Freeground (The First Light Chronicles #1)

koland · 02-17-2009, 05:01 PM

Randolph Lalonde has released the first book in his First Light Chronicles trilogy, Freeground, as a free ebook in both PDF and mobi format on a permanent basis, directly from his web site.

More details here: http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/2...rst-light.html

Elsi · 02-18-2009, 12:53 AM

Thank you. It looks interesting and I've snagged a copy.

It's very helpful when one can discover an author by "sampling" a book. Baen's authors appear to have benefited from the free downloads.

JSWolf · 02-18-2009, 03:27 AM

I'm not sure if this is a scam or not. You download and read the first book for free. Then you buy it again because buying the second and third is going to be more expensive then buying all three in the omnibus edition. This seems very odd to me.

koland · 02-18-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm not sure if this is a scam or not. You download and read the first book for free. Then you buy it again because buying the second and third is going to be more expensive then buying all three in the omnibus edition. This seems very odd to me.

First time i've seen a bargain price on an anthology called a scam...

You can buy the book individually or get the omnibus (which obviously released long after the first book). In paper, you get all three for 2/3 the price of the individual copies. For the Kindle, it's a bit cheaper, if you ignore the current sale of the first book at under $3.

The author is then undercutting that sale price by giving away the first book, to anyone that finds his web page, as a PDF or mobi (so, easy to convert). Sure, you'll buy that first book "again" if you grab the omnibus, so you can keep them all together and FOR RIGHT NOW you save money over buying the second two books (if that omnibus goes back up to list price, it will be cheaper to buy just books 2 & 3).

On the print side, the second series is already coming out in a dual book for the first two (not on Kindle yet), so I expect combined book versions that save money on the Kindle side as well, eventually.

So, I guess the "scam" is:

Give away a book. Make it good enough the suckers out there buy some more. Make those good enough that they buy the next series. [

No wait, this sounds like marketing ....... better work on plan some more!]

Seems that many others use the same "scam" - giving away free books, then giving you price breaks on bundles, where you may end up "buying" that first "free" book again.

stxopher · 02-18-2009, 01:02 PM

Think of it as being a careful consumer. After all, in most cases if it sounds too good...

gwynevans · 02-23-2009, 04:04 PM

Well, it cost me quite a few dollars...

as having read the first book, I went & bought the other books (the omnibus plus the three Spinward Fringe books) from Mobipocket!

doug1984 · 02-24-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'm not sure if this is a scam or not. You download and read the first book for free. Then you buy it again because buying the second and third is going to be more expensive then buying all three in the omnibus edition. This seems very odd to me.

I can see a little bit of your logic here, but let me counter that with a point that's just as valid:

Imagine Star Wars: A New Hope was free and you go to see it with the foreknowledge that there are two more movies, or even five more movies following it. Did you just get something free or did you get scammed?

Take another example on the flipside: You get to see Kill Bill Volume 1 for free and are told that just next door Kill Bill Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are playing for a discount in one showing. Now, Kill Bill wasn't for everyone, that's a fact. So the theater is giving you a chance to decide whether the following films are worth paying for. If you watch the first one and didn't like it enough to pay for the second and third it cost you nothing but time. If you like the first and decide that you need to see the second and third you can just show up next door and pay your way in.

The reviews for the First Light Omnibus on Mobipocket sold me on that book. After I finished reading that collection there was no question I was buying the Spinward Fringe books because it was my thing. When I started reading Randolph the free version of Freeground wasn't out yet, but if it was I would have read it before spending money, sure. Who doesn't want to look behind the curtain before the real show starts?

On the other hand, I just spent four times as much cash on another sci-fi collection from a different author and found out too late that it was absolutely terrible! The best part of that book was the preview (chapter 1), and it was downhill from there!

With Randolph's stuff (and sorry if you ever see this mate), I believe that Freeground is the worst book of the series! I mean, it's good, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but things get better all the time with this guy's work! Oh, and on his site he said that he was putting Freeground out for free as a thank you and an invitation to people who were gun shy about getting into a series of books. Since this is how he makes his living its pretty amazing that hes giving anything away at all

Just my two bits there. If you think it's a scam you're off your nut.

Randolphlalonde · 01-23-2010, 11:53 AM

Thank you for discussing my work. I think this thread was created before I knew this forum existed, to be honest.

