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I'm more likely to read free books because I'm more likely to acquire free books.
I have both paid & free books in my reader that I haven't read. Admittedly, only a couple of paid ones, which I bought fairly early in my ebook-collecting days. I'm now a lot more careful about what I buy; I'm not prone to paying money for an ebook unless I'm certain I'll enjoy it.
I don't pick up books from author enticements unless they come with some indication that *I* would want to read this book. Sometimes, the description itself is enough--but that's very rare. Although I have (I like to think) reasonably broad tastes, I'm selective about writing quality, and a short blurb like a messageboard post isn't likely to convince me that I'll like the author's writing.
Bad grammar or punctuation in the promo pretty much guarantees I won't bother. An author who tells me "Your going to love it!" isn't getting any more attention from me.
What convinces me to buy an ebook by an author I don't already know I like:
1) Recommendation from someone who knows my reading tastes,
2) Blog by the author, giving me a way to discover I like this person's general writing style on several subjects,
3) Book blurb that *really* hits my reading preferences and my whim of the moment.
#2 is the one the authors have the most control over. Of course, any blog that convinces me I like the person's writing, is going to convince other people they don't, especially if the blog contains any remotely controversial opinions.
I don't particularly look at price. Okay, I do; over $6 is probably not going to catch my attention no matter how fascinating it seems. And if it's DRM'd, I don't need to read it. But other than that, I'm not more likely to buy a book on sale than one at full price.
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