: What is the best marketing strategy for a novel and two short stories? We are currently in the process of writing our debut novel which is set to be released some time next year. On top

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A strategy that I have had a lot of success with is to release a series of short stories and price them each at 99 cents, then also offer the collection of all the short stories at a lower price than the cost of all of them bought separately. I have had a considerable amount of success doing this with one of my pen names, and I am getting ready to use the same strategy using a second pen name.

If you are going to start with KDP and not any others (Nook Press for example), then you might want to take advantage of the KDP Select program. With KDP Select, you promise to distribute your work through Amazon exclusively. In return, they allow you to choose any five days you want over the course of three months during which you can set the price of a title to free. I know several authors who have done this for a lead-in story as a means of introducing people to the actual novel.

In this example, I would recommend releasing all three at the same time. You could then choose certain dates for making the first short story free, and then a month or so later, offer the second short story for free. That way you could have a couple of different opportunities to introduce people to the full novel, which is where you would make your money.

Regardless of the approach you take, you will want to sell all three individually, and then also provide the option to buy all three together in a collection. The whole idea is to maximize your exposure and opportunities for generating revenue.

The problem with releasing them one at a time is that you lose out on the opportunity to obtain repeat customers. If somebody reads one of your works and really enjoys it, then they are likely to look for other works you have completed. If you don't have anything out there, then you will have a much harder time getting that reader back again. The whole idea is to keep them coming back for more, which only works if you have more to offer.

A web site that you might want to visit is the Writer's Café on Kindle Boards, which is a forum for self-published authors. You will find a lot of advice and suggestions on publishing and promoting, and it is specifically focused on writers who are using KDP.

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Chefs serve the amuse bouche before the main course, not after.

If the stories are thematically related to the novel, release the two short stories as a teaser for the novel.

Consider tweeting/instagramming the best excerpts.

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