I’m not sure it costs the writer nothing if a reader drops a link in the comments section, Allison. It may direct other readers away from the original writer’s other stories never to return. When I like a story, I often look for other stuff that person has written, but I usually don’t do that until I’ve read the comments.

However, I’ve also gotten new readers and followers based on a comment I wrote on someone else’s story. If the link is pertinent to the original story, fine, but in my experience, it usually isn’t. I don’t share links to my stories in comments. It doesn’t feel right to me. It’s like fishing in someone else’s pond.