Quote:
Originally Posted by vondanmcintyre
I'm testing the hypothesis that making a book available in electronic format helps the sales of the print edition. Since pretty much all the mint copies of Moon & Sun that remain (not defaced with remainder marks) are in my hands, I'm in a pretty good position to test it.
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This is a difficult test because sales may not appear for months. For example, had I been able to successfully convert Moon & Sun, it would have been added to my to read list, which currently has a huge backlog. I might not have gotten to it for 6 months or more.
Several authors have tried to see how a free ebook would stimulate sales and have been disappointed (a) because there was not an immediate sale made and (b) because no sale was made. What Baen has recognized is that if someone downloads, e.g., a John Ringo book who has never before read Ringo, they may not buy a copy of the downloaded book but may buy future/other books by Ringo. I know that is true in my case.
My suggestion is not to put too much hope or expectation into seeing sales of Moon & Sun as a result of giving the book away as a free ebook. Look to build a following for your writing instead.