I give readers a free short story
every December.
It is a gift.
It is PURELY a gift.
It costs me money
to edit and for a cover
and I don’t expect
to recover those funds.
Most of the readers
who love the short story
are already buying
every other story I write.
Every year,
some new-to-the-niche writers
copy me.
They give away
their free short stories,
thinking it is some magical
book selling tactic.
They soon find out
it doesn’t increase
their sales.
I would have told them
exactly that
if they had asked me.
Often, I volunteer
that information
on social media.
Ask the originator
before copying them.
Take a couple minutes
and gather that information.