I've been downloading all the free books I can. Why? Well, I'm a bit of a pack rat so I end up collecting things just because I can. Another reason, though, is that it doesn't cost me anything, but I may enjoy it. What do I have to lose, other than some time spent reading. If I like the author, I'm much more likely to buy other books of theirs. If I had to pay for the book, it would be less likely for me to get it. I'd have to see if it got good reviews and good word of mouth, especially from sites or people I think have similar tastes. Considering the number of books I have in my queue, both physical and digital, if I have to pay, I'll wait.
I consider free e-books a good way to try out an author. If I like the book or the author, I'm much more likely to pay for more books in the series or by the author. Baen is great with that. They have a lot of books in their free library that start a series and I've gone on to buy the rest of the series after I've read the first.
I think for a small author, it's getting more difficult to justify not having
any of their books for free. I don't expect all their books to be free, but I think it makes for good marketing.
My $.02 anyway
