small size of Brian Jar Press.

EIGHT HOURS INTO THE GIVE-AWAY

This is the first time I’ve given a book away on Amazon, and I’m largely using it as an opportunity to gather data and think about the business model for Brian Jar Press.

Eight hours in, I’m starting to see numbers based on a quick post to my private social media and a mention in my most recent newsletter. Some of them are surprising–for instance, when I woke up this morning, the story had ranked pretty well for its category on the Australia:

 And even did better than I expected on the US store:

Since I’d picked up more downloads than predicted this early, I figure it’s time to start reaching for a few stretch goals. With that in mind I’m going to peel back the curtains a little and mention a few things you can do to help, and how they interact with the Brain Jar Press business model. 

DO YOU WANT TO HELP A WRITER OUT AND IMPROVE THOSE NUMBERS?

Here’s the list of quick and easy things you can do that will have an impact over the next five days:

1) Grab a copy of the story from Amazon. It’s hard to beat free as a price point, after all, especially at this time of year when we’re all gearing up for the holidays. No-one is entirely sure how the Amazon ranking systems work except Amazon, but they’re driven by attention and engagement. If you need those store links again, I’ll repeat them here to save scrolling to the top of the page: Amazon US | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK

If you’re shopping at Amazon, they have a bunch of data about who you are and what you like…but they have comparatively little about this book in general and me as a writer.

2) Read the story and post an honest review. The honest part is important here, because at the end of the day Amazon is a big search engine. Its success and failure is driven by its ability to match a customer with something they really want–and like all search engines it needs baseline data to work with and drive those matches.

Writers want their work matched to readers who enjoy it, which is where the honest part comes in. Whether you love the story or hated it, your review gives the search engine algorithm some nice juicy data about who this story will appeal too. 

There are other benefits to reviews, but in the first thirty days of a story going live on Amazon, I think this is probably the most useful one. 

3) Tell a friend. A few years back, Goodreads did a study on how people find new books to read–the most popular way was a new release from a writer they already knew and loved, but the recommendations from friends ranked in the second or third spot.

It’s considerably more powerful than a random author saying hey, I did this thing, you should check it out. 

In theory, this can be easier than doing a short review, but I rank it third because I’m very aware that it can be a bigger ask. Reviews are often contextualised by the places they appear, particularly when it’s just a few words and a star rating at a sales site.

In contrast, the recommendations we offer the world on social media and in person aren’t just a review–they’re statements about who we are, tokens we offer to the world as a statement of identity. This is the kind of thing I like, and I believe you will like as well.

SO WHY DOES ALL THIS MATTER?

The great challenge for any writer, regardless of how their publishing, is not getting a book published but getting a book noticed by readers. How this is done usually depends on the resources available to the writer and their publisher–bigger publishing companies have ongoing relationships with vendors that help position certain books and new releases, access to high-prestige review outlets, and ongoing networks that can be used to create buzz.

Indie publishers tend to rely on other tools: the ability to leverage the one-on-one relationships they can build with readers via the internet, throwing money at newer advertising models, and the freedom to connect with tastemakers who exist outside of the traditional model. The way they leverage these models largely depends on their available cash to throw at the problem of discoverability, and the speed with which they build up an engaged readership.

One of the interesting side-effects of this is the impact that reader support has on a smart writer’s approach to their business. Writers have limited time to create new work–and it’s often less once they’re handling the production side of things–which means the books and series that are supported by the readership tend to be ones that get the lions share of the writer’s focus. 

The relationship between writer and reader grows more direct, and more symbiotic. 

At this stage of its development, Brain Jar Press and its various projects rely heavily on the relationships it can build with readers. I dubbed this series the Short Fiction Lab because it’s a place for me to play with things, try out some different worlds, techniques, and styles to see what’s resonating the most with the people who pick up my stuff.

The stories that resonate loudest get more attention. The stuff that doesn’t get tucked away.