Should E-books Be Free (and have ads in them?)

[Gamal]

I recently started exploring the idea of ad supported e-books. As a reader and an author, how do you feel about the potential for putting advertising in books?

http://t.co/xBUUvgkM

Thanks in advance
Gamal

[Mike]

I'm not an author but as a reader I'm not crazy about the idea. It would ultimately depend on how it was done. Would the ads be placed at a particular spot in the book -- similar to a magazine ad -- or would it be designed through a specific reading app to just pop up at random intervals and interrupt your reading? If it's the latter then I would say ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I would say it would work best if you made it an option. The reader can choose to download a free eBook or pay the regular price and have no ads.

[Gamal]

I think amazon now has a method where the ads appear when you're not reading and the don't interfere with the reading experience. How do you feel about that, Mike?

Thanks for your response.

Have fun.
Gamal

[Jim]

I remember when they did that to some paperbacks. They'd stick a thick cardboard page in the middle with an ad, sometimes a coupon attached. I hated them. They always messed up the feel of the pages, especially those directly after them. I'd rather pay a little more & be advertisement free.

[Mike]

Gamal wrote: "I think amazon now has a method where the ads appear when you're not reading and the don't interfere with the reading experience. How do you feel about that, Mike?

I don't think it would be a big deal in that case. As a matter of fact I was just looking at different Kindle models yesterday and thinking I might get one of the cheaper ones with the ads.

[Gamal]

Good to know. Thank you sir.

[Anonymous-9]

This is the first I've heard of the concept. My initial reaction was "why not?" but upon further reflection, I'm thinking "no." Reason being is that books are a private experience. TV is made to be interrupted by commercials, the breaks are written right into the scripts. Movies you can sit and watch with other people, move around, divert attention here and there, they still work. Not so with a book. A book commands, and deserves, uninterrupted attention. If the phone rings, you have to put the book down. The thought of ads interrupting the reading experience seems to be a bigger intrusion than other story vehicles. Of course this is all said off the top of my head without seeing the concept. I'd like to see how it's supposed to work and then weigh in further.

[AndrewP]

As already mentioned it depends on how and where the ads appear. The current kindle ones just appear on the home screen when it's not in use which is not to bad. In fact, if they put the Kindle Deal of the Day on there It would actually be a plus:)
Adds popping up during the actual book would be really annoying and I would be looking for the people who wrote Caliber to come up with a feature to remove them.

[Gamal]

Thank you for your responses. I have a follow up question if you don't mind.

Instead of pop up ads, videos or other full screen ads that take you out of a story, how do you feel about links embedded in the text that a reader can choose to click on. For example, if an author was writing a set up paragraph as her protagonist arrived in Bermuda, there could be a link to flights, hotels or travel on that island. The reader wouldn't have to click on it unless she wanted to and the advertiser would only pay per click?

How does that sound?