Free or Pass? - Page 3

BookCat · 11-22-2009, 06:52 AM

I tend to go mostly for freebies, both PD and CC. This is because, after buying masses of cat food, I'm usually broke!

PieOPah · 11-23-2009, 06:39 AM

With me having so many books that I haven't yet read, the only books I tend to buy are those that will pretty much instantly hit the top of my 'to read' list.

I have already spent far too much money on books that I am unlikley to ever get around to reading. Due to this, most 'new authors' tend to get downloaded by me if they have freebies available. If I enjoy those books enough, they may make it onto my purchase for immediate reading list...

Unfortunately, even most of the books that I freely download never get read as I am too often getting books that jump to the top of my list!

ASparrow · 11-23-2009, 08:20 AM

As a writer trying to promote and sell an ebook, even I fall into the "download a new author only if they offer a freebie category." I find myself resisting even the most modest purchases if there is any question the investment might be wasted. So I understand this behavior entirely.

The reason my book has a price tag, is because I am, like others, suspicious of the quality of work offered completely for free. I've found this to be misguided, as there have been freebie gems and 9.95 turds among the ebooks I've downloaded, but I sense that works need to have a cost for value to be perceived by some.

I also understand the "download freebie but don't read them" syndrome. I downloaded two freebies for a recent trip but have barely looked at them. Having a backlog of a half dozen unread "dead tree" books that I purchased doesn't help.

plumboz · 11-23-2009, 09:41 PM

ASparrow,

You and I are in pretty much the same boat. I'll tell you what I've decided. Right now readers are the most important thing to me. If I get them mostly through free coupons, that's okay by me. And if a lot of the copies downloaded now don't get read for a while, well, that is the fate of many a worthy book, so why complain?

I really hope that a whole lot of folks download Boomerang, whether to read soon or maybe later, because the more people who have it, the better chance it will find the people who will like it a lot. And let's face it, there is no such thing as a book that appeals to everyone. So the more people who have a chance to check it out the better chance a good number will say "Gee, this is good!".

So.......to all of you lovely mobileread members, if you haven't already checked out Boomerang, I would like to extend this invitation to you to take advantage of this Smashwords coupon.

Coupon Code for Boomerang at Smashwords: GK59K (new code, good through Dec. 31, 2009)

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4167

Ted Hogwood's beloved Sarah, a jazz guitar, is in the window of Topp Dollar Pawn. The only way he can get the money to rescue her is to accept an assignment from the AABC, a not nearly official branch of the United States intelligence community. He is partnered with Jerry Kwiatkowski, master of the Hammond B-3 organ and chronic flatulence sufferer, to steal a boomerang containing secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover over thirty years ago. It would be a simple job if only they knew what they were doing. And if a crossbow wielding assassin, two unemployed Australian women, The Director of Central Intelligence and a clothing optional former onion festival queen were not also hot on the boomerang's trail.
__________________

PieOPah · 11-24-2009, 01:51 AM

That is very kind of you. I have downloaded and if I do manage to read it, I will let you know my opinion.

basschick · 11-24-2009, 04:15 AM

word of mouth hasn't worked for me in general. most of the books i bought on recommendations have not been to my taste, so a free first book in a series or a full chapter as a sample does well for me. there are several books in the baen free library that i liked enough to buy the entire series after reading. there are some more where i bought at least one more book in the series.

ASparrow · 11-24-2009, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basschick

word of mouth hasn't worked for me in general. most of the books i bought on recommendations have not been to my taste, so a free first book in a series or a full chapter as a sample does well for me. there are several books in the baen free library that i liked enough to buy the entire series after reading. there are some more where i bought at least one more book in the series.

Yeah, word of mouth definitely doesn't work for me, not even for restaurants or movies, never mind books. I must be one of the "niche" markets I keep hearing about.

