Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Interesting...
I can see where DRM'ing a freebie would make sense as a way to maximize unique downloads, even for authors that don't DRM their paid books.
Sensible.
A new wrinkle to consider.  |
That was my thinking. The problem with free is that people think, "Well, it's free so it doesn't matter if I share it." And technically it doesn't as it isn't a "lost" sale. But visibility is HUGE to an author and as everyone here knows, it's the primary reasons books are free on Amazon. They get the rankings up and then when it goes off free, eyeballs see it and they get sales. It doesn't work for everyone, but it obviously works.
So my fiendish plan was to DRM it so that people would just go grab it from retailer X.
But honestly, the number of people who understand how to mail a book file and transfer it to their kindle isn't all that large. I get asked that question a lot. When I gave away a short story using "Send to Kindle" you wouldn't believe the number of emails I fielded for "how do I get this to work." Some were honest glitches (Send to Kindle doesn't work with at least one version if IE) but some people just didn't understand something new and different.
And for me, it was some new eyeballs, but it doesn't stick. You need the retailer's storefront to get return eyeballs.
When people ask me about DRM, I tell them quite honestly it isn't a trust issue for me. It's to make it EASIER to download from a retailer than to email and share a file.