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Old 05-11-2010, 11:53 PM   #17
AnemicOak
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Some thoughts that sprang to mind when reading your initial post.

The other books in the series are all long out of print correct? If so and if the paper book indicates it's book 4 in a series then that could be a big problem right there. I know I for one always start with book one in a series so I wouldn't even consider book 4 right off the bat so I'd skip it because of that if browsing at B&N or Borders and look for a series where I could start at the beginning and if you were an author I knew from way back I'd probably have already purchased the HC.

Folks here probably aren't the best source for data on this as if they're going to buy your book it's likely going to be the ebook version not the paper one.

Giving away the first three I'd think would be beneficial in getting new readers and getting readers for the new book (I've found many new authors this way). However how many folks are likely to read the first three in e and then the fourth in p? I'd think they'd want e (especially with the number of folks moving to ebooks now) and since they couldn't buy it and you had it up for free they went that route if they were interested in reading it. By the time the official ebook was available most would have either read the one they got for free and that's that or have read it and have no idea it's out officially (where they might decide to purchase an ebook copy from Tor to help support the author) it might be long forgotten for them. While I think it was generous to give away book 4 I'd imagine if it's hurt anything it's more likely to have hurt sales of Tor's ebook version than their print version.

I don't know what paper sales are like for Science Fiction these days, but I'd think it'd be one of the top genre's of folks making the switch to ebooks. You mention they're the worst numbers of your career, but maybe they aren't great for others writing in the same genre?


Anyway just some thoughts.

Last edited by AnemicOak; 05-11-2010 at 11:56 PM.
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