# Would more people read your book if they could try the first chapters free?

Most readers decide in a few pages. A cover and a blurb ask them to take your word for it, and store previews hide behind a button and look cramped on a phone. If readers can’t taste your writing, most simply move on.

## A free sample on a real page

Upload your book as an EPUB and its opening becomes a free sample: up to three reading chapters, not counting front matter like the copyright page (short works are limited to about half the text). Anyone can read it, with no account and no email.

Each sample chapter is its own web page, so search engines can find your writing, and it’s set like a printed book, on any screen. See [the reader](https://localbooks.app/guides/readers/ebook-reader).

## You choose what happens after the sample

Anyone who signs in (free) can read the whole book. They see a short trailer for another book from time to time, and you reach readers who would never have bought a book they hadn’t tried.

Or sample only. The sample ends with your where-to-buy links, and readers buy the book wherever you sell it.

Selling the whole ebook on LocalBooks is coming soon. See [what it costs](https://localbooks.app/guides/authors/pricing-and-selling).

## Nothing goes live until you’ve checked it

Every upload starts as a draft. You get a summary (chapters, words, where the sample ends), the chapter list and warnings about anything that looks wrong, like untitled chapters, a contents page or one giant chapter. Then you preview the whole book in the reader before you publish.

Leave without publishing and the draft is thrown away. We never keep your EPUB file, only the text readers read.

## Fixing a typo later

Upload a new version anytime. Readers keep their place, and Echoes move to the same paragraphs.

## How to add a free sample of your book

1. **Export an EPUB**: Most writing tools can: Vellum, Atticus, Reedsy Studio, Scrivener and Google Docs all export EPUB. It must have no DRM.
2. **Open your book’s Ebook section**: In My books, open the book. Choose your EPUB file and confirm you own the rights to publish it here.
3. **Review the draft**: Check the summary, chapter list and any warnings.
4. **Preview it in the reader**: Click “Preview in the reader”. A mark shows where the free sample ends.
5. **Publish this version**: Back on the book’s page, click “Publish this version”.
6. **Choose who reads past the sample**: “Anyone who signs in (free)” or “No one: sample only”. Click Save.

## What it costs

The reader and your free sample come with every listing at no extra cost. Your first book is free to list.

## Questions

### What file do I need?

An EPUB without DRM. If you only have a Word file or a PDF, export an EPUB from a writing tool first.

### How long is the sample?

Up to three reading chapters, ending at a chapter’s end. Short works are limited to about half the text.

### Won’t letting people read free hurt my sales?

It’s your choice. Pick “sample only” and readers who want more follow your where-to-buy links.

### Can readers download my book file?

No. There is no file to download: the book is read in the LocalBooks reader, and offline copies stay inside it.

### Why was my upload thrown away?

Drafts last only while their page is open. Upload it again, preview it, and publish.

Canonical: https://localbooks.app/guides/authors/free-sample