Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
Yes, I think sending one person a copy of an ebook is much more likely to generate additional sales for the author than sharing on P2P. Even if you could track a huge number of P2P downloads, the chances of the downloaders actually noticing they have a specific book, reading it, and going on to look for more of the same (let alone paying for them) has to be vanishingly small.
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Er, why do you think they are downloading in the first place?
While participants in P2P distribution networks may be anonymous, what is distributed is not. Folks using P2P are looking for specific things, including books. If someone downloads a book via P2P, it's likely it's either a book they want, or a book someone they know wants.
P2P is simply a method of distribution. It implies nothing about the motives of those using it. My guess is that you'll see the same ratio of sales produced by interest in something first obtained as an electronic download as with any other form of distribution.
Consider: the Baen Free Library is generally considered a highly successful method of promotion for Baen books and authors. The Library is made available on the web at Baen's site, and in CDs bound into selected Baen hardcovers. (The web site doesn't have everything -- a fair number fo books are only available on the CDs.) Baencd.thefifthimperium.com has the complete set of CDs available for download, with Baen's approval and permission. You can get them as Zip archives, ISO images, or as torrent files you can fetch using a Bit Torrent client. The latter is P2P, pure and simple.
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Dennis