A Sneak Preview—for Books

By ALEXANDRA ALTER - WSJ

Mark Sullivan's new thriller starring a Robin Hood-like hero named Robin Monarch doesn't hit bookstores until October, but he's already angling to build a fan base.

Publishers are experimenting with a new strategy: Ahead of the print release of a splashy new novel, they're releasing digital "prequels," priced at 99 cents, to help build buzz and snag readers. Alexandra Alter has details on Lunch Break.

This week, Minotaur Books published "Brotherhood," the first of three digital short stories starring Robin Monarch. The 99-cent e-books will be released every three months leading up to the publication of Mr. Sullivan's novel "Rogue." The stories describe Monarch's checkered past as a teenage thief in Buenos Aires and his expulsion from an elite U.S. Special Forces unit, as well as misadventures that pepper the plot of "Rogue." Each short story includes a 48-page preview of "Rogue"—an add-on designed to drive preorders of the novel.
Mr. Sullivan, 53 years old, has published nine mystery and suspense novels, but he's never written a big international thriller, a notoriously difficult genre to break into. He says he hopes the bargain-basement price will snare thriller fans who have never heard of him before: "Anybody will take a chance on 99 cents."

Brittany Geragotelis (Photo -Ryan Gielen)is among the authors releasing a digital 'prequel' to her book.

Not long ago, publishers decried low e-book prices as a scourge on their industry that cannibalized print sales and drove down the value of their products. Some even delayed digital editions for months following a print release to nudge readers toward more expensive hardcover editions. Now, in a strategic shift, some publishers are experimenting with cheap digital "prequels" to help build buzz and snag readers in the months leading up to a splashy print release.
"It's the beautiful combination of a marketing vehicle that you can actually sell," Minotaur publisher Andrew Martin says of the Robin Monarch prequels. "I'm a publisher adapting to the new world order."
Other publishers are testing the tactic as well. This week, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers announced it will publish a trilogy by young-adult author Brittany Geragotelis, who has built a massive online following with her self-published paranormal novel "Life's a Witch." Simon & Schuster, which paid a six-figure sum for the three books, will release "Life's a Witch" in print in the fall of 2013, as book two of the trilogy. But first, it will release a digital prequel—titled "What the Spell?"—in three 99-cent e-book installments, beginning this fall. The prequels take place a year earlier and introduce key characters in "Life's a Witch," which tells the story of Hadley Bishop, a teenage descendant of a woman executed during the Salem witch trials.
Read full story at The Wall Street Journal.