Why the end of your last thing is already selling your next one
This week I want to start with a question…
When was the last time you finished something – a book, a course, a video, an email – and immediately wanted more?
Not because you were left with a cliffhanger but because whatever you just consumed was so satisfying that you trusted the person who made it completely. And that trust made you want to keep going instead of click away or close the book.
That’s read-through.
Most people think read-through is a publishing term. And yes, if you write books, it literally is – it’s the percentage of readers who finish Book 1 and go on to read Book 2.
In Kindle Unlimited, it’s one of the most important numbers you have because Amazon pays you per page read and a reader who stops halfway through Book 1 and never picks up Book 2 is leaving a lot of money on the table.
But here’s what I’ve come to believe…read-through is actually a universal principle.
It applies to every email you send, every course you create and every piece of content you put out.
The end of your last thing is already selling your next one. Or it isn’t. And the problem is…
Most endings are wasted
Think about how most content ends. It’s usually with a summary or some kind of call to action that feels bolted on. Something like: “I hope you found this useful!”
And then… nothing. The reader or listener closes the tab and moves on with their day and you’ve done nothing to make them want what comes next.
The reason this happens is that most people think about endings as conclusions. Wrap it up neatly, tie a bow on it and there you go. Job done.
But the best creators – and the most successful authors in KU – think about endings differently. They think about them as bridges.
The job of the ending isn’t just to close what you’ve opened. It’s to create a gentle pull toward whatever comes next.
You don’t need a cliffhanger to do this.
Actually, cliffhangers are a bit of a trap. If you end a book on a cliffhanger, the reader feels manipulated. You withheld the resolution they came for. They might read Book 2 out of obligation but they resent you a little. That resentment lingers.
What works instead is to resolve the main thing completely – the reader gets what they came for so you keep your promise to them – but you plant a small seed for something they hadn’t even thought they wanted.
A question that wasn’t there before.
A possibility that’s just opened up.
A character moment that points somewhere new.
They close the book feeling satisfied. And slightly restless.
That restlessness is gold.
It works in emails too. End every newsletter with something that makes the reader think “I wonder where she’s going with that.” Not a manufactured mystery. Just a genuine thread left hanging, naturally. Guaranteed they’ll want more.
Free resources worth your time
No opt-ins, no logins – just useful things.
85 Open Loop Methods to Hook Your Reader – Ship 30 for 30’s breakdown of how to use unresolved questions to keep readers moving through your writing. Works for books, emails, and content equally.
How to Write a Hook with Questions – The Write Practice on using hooks at the sentence and chapter level. Worth a read even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer.
Foreshadowing Explained – Reedsy’s guide to foreshadowing – which is what I also talk about in The KU Series Code. Good examples across fiction and nonfiction.
How to Write a Hook with Surprise – The companion piece to the questions hook article. Good on the specific technique of misdirection.
How to Calculate Series Read-Through – If you’re in KU, this is essential. Kindlepreneur walks you through exactly how to find your read-through numbers and what they’re telling you.
KENP Calculator – Drop in your page count and it tells you what a full read-through of your book is actually worth. Useful for knowing what you’re optimising for.
The Complete Indie Author’s Kindle Unlimited Guide – A no-nonsense deep dive into how KU actually works, including what drives page reads and what kills them.
Free Writing Apps Directory (82 of them) – Reedsy’s curated list of free tools for writers. If you’re not using Reedsy Studio to plan and draft, it’s worth a look.
Book Hook Examples from Reedsy – 48 real book hook examples across genres. Useful for seeing the principle in action, even if you write nonfiction.
This week’s TED talk
J.J. Abrams is the man behind Lost, Alias, Star Trek, and Star Wars. In this talk, he traces his obsession with unresolved mystery – starting with a box of magic tricks he bought as a kid that he’s never opened. His argument is that mystery is the engine of all storytelling. “Mystery is the catalyst for imagination,” he says. “Maybe there are times when mystery is more important than knowledge.”
It’s an 18-minute talk and it’s brilliant. And once you’ve watched it, you’ll never think about endings the same way again.
Watch it here:
A little something extra for you
I’ve put together a free one-page checklist called The Read-Through Checklist – 10 questions to ask about any book, email, course, or piece of content to find out whether it’s pulling people forward or losing them.
It works for KU authors, digital product creators, and anyone who creates content for an audience. Grab it here:
The Read-Through Checklist – [INSERT LINK]
One more thing
You might have noticed I’ve been thinking about read-through a lot lately.
That’s because it’s the spine of something I’ve just launched – The KU Series Code. It’s built around the specific things that make readers finish one KU book and immediately download the next: the foreshadowing technique, the thread structure across a series, the things that happen in the last 10% of a book that determine whether someone picks up Book 2.
If you’re a KU author – or you’re thinking about becoming one – you can find out more here:
And if you already grabbed it, thank you. I hope it’s useful. I’d love to hear how you’re getting on.
Either way, go and watch the J.J. Abrams talk. It’s one of those things that gently rewires how you think.
Amanda x
P.S. Don’t forget your freebie – The Read-Through Checklist is waiting for you: [INSERT LINK]
