What are the best ways to use short stories/novelettes as magnets for novels?

Woollybear

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I've got a few short stories written in my world and a couple more ideas floating around. By the end of the year I'll have about 5 or 6, with a total word count around 60-70,000 words.

One way to use a short story is to offer it as a freebie to anyone who signs up for a newsletter. I get that--it makes easy sense. I might, but I'm not talking about newsletters here.

What I'm specifically wondering about is the best way to use them on Amazon, in order to help build readership and drive traffic to the novel(s).

Option 1: Put them all together as a single novel-length anthology from the world. This was my first intention, because it's the sort of thing I grew up with before the internet/amazon. I'd make the volume ebook and paperback.

Option 2: Put them out individually, spaced in time, ebook only, and priced at 99c or 2.99. I don't know what I think about this. That feels like I am trying to 'milk them for all they are worth' and I just don't know. But I do understand the idea of putting regular content up--I get the idea of regular installments, it just feels intuitively like I'm slashing the actual value of the product by going this route. It feels sort of like what if a person cut their novel into chapters and published each chapter for 2.99. And yet, a lot of people in my groups are plumping for this approach and similar tactics. I'm not a gamer.

Option 3: Same as Option 2 but make them permafree (can I do that?) That would at least get me past the sense that I was trying to hoodwink a customer.

Option 4: Other? Advice?

I appreciate your thoughts and perspectives, as I 'build my brand.' I expect the next novel will be ready sometime in 2021, and will be ebook and print. So between now and then, what to do with these shorter stories sort of weighs on my mind. What do you think?
 
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cool pop

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I would definitely use them for building my mailing list. You can do it manually the way you mentioned or do it by submitting the stories for BookFunnel promotions. I find BookFunnel most effective for magnets because you can do promotions with other authors and get a lot of new subscribers.
 

Marissa D

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I honestly don't see anything wrong with putting them up individually for 99 cents. No one is holding a gun to anyone's head to buy them...and I think it's important to remind readers that our work has value and that creators deserve to be paid.
 

Polenth

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My experience was that a novelette sold alone simply didn't sell. My short story collection sells to people who've read longer work first (novel or novella). In other words, your longs sell your shorts, not the other way around.

Given that you have enough for a collection, I'd suggest a collection. Just consider it an extra that fans will buy, rather than a thing that'll sell your novels.
 

LJD

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My Option 4:

I would maybe put one or two up permafree?

Then collect those, and the rest of the stories, into a collection and charge for that. Be sure to link to this collection in the back matter of the free story.

OR

Release them all individually (though this will require many covers, set-up...). Put one up for free and charge for the rest.

Then later, after they've all been out at least a couple months, release an anthology (all previously published material).

(and also keep something for your mailing list, for sure)
 

Woollybear

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Thank you to the folks responding thus far. It's feeding the mill grinding along in my head.
 

cool pop

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If you do permafree you have to put them on all retailers so Amazon can pricematch.
 

Laer Carroll

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My experience is that your books sell your shorts, not the other way around.

All of my short stories and novelettes are of secondary characters from the books. Or they more fully develop the universe I created. I price them $.99. They only began to sell in real volume after the books were published. And all books began to sell in real volume after my very popular book came out: The Eons-Lost Orphan and its sequels. Each shorter work is complete in itself; no one needs to read the other works of any length.

One consideration is the price of the cover for your works. They need to be good enough to suit you. Amateurish covers send people away. A bunch of covers for short works might cost you more than you want to spend. So an omnibus with one cover is obviously cheaper.

However, I'm an artist and cover designer so the cost of several covers is too little to bother me. (I did this at Boeing as well as my engineering work.) It takes me just a few hours to create a cover. I also have a standard template for each cover. I start with it and fill it in or adapt it to suit the story. So far all my books have been SF in the same universe, so having a recognizably similar look is a plus. When I branch out into fantasy I will design a new template. Ditto when I do techno-thrillers. Ditto when I write contemporary works. Ditto when or if I do romance novels. (That last is unlikely. Contrary to opinion romances are hard to write well.)

I can only speak to my experience and prejudices. So in sum: wish I could do better, but DAMNED IF I KNOW.