So, I just had an idea for a group of short stories tied to my upcoming series, and naturally it got me thinking about reader magnets. You know what those are, right? While the actual content can vary greatly, think free stories, sneak peeks, or bonus content authors offer to hook new readers.

For me, the idea would be to offer one of the stories to entice people to sign up for my mailing list, and then just have the others in my back pocket as content to provide at opportune times. On paper, they make sense. They give readers a taste of your world, your characters, your voice — and if someone enjoys it, maybe they’ll pick up the next book in the series. That’s the theory.

And I really like the idea of my reader magnet(s), because I think they fit into my world in a cool way. Okay, fine, I’ll just give you the sales pitch.

Tales From the VRoom

That’s it. That’s the title of the series of stories.

What’s the VRoom? Well, the futuristic school at the heart of my books has what’s basically an early version of Star Trek‘s Holodeck. In other words, an unbelievably realistic virtual reality area that the teachers use for certain lesson.

See where I’m going with this?

The shorts are essentially quick stories about little adventures in the VRoom. I love this because 1) It gives me space to flesh out the room and how it’s used and what it can do in ways that aren’t possible in the books and 2) It’s a perfect way to introduce people to the fun and adventure of this world in quick, easy bites.

But Here’s the Thing…

Does getting a free story like this from an unknown writer who hasn’t even published books really move anyone to join a mailing list? How often do these actually get read? Are they hooking anyone? A story can sit in someone’s inbox or on a website without ever being opened.

All of this made me wonder: is the time spent creating them worth it?

Questions All the Way Down

I can see the upside: reader magnets can help build an audience, reward fans, or test out ideas in a smaller format. But there’s also a risk: they can be one more thing on a never-ending to-do list for a writer, and sometimes it feels like we’re producing content for the sake of producing content.

I don’t have a definitive answer yet, but I’m curious. As a reader, has a reader magnet ever enticed you to do something — and did it make you want more? And for writers: have they ever worked for you in practice, or is it mostly theory?

Sometimes it’s worth pausing and asking: what’s really worth our time, and what’s just noise? As for me… I got the bug. I’m already writing one of the stories, and may have to try a few of the others as well.

That being said, I’m keeping an open mind — and I’d love to hear what others think.