books · tips · writing

To Tease, or Not to Tease

Kari Trumbo teaser

I’ve contemplated whether teasing a new novel actually does any good. Do people really have any interest in cover reveals, or teasing small portions of novels? Do readers really remember that pre-order purchase if you offer your book more than a few weeks in advance when it comes out, or are you setting yourself for a negative when they get charged for a book the reader may not ever remember buying… Is it worth it?

What do you think? Does a cover reveal (if done close to the time of release) actually get you excited about a book, or are you likely to forget about it until it is available? Do you pre-order books before they are available? I don’t often unless it is a limited time offer and I may forget about it. I, myself, do like cover reveals. However, I’ll be honest, if I don’t like the cover to begin with, it makes me less likely to check out the book, so I think a reveal can backfire on you. Another author recently had a reveal for a new cover and I actually scrunched my face when I saw it. The other book in the series will now have to be excellent for me to even look at purchasing the new one.

I think we authors like you, as readers, to remember us. We are a dime a dozen, really. Our cover reveals, teasers, twitter posts, Facebook pages, Pinterest, and other social media are there specifically so that you remember our name by virtue of seeing it more often. But I what I am really curious about is, are we doing all of this in vain?

If you would leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

~Kari

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