|
I see the gap between those who download free and cheap ebooks and those who actually read cheap and free ebooks is widening. That, in itself, is interesting.
It would be utterly fascinating, though, if this poll included the question of whether or not members feel they are more likely to find a satisfying read in a free or cheap book or in one carrying a realistic cover price. Results so far suggest the latter, I think.
My own wee publishing house offers PDF and ePub at $5.99. Same for our Smashwords editions in other formats. During Read an Ebook Week, we offered eighty-odd titles on a pay-what-you-want (or nothing) basis (revenue to the Red Cross). We saw over 600 downloads, about five percent voluntarily paid for at anything from a dollar to ten dollars.
Although I agree that it's early days yet, the feedback so far has been minimal (and that seems to be from readers who had paid something) when compared to what we see from downloads at regular cover price, suggesting that many of those downloads ended up -- like too many books on a real-life shelf -- gathering virtual dust in a virtual library.
Having said that, I have no gripe. The temptation to stock up for the future with the very best of reading intentions is great ... especially when, unlike treebooks, ebooks don't clutter up the house. And, unlike samples of cheese at the local supermarket, books do take time to digest and assess.
Cheers. Neil
|