Reader magnet ideas: what to give away for an email address
Reader magnet options by genre, what each costs to make, what the published evidence says about which work, and how to deliver one without breaking KDP Select.
The best reader magnet is something a reader of your books would pay for, that they cannot get anywhere else, and that leads straight into the book you want them to buy next. For a fiction series that usually means a short story or novella with the same characters. For non-fiction it means a tool the reader can use with the book, such as a checklist or workbook. Free chapters are the weakest choice, because Amazon already gives readers a sample without asking for an email address.
We looked for published data on which kinds of magnet convert best, from BookFunnel, StoryOrigin and Written Word Media in particular. None of them publishes a comparison by magnet type, so the evidence below is thin and the reasoning after it is ours.
The options, by genre
| Magnet | Suits | What it costs to make | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prequel novella or short story | Any fiction series | The most: weeks of writing, plus editing and a cover | It must stay out of KDP Select and out of enrolled books |
| Deleted scene or bonus epilogue | Romance, series with a loyal readership | Little, because the words already exist, though they still need a proofread | It appeals to people who have read the book, so it suits back matter more than ads |
| First three chapters | Debut authors before launch | Nothing | Amazon gives a sample free, and Select limits samples to about 10% |
| Companion guide or character file | Fantasy, science fiction, long series with big casts | Moderate, mostly your time | It needs enough story behind it to be worth having |
| Map | Fantasy, historical fiction | An illustrator's fee, or your time if you draw | A map is better as a bonus inside a story than as the whole offer |
| Recipe card or booklet | Cosy crime, small-town romance | Low: a few recipes and a free design tool | Only works if food is part of the books' appeal |
| Checklist, workbook or template | Non-fiction and how-to | Low to moderate | It has to save the reader real work, or it reads as a brochure |
For editing and cover prices, our cost of self-publishing article has current figures. A novella reader magnet needs the same professional cover and edit as a book, because it is the first thing many readers will judge you by.
What the published evidence says
The Written Word Media reader survey published in February 2026, from 3,589 readers on its own lists, found that 49% subscribe to author newsletters. Its readers lean towards free and discounted ebooks, so the figure describes bargain-minded digital readers more than readers in general. The survey does not report what made them sign up.
On the BookFunnel blog in 2021, Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur listed prequels, side stories, post-credit scenes and bonus material such as letters or case files as the fiction options. He warned against samples and unrelated short stories, saying that "Samples of the next book aren't usually enticing enough". The post gives no conversion figures.
The Alliance of Independent Authors' reader magnet guide, also from 2021, quotes the novelist Rachel McCollin saying about 5% of her readers sign up for her prequel novella, against about 1% before she had one. The same guide quotes JJ Toner, whose list grew from 1,100 to over 2,000 through BookFunnel group promotions, and who then found that about 1,200 of those subscribers were not interested in the science fiction and had signed up for the free stuff.
That is one author's figure and one author's warning, not a study, and we have not found anything more systematic. Treat any article that quotes a precise conversion rate for a magnet type without naming its source with suspicion.
The reasoning, where the data runs out
The magnet decides who joins your list, as well as how many. A free novella in the world of your series attracts people who like that world, and they are the ones who will buy book two. A prize draw for an e-reader or a generic short story attracts people who like free things, which is the pattern Toner described.
So judge a magnet by how close it sits to the book it is meant to sell. A deleted scene from book one, offered in the back of book one, reaches readers at the moment they have just finished and want more. A prequel novella offered on your website and in ads reaches people who have never read you and need a full story to decide. A checklist for a non-fiction book works when it is the page of the book the reader would have photocopied anyway.
How to deliver it
- Decide where the offer appears. The back of your ebook, straight after the last page, is the strongest spot for most fiction, followed by your website and your author bio.
- Link to a sign-up page, never to a retailer. The page needs one sentence on what they get, a cover image, and a plain statement that they are joining your newsletter.
- Send the file once they confirm their address, using your email platform's welcome message or a delivery service. As of November 2026, StoryOrigin collects reader email addresses on its Standard plan at $10 a month or $100 a year. BookFunnel connects to a mailing list from its Mid-List plan at $200 a year, because the $30 First-Time Author plan has no mailing list integration. The Indie Author Toolchest delivers the reader magnet from your author page.
- Follow up with two or three emails that introduce you and point to the first book, as our guide to the first 100 email subscribers describes.
If your books are in KDP Select, check the magnet against the exclusivity rules first. A story you give away cannot also sit inside an enrolled book, and our article on KDP Select and selling direct sets out what counts.
Questions, answered
What is the best reader magnet for a fiction series?
For most series authors it is a short story or novella set in the same world, with the same characters, that a reader of the series would genuinely want. We found no published survey that ranks magnet types, but the few author reports there are, including one collected by the Alliance of Independent Authors, point the same way.
Can I give away the first chapters of my book as a reader magnet?
You can, but it is the weakest option. Amazon already shows a free sample, so you are offering something the reader can get without signing up, and Dave Chesson wrote on the BookFunnel blog that samples of the next book are not usually enticing enough. If the book is in KDP Select, the free sample elsewhere is limited to about 10%.
Can my reader magnet be a book that is in KDP Select?
No. KDP Select requires the enrolled ebook to be available only on Amazon, free or paid, so you cannot also give it away from your website. Use a story you have never enrolled, and do not also include it in the back of an enrolled book.
How much does it cost to deliver a reader magnet?
As of November 2026, StoryOrigin charges $10 a month or $100 a year for the plan that collects reader email addresses. BookFunnel's $30 First-Time Author plan does not connect to a mailing list, so collecting addresses through BookFunnel starts at its $200 Mid-List plan. You can also attach the file to your email platform's welcome message for nothing extra.
What reader magnet works for non-fiction?
Something the reader can use with the book: a checklist, a workbook, a template, a cheat sheet or a worked spreadsheet. Chesson's BookFunnel post suggests case studies, condensed notes and supplemental videos, all tied to the book without being essential to reading it.
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