This may belong in Cafe Society, but I’m posting here cause it’s technically a poll. Mods, please move if required. Thanks.
In my post here I ask about online, free books from well known authors/publishers. I was introduced to the Baen free library which was created (according to the site) under the argument that giving readers a free ‘taste’ will encourage them to buy more books by the authors.
What’s your opinion? Do you think it would work? If you’ve gone through the Baen library or one like it (if you know of any similar online offerings, please post it in that link), has it encouraged you to buy some/more of an author’s books?
For my part, I started reading more Sci Fi/space opera type books because of the free library, and have actually started buying stuff by Weber. So I think it works.
I’m addicted to Eric Flint’s snippets that he offers (with Baen’s cooperation) and they have gotten me to buy several books in hardcover, instead of waiting for the paperback versions. As I’d not discovered snippeting til after I got into those authors… I can’t say it’s gotten me onto new authors, yet. Though Ryk Spoor is getting close.
I think that it is an effective advertising technique, even if it’s only effective with a niche market. The question is, for niche markets like SF is the niche aware of ebooks enough to make it an effective strategy for the niche publisher?
I love Baen’s Webscriptions.net, and back when I was working I bought the monthly offering and got turned onto new authors by the odd book thrown in here and there, and when bored out of my mind at work reading the free library ones as well. Of course, it also totally turned me off Mercedes Lackey, which saved me some money - which I immediately went and spent on buying some VorKosigan books=)
Actually, nowdays most publishers websites offer free chapters of their offerings, is good to see if you like that book. I think Amazon.com also will offer a free chapter of most of their books as well.
Webscriptions.net is the only sane ebook publisher I saw when I first looked into ebooks. A reasonable price, unlimited downloads, no encryption, you can save your book, once you buy it.
Compare this to (again, when I last looked) a site that had David Brin’s Kiln People still up for $18 when the book had been out in paperback for a couple of years.