Choosing NOT to download Freebies Just Because They're Free

[dreams]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

There were a bunch of free books at the Sony eReader store recently released by a couple of vanity publishers. I downloaded a couple, browsed through them, and decided that I won't bother downloading any more of them unless I get a personal recommendation from someone.

How funny, I just finished checking out that thread and then the Sony Store. Most were not even worth a look to me. If the author's blurb is poorly written, I don't hold out much hope for the book.

I've become much more selective, also. I'll look for a recommendation from someone who has shown the same taste as me. I, especially, pay attention to those readers on MR, as I've followed their comments about books. Even that is not perfect as we all like books for differing reasons.

If, I like an author's first free book, I will always purchase at least one more to show my appreciation for the free first book. Some MR authors will always be purchased by me, as I enjoy their writing style.

So, free book or not, I consider it carefully before downloading.

[astra]

I download freebies if they are not DRM infected.
It means I download mostly from smashwords or feebook if they are being advertised over here on mobileread and they might be of some interest for me in future, i.e. fantasy, sci-fi, or thrillers/mystery.
I never download freebies from Sony or Kobo when it just started? because they have DRM.
I don't read freebies anyway, because I don't have time. My TBR is almost 200 books long, so I have no idea in how many years I am going to read the freebies, thus I cannot afford to clutter my hard disk with DRM infected bits and pieces event hough they are free.

[simplyparticular]

I am definitely more selective of the freebies I download than I was when eBooks were rare and new (circa 2003).

My filter is to check to see who the publisher is. This weeds out the self-published, the genres I don't like, and the Christian publishers. I also rely on the cover art and blurbs to give me clues. If it's poorly written or has low-quality artwork, I move on.

Like nikkie, I expect the publishers to do the slush-pile work, I did that at the beginning of my career - I don't have that kind of time, now.

Same with public domain freebies - I'm pretty selective, there, too. I have a mental list of classics still TBR, so if it's not on that list, I have to have a compelling reason to download.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by Rich_D

I only download a free book if I like the summary. Then I'll give it 1 chapter to impress me. If I don't like it at that point, it's deleted.

Hear, hear! Life is just to short to waste on non-interesting books...

[Laine]

I will download a freebie if I think I just might possibly one day read it.

I've sometimes really enjoyed them - Boyd's books for instance and Vicki"s.

This week I downloaded a free Debbie Macomber book. I've never bought her books as I'd always thought they'd be too sickly and cloying. Well, yesterday I read it and today I bought another 3 in the series. Would never have tried her book if that first one hadn't been free. Plus, of course, Harlequin is not one of the gang of five. Harlequin is now getting the largest part of my reading budget.

[idraw22]

I've never picked up every freebie I see. If it makes me curious, or the synopsis is good, then I get it. But I have done stoopid stuff like finish books I didn't enjoy reading simply because some critic said you had to read this or that to fully enjoy it. Afterwards it's gone. Ugh! And it's so painful reading something that's badly written. Dunno how the author made it thru it.

[maxbookworm]

I've pretty much moved to ignoring the freebies entirely. Now I'm addicted to downloading from the library. Still free, and *much* better selection!

[disney_mommy]

In the very beginning, I would also grab anything free. Now that I have less time to read, I am a little more discerning. If it sounds like something I may at all be interested in, I will download it. But if it seems llike something I would never in a million years look at, I skip it.

[dsvick]

Like a lot of people have said - in the beginning, if it was free, I grabbed it! Over the course of 2 months I got enough books to last me probably over a year. I figured that with just a half year or so of wanton downloading I'd fill up my to read list for the next several years and quite probably miss out on some things I'd enjoy more, by being a bit more selective.

To be fair, I've found several authors whose books I'll purchase now as a result of getting a freebie, but there were more that were only of average or worse interest to me. For the last month or so I've only gotten a couple of free ones.

[redhead231]

I am a new ereader & have been downloading some free books BUT only if I like the sound of it & not just because its free. I also have a list of books I will purchase in the next few weeks from WH Smith & Waterstones in the UK.
I think the good thing is that instead of reading mainstream books sold through Amazon etc, I am being introduced to lesser known authors & therefore expanding my reading matter. I also agree if I like an author who has offered a book free, I would not hesitate to buy others by them if they are available.

[HistoryWes]

I haven't been reading books because they're free, although I have read some good free books. What is wonderful in the free books are all the old classics that I loved as a kid, now freely available. I can pick up Edgar Rice Burroughs and H. Rider Haggard and H.P. Lovecraft and a host of others and get them free, when just a few years ago not only would I have had to pay-- some I wouldn't have been able to find at all.

[kacir]

Well, I download every free book that looks interesting.
Correction. I haven't downloaded most of the Mobileread library or Gutenberg library because the vast majority of those are A) not interesting to me, B) I know they will be available later. I also do not scour feedbooks and other places, but if I happen to have a link to an interesting looking freebie under my mouse cursor, I download it.

I grew up on Library books, and you quickly learn to be a opportunist when you are a fast reader and you rely on a small handful of relatively modest libraries - the town library, the county library, several school libraries, ...

I have discovered lots and LOTS of books and authors I would not have found otherwise. I also do not hesitate to leave the book unfinished if it turns out to be boring, or wrong genere, or I simply decide that I do not like it.

I have quickly found out that there are some offerings that are available only for a short period time so when I see a contemporary book that might look interesting, I can always find another few megabytes of free space on my disk. I can always delete the book if it turns out it is not that interesting, but sometimes when you read a good review for a book that was available for free and you return to download it it is not available anymore.

At one moment I was even doing critiques at www.critters.org - you get to read a story or a book and in return you write a meaningful critique. The books are very, very new, done by beginning authors that need somebody to read the story or a book and provide feedback.

[johnc]

I have a massive backlog, my favorite book store shut down and the owners wanted to sell out inventory to customers so they just kept lowering the price every week or two a bit, I bought boxes and boxes I have yet to catch up, when you add in baen webscriptions and I like to reread, new books by my favorite authors... nice problem to have though. I do still grab some free ones. but usually its hard to decide to grab it if there's not any useful summary or review.

[Joykins]

I have several standards: the

* "Oh, that sounds really interesting, I must get it (from the library or borrowed if possible; but if not, buy it)!"

* "Looks interesting, I'll check out/ download it and give it a try."

If I don't think it looks interesting I won't clutter up my reader library or home bookshelves any further.

Freebies get the 2nd standard applied. So do library books, limited only by my capacity to carry dtbs or the checkout limit on e-books.

Classics that are available in e-book free in what appears to be perpetuity are a sort of third standard: I'll only download those I intend to read relatively soon, as otherwise my fun genre reads would get drowned in a stack of Dickens, Hardy, Kipling, Tolstoy, etc. Promotional freebies I find interesting I'll download even if I don't intend to read them soon because sometimes they stop being free.

[BearMountainBooks]

Oh, I admit it. I've downloaded several freebies that I'm only marginally interested in reading. But I do have to be at *least* marginally interested--meaning one of the genres that I read, a summary that sounds interesting, etc.

One of the review blogs I follow had a giveaway of 3 audio books -- my first thought was WOW, I'd love an audio book. I don't get many because of the (generally) high cost, but like to have one around for trips. Cover looked great, title was interesting...started reading the description (which was some three laptop pages long) and didn't bother to enter.