Putting a sample online

efreysson

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I'm planning to put a sample of my fantasy novel up on Scribd, as a first step in my self-epublishing marketing campaign. As I establish a webpage and learn all the other things necessary I'll be able to link to it and hopefully get people interested.

I just wanted to check in with people who actually know something about English-language online publishing, and get opinions on this course of action. I was thinking of putting up the first three chapters, of nineteen. They open with an action scene, introduce the protagonists, the villains, and the basics of the world and the kind of story I'll be telling.

Okay plan, no?
 

Michael Davis

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Given its free, why not. I have key chapters on Scribd for each release and when I upload a new one I notice an up tic of site visits but it dwindles quickly. Key are the tags you chose for your upload.
 

Edita A Petrick

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I'm wearing the hat of a reader here.

Sample online...don't bother. The only sample you'll need is the one that'll figure in the Amazon.com in Kindle version where the arrow points to your book cover <take a peek inside> or read excerpt. That's how I buy books on Amazon.com. And I read the flap jacket in bookstores. Most people have time to indulge only a couple of methods.
 

Hildegarde

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I have the first chapter of both my books free on my site and I've had people tell me they bought after reading them. Also, I've had bloggers I approached for reviews state that they requested after reading the sample chapter.

Of course, then you must first get people to come on your site....

But yes, I consider this a good tool.