Here’s Why I Won’t Be Doing Anymore Free Book Promotions on Amazon
A few years ago, after I published Human Detritus, I began to notice how many authors were giving away Kindle versions of their books for free on Amazon. It seemed crazy to me at the time, because...
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Nov 05, 2014 08:56PM
Thanks for this, Rasmenia. I've published a sampler that's permafree, hoping it would boost sales elsewhere. That hasn't been the case thus far, even after roughly three hundred downloads on B&N.com and Smashwords, with a free book apparently being uninteresting to people on the two dozen other sites with which it is listed. Couldn't even interest people here on Goodreads with it, either. It's becoming clear to me that we're in danger of readers expecting free books instead of it being a perk. After reading your blog, I'm definitely going to rethink my own marketing strategies. We definitely need to be thinking about those readers who are shelling out the money for our books and not be worried so much about those who are waiting for the freebies. This is a business, after all.
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Thanks a ton for reading my post and weighing in.It was a difficult decision for me to make, because I really don't mind giving some free books away as long as it isn't for nothing, but I began to feel weighed down by the notion that if I didn't start placing a higher value on my work, then why would anyone else?
Like you, I've noticed that expectation of free books and it seems that in some cases it's even gotten to the point where free books are being treated as disposable digital detritus instead of an artist's hard work.
I'm terrible at marketing and will likely never be great at it, or even good at it. And I will likely never make a lot of money doing this, but I figured the free book thing was worth experimenting with. It was. I don't regret giving it a whirl, but going forward, I think I definitely do need to keep in mind that this is a business and that most people just don't buy cows when they get the milk for free. Or the books. Whatever.