FlorenceArt · 11-24-2009, 04:29 AM

For me, an excerpt will help a lot. Reviews and recommendations are fine, but many of those are based on criteria that don't mean much to me. Just because I liked a well-written book about a guy raising sheep doesn't mean that I'll be interested in any book as long as it has sheep in it (and no, that's not a real example

). Subject matter doesn't play a big role in what I like or don't like, but style does. An excerpt is the quickest and best way to judge that. If I find the style OK but not stellar, I might download a free book and give it a try anyway, but chances are I won't buy another book by the same author.

ladyjane · 11-24-2009, 08:00 AM

I want to thank you for the download..probably a couple of days before the first page turn but will definately do a review.. the freebie for a book has worked for me and have paid for additional works by the same authors..so thank you again and happy reading everyone

BookCat · 11-24-2009, 08:13 AM

It's strange that some peeps have a belief that free equals bad. Some of the best books I've read have been freebies, such as "Black Silk" by Janet Gordon (JanG). I'm waiting with bated breath for her next offering.
Would you, for example, class the Sony freebies as necessarily badly written, or examples of shrewd marketing?
I agree that a few free books are unremittingly awful, but this is easy to discern after reading the first few pages. I forced myself to finish one truly bad book from Smashwords so that I could write a vitriolic review in my "book reviews" folder!

plumboz · 11-24-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PieOPah

That is very kind of you. I have downloaded and if I do manage to read it, I will let you know my opinion.

Thanks, PieOPah!

plumboz · 11-24-2009, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I want to thank you for the download..probably a couple of days before the first page turn but will definately do a review.. the freebie for a book has worked for me and have paid for additional works by the same authors..so thank you again and happy reading everyone

Thanks, ladyjane. I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy Boomerang.

Alan

rjfarrell · 11-24-2009, 09:56 PM

I definitely will read a new author when a book is offered for free. And for sure, if I enjoy it, i will buy more from that author.

There just are a zillion books out there, and finding a new author I enjoy is challenging. That is how I found Jeff Inlo. I thoroughly enjoy his books now. And Laura Nataro (that could be spelled wrong) has some of the funniest books ever. The first book I read authored by her was free. I have since bought others.

Do not despair that your hardearned writing efforts, and free offering is for naught. It could prove quite beneficial.....

plumboz · 11-25-2009, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjfarrell

I definitely will read a new author when a book is offered for free. And for sure, if I enjoy it, i will buy more from that author.

There just are a zillion books out there, and finding a new author I enjoy is challenging. That is how I found Jeff Inlo. I thoroughly enjoy his books now. And Laura Nataro (that could be spelled wrong) has some of the funniest books ever. The first book I read authored by her was free. I have since bought others.

Do not despair that your hardearned writing efforts, and free offering is for naught. It could prove quite beneficial.....

rjfarrell,

I'll bet you mean Laurie Notaro. If I remember right she is from Phoenix, my stomping grounds. And yes, she is funny as can be.

I hope among the billions of books out there that you'll give Boomerang a try.

Best,
Alan

11-24-2009, 08:13 AM	#40
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	It's strange that some peeps have a belief that free equals bad. Some of the best books I've read have been freebies, such as "Black Silk" by Janet Gordon (JanG). I'm waiting with bated breath for her next offering. Would you, for example, class the Sony freebies as necessarily badly written, or examples of shrewd marketing? I agree that a few free books are unremittingly awful, but this is easy to discern after reading the first few pages. I forced myself to finish one truly bad book from Smashwords so that I could write a vitriolic review in my "book reviews" folder! Last edited by BookCat; 11-28-2009 at 05:19 AM. Reason: typo

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11-22-2009, 06:52 AM	#31
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,911 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	I tend to go mostly for freebies, both PD and CC. This is because, after buying masses of cat food, I'm usually broke!

11-23-2009, 06:39 AM	#32
PieOPah Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 914 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-505	With me having so many books that I haven't yet read, the only books I tend to buy are those that will pretty much instantly hit the top of my 'to read' list. I have already spent far too much money on books that I am unlikley to ever get around to reading. Due to this, most 'new authors' tend to get downloaded by me if they have freebies available. If I enjoy those books enough, they may make it onto my purchase for immediate reading list... Unfortunately, even most of the books that I freely download never get read as I am too often getting books that jump to the top of my list!

