I currently have more unread books on my iPad than ever before. The vast majority were freebies - I can't seem to help myself. I see a post by one of the many bloggers I follow and I can't help but one click it. If past history is anything to go by then many of them will be excellent. It's something I've done myself with What Goes Around Comes Around. It resulted in my book being in the top ten freebie chart for romance in the UK and top 20 in the US.
The pros of this are that people get to sample a book and, if they like the author, the hope is they will buy more by said author. That's the theory.
Unfortunately there are now SO many books out there for free, or priced at $0.99, that it takes a rare book indeed - or a much beloved author - to make me buy a book these days.
When I think about the effort and investment (time, blood, sweat, tears and money) I can't help wonder if we're not selling ourselves short? Do we value the work so little we want to give it away? Very few are blessed to make enough from writing to be able to choose it as our sole profession - forced instead to fit our passion in the small windows of time life allows us. Surely we're only making it worse for ourselves by charging so little?
So who wins? Well the readers get loads of free books - but like anything in life that comes too easily I fear (and I speak now as a voracious reader) we cease to value it. Amazon et al certainly benefit - loads of traffic to their sites and no royalties to pay.
I think we may have made a rod for our own backs. I have a love hate relationship with freebies. Love having loads of books to choose from, love seeing my books flying up the freebie charts, love thinking about readers, any readers reading my books. I hate seeing work (by any author) that takes many months to create being unappreciated.
I have no solution - I imagine I'll do other promotions myself in the near future. In the meantime, if the book you are reading costs less than a cup of coffee just think about how bloody amazing that is. If you like it consider saying thank you by leaving a review.
Peace out
O.C
The pros of this are that people get to sample a book and, if they like the author, the hope is they will buy more by said author. That's the theory.
Unfortunately there are now SO many books out there for free, or priced at $0.99, that it takes a rare book indeed - or a much beloved author - to make me buy a book these days.
When I think about the effort and investment (time, blood, sweat, tears and money) I can't help wonder if we're not selling ourselves short? Do we value the work so little we want to give it away? Very few are blessed to make enough from writing to be able to choose it as our sole profession - forced instead to fit our passion in the small windows of time life allows us. Surely we're only making it worse for ourselves by charging so little?
So who wins? Well the readers get loads of free books - but like anything in life that comes too easily I fear (and I speak now as a voracious reader) we cease to value it. Amazon et al certainly benefit - loads of traffic to their sites and no royalties to pay.
I think we may have made a rod for our own backs. I have a love hate relationship with freebies. Love having loads of books to choose from, love seeing my books flying up the freebie charts, love thinking about readers, any readers reading my books. I hate seeing work (by any author) that takes many months to create being unappreciated.
I have no solution - I imagine I'll do other promotions myself in the near future. In the meantime, if the book you are reading costs less than a cup of coffee just think about how bloody amazing that is. If you like it consider saying thank you by leaving a review.
Peace out
O.C
No comments:
Post a Comment