Quote:
Originally Posted by Xenophon
On #3: Yes. the free library is mostly beginnings of series. But they put complete series on the CDs they bind into many of their hardcovers. And those CDs are easily found on the net. Free. With the publisher's blessing. Even as those same books are available for sale at WebScriptions.net.
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I got the CDs. I wouldn't say they're "complete" series, although some have a lot more books than others. The bigger the series, the more books they offer for free. This makes sense; it's even more daunting to get a new reader hooked on a series they're 7 or 8 books "behind" in than 2 or 3. However, I do point out that not all the books on the CD are in the Baen library, nor do they make a point to advertise where you can get the CDs online. It's not something the casual consumer would discover. But my main point remains: it's not simply that giving away books or allowing piracy is good for business. Rather, giving away *certain* free books and allowing a *certain level* of piracy can be good for business. In the end, it's not a clarion call of "Let Pirates be Pirates!"