What makes you really read a free book?

[Amber]

We all have a ton of free e-books (don't we?) sitting around in our e-readers. Actually, I only have a few, but I know people who have downloaded a LOT they've never read. I know I'll read the free books because I was already hooked on those authors when I picked up their freebies. What about you? Do you always read them? Right away or later? What makes you go back and decide to read the free books if you have whole virtual pile of them?
Just curious.

[Heidi]

This is something I struggle with as well! I think guilt drives a lot of my diving into those piles. But that is because I get those books free for review. Still, I have a few that are almost a year old... I need to get on that!

[G.G.]

I am one of those who d/l lots. I always take the book with the intend to read it. However, life happens. I get request for r&r. I get request for beta reading, and ARC so some of the books I downloaded get lost in the pack. Once in a while I go back and search. Some I downloaded are not interesting anymore while others get to my 'next' collection on my ereaders. It all depends on the blurb and how grabbing it is. I'm not saying that I don't miss some but by going back regularly, I can add more of the ones I absolutely need to read to that list.

Now, as to bought books. I did have a shopping spree and bought more than half a dozen printed books from Indies. Those will get read sooner or later too, but they are just a tad ahead of the freebies. It just depends on what I feel like: Print or ebook.

There are so many great freebies that price don't matter to me. I have read freebies before I even read books I actually paid for so...It's all in three things: Visibility (so I can remember I want to read the book) Blurb (so it grabs my attention) Free time (All depends on how much free time I have to be able to read books.)

[Lawrence]

Well, predictably, most of us will download free books that are marginally interesting, thinking that maybe, when and if we find the time, we might check them out. Then the next torrent of freebies flows in, and the odds of ever getting to the previous freebies dive that much lower. Almost makes me sympathize with agents/publishers and their "slush piles." :)

The free books that I will check out are those that seem very interesting. I don't hold being free against a book at all. It all comes down to interest for me. To a somewhat lesser extent, it's the same with .99 or cheap books: I might "impulse purchase" a discount novel that I wouldn't usually purchase (not often, but it happens). I have dozens of .99 books languishing on my Kindle that someday I may get to.

It's tough to contemplate, because as an author I realize that readers are doing exactly the same thing with my novels. My only solution is to attempt to write books that some reader "must have." I occasionally see books that I feel that way about (though they rarely live up to my expectations).

[K.P.]

I have a lot of free kindle books I downloaded to read when I used to travel to work (4 hours ) so it gave me something to do. job ended and half the stack is unread. I still buy books at the dollar store and I have more stacks in my room now. I'm a slow reader so it might take me a long time (6months or more ) to finish. unless it's on assignment. but most times depression puter troubles or not finding cables to charge my tablet get in the way. (I have no life and work constantly ). I found some old arcs from 2005 I still hadn't finished T_T.....

[Jacey]

For me, it doesn't matter what the cost is. If the blurb or sample chapters catch my attention, I'll read it!

[Liz]

The blurb, cover art, and reviews usually encourage me to download, but when it comes to choosing what to read next I kind of just go with the flow. If I'm in the mood for a quick read, I go through all my novella length books. Generally it comes down to interesting titles, and whether or not I'm in a mood for a series, since the bulk of my Kindle is free books.

[Amber]

Fascinating to my research-oriented mind. So far a good blurb seems to be a key factor in getting a free book actually read--it's been mentioned more than once. I tally up one count for guilt, one for cover art and sample chapters. And so far the freeness isn't as important as I thought it would be as a factor in not reading books. It's more the sheer volume of things to read--though that was caused by freeness and 99 cent-ness.

Keep your answers coming. Even if they repeat what others have said, I'll want to know. Thanks.

And I'm curious if this free book, once read, accomplishes what the author hoped it would. The purchase of other books by that author. If the bulk one one's e-reader stock is in free books, maybe not?

[Lawrence]

Amber wrote: "Fascinating to my research-oriented mind. So far a good blurb seems to be a key factor in getting a free book actually read--it's been mentioned more than once. I tally up one count for guilt, one ..."


Hi, Amber. Nice thread idea.

For me, the cover, blurb, and title catch my attention; if I find them appealing, I read the sample (a lot of sins are revealed there). I should add that I usually skip reading the sample if it's free and dive right in instead :) Guilt doesn't enter into it for me. I don't think any author wants you to read their books out of a charitable impulse (at least I wouldn't!).

I absolutely would check out more of the author's stuff if I liked the free or bargain book. In theory, that would make freebies a great marketing tool - except that you'll likely have vastly more people who are only marginally interested in your novel downloading it. I tend to favor .99 because I think it somewhat filters out the marginally interested.

An interesting question is how KU affects this equation. Free books would probably reduce your KU reads, for which you get paid - plus a KU read often translates into a sale of the book being read and/or other of your novels. I believe I've noticed a connection between a reading and a purchase. Fairly frequently I'll see people reading a novel followed by purchases of that novel. Or is that coincidental? Amazon doesn't make it easy to make that kind of determination.

[L.S.]

I have an old kindle, so this may not be true for most, but if a book is free the download sample button isn't there - you have to click to download the whole book. Often I know within the first page or two if the book is actually worth reading, but the author will see that as a download.
Even when shopping on my computer, I'm not nearly as discerning with a free book. If I don't like it two chapters in, I haven't really lost anything. Often I'll download something that sounds interesting and worry about if it's good when I get to starting it.
So, really, I think the same things make a reader read a free book as make them read a paid book, although I know I'm more willing to take a chance on a free one that I might not like over a paid one I might not like.

[Amber]

I'm Nook owner and shop B&N online rather than through the device itself, so I see previews. But I'm simply not a big downloader of free books--which is why I'm curious about those who are.

When I look at my unread books in my Nook library (all five or six of them), I see the cover images and titles. What do you see in a Kindle? Especially when you have hundred of books unread?

[Jessica]

That depends on the Kindle you are using. On my two Kindle E-ink readers all I see is the title and author of the book regardless of how many there are on it. By the same token, when using the Kindle app on my Android tablet I see the full color covers for every book in my library, again regardless of how many there are (and I have over 1300 books in my library).

[Gabby]

What makes me read a free book?
Synopsis. Theme of the story or Genre. I usually buy free books on my iPhone and then (like the author wants me to) buys the next books in the series because the first ones so good! A few of these freebies I've read are (finished the series) . Probably the best one was Jaded just because I happened to be looking for a book like that to read and it was free :)

[Amber]

Just like the author wants you to. :) I'm glad you found new series you liked. I think some authors are wondering if they've exhausted the free book effect with so many out there.