Swap sample chapter with another author

One way corporate publishers of genre novels promoted their books before consolidation of the industry was to offer sample chapters of an author in another of their writer’s works. For example, at the end of a science fiction book by Isaac Asimov might be a sample chapter by another novelist the company published. The ideas was to introduce an audience to authors (especially new ones); hopefully, readers would be impressed and purchase the full book.

You can do the same thing as a self-published writer. Your mutual goal will be to introduce your unique set of readers to one another, resulting in increased sales for both.

To accomplish that, a little coordination is required. Preferably, you’d want to include the opening chapter of your most recently published book. You’ll have to provide one another with text and agree to which books the samples will be printed in, as well as the day when those printed books will come out. In addition, you’ll want to include at the beginning of the sample chapter some introductory material about the other author and book, and at the end a link where that book can be published.

When determining who would be a good author to swap chapters with, always look for someone from the same genre. Rarely do readers cross over between genres. Further, find someone who writes something similar but is different enough from you that you aren’t competitors. So if you write cozy mysteries about a female detective who solves mysteries, a sample chapter from an author who writes about a male detective or historical mysteries about a female police detective might work, but a dark mystery full of gore and violence probably isn’t a good match.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.