OnlineBookClub.org

Free books won't hurt professional authors if they have a loyal fan base who love their books and they are constantly marketing their product. I don't see anything wrong with authors giving their books away for free. That is how they advertise their work and build their own fan bases. An author shouldn't feel threatened with how another author decide to promote themself.

It seems to me that this is a delicate balancing act. As an aspiring author myself I have not doubt that the value of exposure is much higher than a few free books. If it gets you more readers who want to buy the next book or if it gets people recommending you to others then it's purpose has been served.

I think free books are necessary, especially so that you can spread the word about your book. No matter how good your book is, if no one starts a "noise" about it, it can remain on the shelf for eternity. It also helps your name get known to people who wouldn't otherwise pick a book you've written if it were for a fee. It's part of marketing.

Think of it another way: How often do you go to the grocery store and see them give away free samples of stuff? Having worked in grocery, I can tell you the stores are not losing money on that free product. If customers like the product, they will turn around and buy it. Those are sales the store wouldn't have made otherwise, and the profit from the items sold makes up for the cost of the product they gave away.

ebooks can be like that. You give a book away, and if people like your work, they'll buy a paid work. Thing is, most people won't bother to read the partial sample, the "look inside," the whatever you want to call it. Before Smashwords let me know I was violating their TOS, I took the chapters composing that free portion and released it as an independent free book, clearly stating what people were getting so there was no confusion or feeling of being ripped off. While I was getting almost no downloads of the free 15-20% sample from the full book, those free sample books were being scooped up as fast as those full-length books I have set at permafree.

I agree that an author should get money for all their hard work, but it is also clear that there are so many books out there to choose from. I would never pay much for a new author I had never read and wasn't in the mainstream bestsellers. Why? Because I've read too many that were horrible. If a book from an author is free, I'll give it a chance. If I love it, I'll pay for other books by the author. They'll more money off of me by giving me a free book. I don't want all of my books to be free, but I do appreciate new authors giving me new ones so I can pay for the good reads they have in other books.

Thanks for your post Scott; that is an interesting question and an informative answer. As a reviewer, I appreciate the free books, and wouldn't review them if they weren't free. I'm also considering buying some of the books I've reviewed as gifts for others who I think might like them. I think limited free book giveaways enhance book sales for beginning authors without affecting established writers. I like the Coldplay example and agree the novices can't compete with the experts, so giving away free books helps them with exposure, and pays off in the long run.

Not an author, just sharing my experience as a reader. I won the book CARAVAL of Stephanie Garner. It's was a very popular book at the moment. I had never heard an author’s name before but as I won it so I read it. I enjoyed it so much that I bought her second book and now waiting for her third book to be launched. So free giveaways do help authors especially new authors.