Anyway, just dropping in to tell everyone that the whole First Light Chronicles Trilogy is available for free from Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3178

Enjoy!

Guns4Hire · 01-23-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randolphlalonde

Thank you for discussing my work. I think this thread was created before I knew this forum existed, to be honest.

Anyway, just dropping in to tell everyone that the whole First Light Chronicles Trilogy is available for free from Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3178

Enjoy!

Wow there is a deal.

Tried epub, mobi and lrf none had a Table of Contents. Guess I will have to make my own.

LOL

Randolphlalonde · 01-23-2010, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

Wow there is a deal.

Tried epub, mobi and lrf none had a Table of Contents. Guess I will have to make my own.

LOL

Smashwords doesn't support linked indexes, but I do have a version of the book ready to go the moment they start accepting source files that feature them.

The Kindle and Mobipocket versions of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus do have indexes, but I can't offer the book for free on their systems, sadly.

Guns4Hire · 01-23-2010, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randolphlalonde

Smashwords doesn't support linked indexes, but I do have a version of the book ready to go the moment they start accepting source files that feature them.

The Kindle and Mobipocket versions of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus do have indexes, but I can't offer the book for free on their systems, sadly.

Oh I understand. Ive ran into this with other ebooks from Smashwords. So no worries I have created enough TOC's, I'll get by.

jabberwock_11 · 01-23-2010, 11:11 PM

I read this series when the omnibus first came out on mobipocket, it's nice to see it becoming more widely distributed.

lene1949 · 01-24-2010, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

Oh I understand. Ive ran into this with other ebooks from Smashwords. So no worries I have created enough TOC's, I'll get by.

TOC's are very handy in non-fiction work... but, when reading a story you normally read from the first to the last page in that order. I have never missed TOC's in fiction.

Oh... thanks for making this work available, Randolph. I have downloaded it, and look forward to reading it.

Dr. Drib · 01-24-2010, 06:38 AM

Got it. Thank you.

Don

JRM34857 · 01-24-2010, 09:13 AM

Got it. Read it. Loved it.... Purchased all the other books in the series... The first free book hooked me...

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02-17-2009, 05:01 PM	#1
koland Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,560 Karma: 8033155 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN, USA Device: kindle(all), nook, nookcolor, Sony, Kobo, epic, iphone, iPad, pc	Freeground (The First Light Chronicles #1) Randolph Lalonde has released the first book in his First Light Chronicles trilogy, Freeground, as a free ebook in both PDF and mobi format on a permanent basis, directly from his web site. More details here: http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/2...rst-light.html

02-18-2009, 12:53 AM	#2
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	Thank you. It looks interesting and I've snagged a copy. It's very helpful when one can discover an author by "sampling" a book. Baen's authors appear to have benefited from the free downloads.

02-18-2009, 03:27 AM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,887 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I'm not sure if this is a scam or not. You download and read the first book for free. Then you buy it again because buying the second and third is going to be more expensive then buying all three in the omnibus edition. This seems very odd to me.

02-18-2009, 01:02 PM	#5
stxopher Nameless Being	Think of it as being a careful consumer. After all, in most cases if it sounds too good...

02-23-2009, 04:04 PM	#6
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	Well, it cost me quite a few dollars... as having read the first book, I went & bought the other books (the omnibus plus the three Spinward Fringe books) from Mobipocket!

01-23-2010, 11:53 AM	#8
Randolphlalonde Author Posts: 55 Karma: 284 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: iPhone	Thank you for discussing my work. I think this thread was created before I knew this forum existed, to be honest. Anyway, just dropping in to tell everyone that the whole First Light Chronicles Trilogy is available for free from Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3178 Enjoy!

01-23-2010, 11:11 PM	#12
jabberwock_11 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 1591305 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Savannah, GA USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Aluratek Libre Pro	I read this series when the omnibus first came out on mobipocket, it's nice to see it becoming more widely distributed.

01-24-2010, 06:38 AM	#14
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,736 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	Got it. Thank you. Don

01-24-2010, 09:13 AM	#15
JRM34857 Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 28 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: U.S./KY Device: Sony PRS-505 / Kindle 3 / Nook Touch	Got it. Read it. Loved it.... Purchased all the other books in the series... The first free book hooked me...