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Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
As for giving away books as an unknown author marketing tool, this will work for some. But if you can get the works of an author you know you like for free, there is much less reason to try someone new who is also free.
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Giving away books has been the primary means of promoting written work for at least a couple hundred years. Your second statement simply doesn't make sense. File-sharers are typically massive consumers of media, hence the file-sharing. In addition to downloading illegally, they typically spend a larger portion of their income on media than the average person, because books and film and music are important to them. They are MUCH more likely to try a new author for free before spending money on their work, or products and events related to that work.
The way ebooks are shared, more than any other media, really lends itself to exposing people to new authors. Because the files are small, they are often bundled by the hundreds or thousands, often by subject or genre. A person who has no clue who you are has now seen your name and the name of your book alongside their favorite authors--you are no longer unknown to them. They also have some sampling of your work on hand. If they read it and like it, your audience has grown by one. The odds of them spending money on your work--possibly even the same book in another format or as a gift--have just risen from zero to pretty darn likely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg
Reduced copyright infringement and voluntary file-sharing complement each other.
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Agreed to an extent, though file-sharing as promotion is not the only way to adapt to the current market and technology. I'm not saying authors should be giving all their work away, just that railing against piracy is misdirected effort.