How good can a free book be?
Last month I offered a unique opportunity to my subscribers to download any of over 70 books for other authors for free. Many of you took advantage of this and let me know how much you enjoyed it. Some questioned why an author would do this and….how good could the book actually be?
The simple answer… is not so simple. The publishing world is undergoing some tremendous changes right now. Traditional book stores are losing ground to online book sellers. More and more authors are self-publishing instead of going to a major publishing house. Most people don’t realize that authors today have to literally create and audience one reader at a time. The Amazon business model is great in many ways but also very challenging, it does disconnect us from our audience. Offering an eBbook that you have worked months, even years on for a crazy low price or even free is one of the few ways we have of generating lots of sales/downloads in a short time. This improves rankings which, in turn create more visibility and equal more sales. As an author, it can be difficult seeing your creation being offered so cheaply (or even free) but if you gain a new reader, it is a win for your future work. So, if you see me and others promoting free books from time to time — take a look. For the price of simply subscribing to a newsletter you may find a great new book or a new favorite author. |