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Calenorn · 08-16-2013, 07:59 AM

... why there are so many self-published public domain ebooks offered for free at the bug retailers' web sites? What benefit is there to an independent vendor when they "sell" books for free?

For example, at B&N you can search for a Nook version of "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." You will see 200 hits! 88 of them are offered for free! And if past experience is any guide, many (most?) of those will be poorly scanned and formatted.

So, why would anybody do this? Why would companies like B&N allow it? It can't help their ebook store that it is clogged with such shoddy merchandise. The poor quality doesn't do anything for their reputation, and nobody is collecting any revenue on the sale.

I just don't understand business.

08-16-2013, 07:59 AM	#1
Calenorn Brash Fumbler Posts: 1,203 Karma: 9224939 Join Date: May 2013 Device: NST, Kobo Mini	Can someone please explain... ... why there are so many self-published public domain ebooks offered for free at the bug retailers' web sites? What benefit is there to an independent vendor when they "sell" books for free? For example, at B&N you can search for a Nook version of "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." You will see 200 hits! 88 of them are offered for free! And if past experience is any guide, many (most?) of those will be poorly scanned and formatted. So, why would anybody do this? Why would companies like B&N allow it? It can't help their ebook store that it is clogged with such shoddy merchandise. The poor quality doesn't do anything for their reputation, and nobody is collecting any revenue on the sale. I just don't understand business.