11-23-2009, 08:20 AM	#33
ASparrow Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boston Device: Palm TX	As a writer trying to promote and sell an ebook, even I fall into the "download a new author only if they offer a freebie category." I find myself resisting even the most modest purchases if there is any question the investment might be wasted. So I understand this behavior entirely. The reason my book has a price tag, is because I am, like others, suspicious of the quality of work offered completely for free. I've found this to be misguided, as there have been freebie gems and 9.95 turds among the ebooks I've downloaded, but I sense that works need to have a cost for value to be perceived by some. I also understand the "download freebie but don't read them" syndrome. I downloaded two freebies for a recent trip but have barely looked at them. Having a backlog of a half dozen unread "dead tree" books that I purchased doesn't help.

11-23-2009, 09:41 PM	#34
plumboz Novelist Posts: 591 Karma: 452032 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook	ASparrow, You and I are in pretty much the same boat. I'll tell you what I've decided. Right now readers are the most important thing to me. If I get them mostly through free coupons, that's okay by me. And if a lot of the copies downloaded now don't get read for a while, well, that is the fate of many a worthy book, so why complain? I really hope that a whole lot of folks download Boomerang, whether to read soon or maybe later, because the more people who have it, the better chance it will find the people who will like it a lot. And let's face it, there is no such thing as a book that appeals to everyone. So the more people who have a chance to check it out the better chance a good number will say "Gee, this is good!". So.......to all of you lovely mobileread members, if you haven't already checked out Boomerang, I would like to extend this invitation to you to take advantage of this Smashwords coupon. Coupon Code for Boomerang at Smashwords: GK59K (new code, good through Dec. 31, 2009) http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4167 Ted Hogwood's beloved Sarah, a jazz guitar, is in the window of Topp Dollar Pawn. The only way he can get the money to rescue her is to accept an assignment from the AABC, a not nearly official branch of the United States intelligence community. He is partnered with Jerry Kwiatkowski, master of the Hammond B-3 organ and chronic flatulence sufferer, to steal a boomerang containing secrets that should have died with J. Edgar Hoover over thirty years ago. It would be a simple job if only they knew what they were doing. And if a crossbow wielding assassin, two unemployed Australian women, The Director of Central Intelligence and a clothing optional former onion festival queen were not also hot on the boomerang's trail. __________________

11-24-2009, 01:51 AM	#35
PieOPah Addict Posts: 398 Karma: 914 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: UK Device: Sony PRS-505	That is very kind of you. I have downloaded and if I do manage to read it, I will let you know my opinion.

11-24-2009, 04:15 AM	#36
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	word of mouth hasn't worked for me in general. most of the books i bought on recommendations have not been to my taste, so a free first book in a series or a full chapter as a sample does well for me. there are several books in the baen free library that i liked enough to buy the entire series after reading. there are some more where i bought at least one more book in the series.

11-24-2009, 04:29 AM	#38
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	For me, an excerpt will help a lot. Reviews and recommendations are fine, but many of those are based on criteria that don't mean much to me. Just because I liked a well-written book about a guy raising sheep doesn't mean that I'll be interested in any book as long as it has sheep in it (and no, that's not a real example ). Subject matter doesn't play a big role in what I like or don't like, but style does. An excerpt is the quickest and best way to judge that. If I find the style OK but not stellar, I might download a free book and give it a try anyway, but chances are I won't buy another book by the same author.

11-24-2009, 08:00 AM	#39
ladyjane I hate to clean Posts: 125 Karma: 1155 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Burlington, ontario Device: Sony PRS-505, Acer NetBook	I want to thank you for the download..probably a couple of days before the first page turn but will definately do a review.. the freebie for a book has worked for me and have paid for additional works by the same authors..so thank you again and happy reading everyone

11-24-2009, 09:56 PM	#43
rjfarrell Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 142 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Arizona (USA) Device: Sony PRS-505, Iphone, Ipad	I definitely will read a new author when a book is offered for free. And for sure, if I enjoy it, i will buy more from that author. There just are a zillion books out there, and finding a new author I enjoy is challenging. That is how I found Jeff Inlo. I thoroughly enjoy his books now. And Laura Nataro (that could be spelled wrong) has some of the funniest books ever. The first book I read authored by her was free. I have since bought others. Do not despair that your hardearned writing efforts, and free offering is for naught. It could prove quite beneficial.....