Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
If people who want the free ones couldn't get them directly from the publisher they would get them somewhere else instead.
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I hear you. It makes sense. However, I also think there is a difference between accepting a free ebook the publisher provides and getting a pirated copy of the book.
If I take a book from the darknet, I do not necessarily represent a lost sale. And there is benefit to the author in having a fan who might pay in the future, plus whoever he may tell about the author. I totally get why piracy isn't defacto in the worst interest of a publisher. And I'll just ignore the moral question for this discussion.
A publisher who offers a free version of the book doesn't exactly have the same dynamic working for them. It's more like putting a sticker on books in a book store that say "pay for this book if you want, or just take it for free". I really think there's a completely different dynamic under that scenario.
Lee