# What is with all the free kindle books?



## everyman (Jun 2, 2009)

are they now taking over the world?

i am curious about all of your reactions when you go to amazon and see that almost every single kindle bestseller is a 00.00 book.
does it affect you at all? 

for me, it depresses me.  that is my honest reaction.  don't get me wrong, i do think it, in one way, gives new authors a chance to get their work seen and out there and read. and that is a very positive thing, for sure.

but, to me, there is a real downside
. 
i am truly afraid of how this is going to affect the publishing industry. i think it can have a hugely adverse effect on publishers and authors who will not be motivated to publish their books in ebook format.  books i have a huge investment in reading.
am i alone in thinking this way?   

whenever i look at all those kindle books on amazon as the bestsellers, my heart sinks.
it paints kindle owners, in my mind anyway,  as real cheapskates.  lol  i do not mean to insult anybody here. but it subconsciously hits me that way.

i apologize for that reaction, but to be honest i have a very heavy heart when i see those books with 0.00 one after another. it actually hurts me.

when i think of the genius books i have read this year. books that i paid for, i can't believe how they are being brushed to the way side for some cheap thrillers that cost no money.

Let The Great World Spin was jawdropping in the beauty and power of its prose and the depth of its story, for one.  Olive Kitteredge, the Pulitizer prize winning novel of short stories that weave together was that kind of reading experience for me.  I loved The Shack and also South of Broad.  Jonathan Troppers This Is Where I Leave You was funny and touching in its observances of love and life.  I could go on and on about the books.  The Magicians also. Many many books that I gladly paid for.

i get so upset when a book i want to read is not kindlized by the publisher. now i feel it is going to be harder and harder for them to justify offering the books at all.   already we see Stephen King's Under the Dome pushed back a month  to give the hard cover major leverage  and a big boost in sales first.  Ted Kennedy's memoir is taking months before the publisher will release it in ebook format.

if we do not start supporting the books that cost money, i feel it will cost all of us in the long run.  free books are fine for now. but remember, there is ultimately no free lunch.  it is only a matter of time when this will come back to bite us all. or will it? maybe i am just being a worry wart. i hope that is the case. but i do think about this a lot.

is my thinking off?  what am i missing?  
is that what has happened to our society?  anything for free? 

please do not attack me and accuse me of not being sympathetic to new authors and how wonderful it is for them to be read now. i am not saying it isn't. but i think there has become a huge imbalance now.  it's almost like some of our most gifted authors are literally not even being considered by the mass of kindle owners and kicked to the wayside.

so, again, i ask, am i the only one who gets depressed when i see the kindle best seller list being comprised of all free 0.00 books?
this trend is completely different than amazon's book list for dtb's.  i do not trust the kindle best seller list at all when i see these books.

i am not trying to criticize people that download the free books. i think maybe what is happening, if we see it for free we all download it and check it out.  and it is reflected in the best seller list that that is all we are reading.  when it may not, in reality, be true at all.  now that i think about it, maybe that is why those books look like we are cheapskates.    of course more people will click on the free book because there is nothing to lose in doing that.  i think i am coming up with a possible reason rather than we are cheapskates.  but i still wonder how the numbers will look to publishers. is it going to have a devastating effect on all of us who want to buy ebooks in the future?

when publishers look at those lists, what are they to think? i know all this is so new. i look at iTunes as a guide. They offer free downloads of songs and tv shows. but it is kept to a certain limited way in the way that they do it. so it does not interfere in a major way with all the major offerings that do cost some money there.  now it looks like there are a million free books. and more every day.  one could conceivably buy a kindle and never buy another book in their lifetime.  

it is now kind of taking over. it worries me.
it always makes me nervous to post anything eve slightly controversial on boards. as i said, i do not mean to offend anyone. or make anyone angry. i am just curious about this.   please be kind in your answers.  i just feel i am all alone in my reactions. am i?

sorry for the long post. i have trouble getting my thoughts out when i am nervous about what i am saying.


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

I've downloaded a few of the free books, but the vast majority of the ones on my Kindle are ones I've paid for. Maybe people are just grabbing the free books because they're free but to be honest, most of them don't interest me in the slightest. A good portion of them seem to be Christian fiction (I'm not religious at all and have no interest in reading about it) or rampant erotica. Even if it's free I won't get it just because it's free....it has to be something I would want to read and so far most of it isn't.
The classics (public domain) I happily collect but not from Amazon. I've been getting them from Manybooks.net and am thrilled to see some of my childhood favourites there.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Some of the free books end up getting you hooked on a series or a new author.  I don't just go for a book because it's free, but if it looks interesting, I take it.  I have discovered a couple of new authors this way.  Since I have bought more of their books, they end up getting money they never would have had without the free book.  In fact one of the reasons I get the free books is because I want to try out a new author.  I use the library to try out new authors who are not on Kindle so I see it as kind of the same thing.

I see your point that that the best sellers list could be used as an argument against ebooks.  I had not thought of it that way.  I have found that I do not use the Kindle bestsellers list the same way anymore.  If I want to find out what is really popular (not that I buy many of the popular books for some stupid reason) I use the New York Times lists.  I sometimes also check out the bestsellers in paper books.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Trust me, if you look through the "What are you reading" or "Books Recommended by our Members" threads, you'll find many, many of our members are buying books at the $9.99 price.

I think you hit it on the head, when a book is offered for free, many people jump at it.  I do.  But I also buy books, and I've bought more than several at the $9.99 price, even one at more than that.

But you also raise some good points about the impact of ebooks on the publishing industry.  To be sure, it may not make a difference if the big publishing houses don't take a chance on new authors as they can take a chance on themselves, as many of the authors here on KB can attest.  We've learned about many new authors here on KB, good ones.  So the paradigm is shifting and no one knows yet where it will end up!

Betsy


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

I have just found an author here (on the Book Bazaar forum) who's book I might very well buy for my daughter for her Kindle. If it were free I would get it, but it's not so I'll pay for it. It appears to be a book for young adults, fantasy about dragons. My daughter adores books about dragons and I'm always looking for new ones for her. How wonderful to find one here! It's brilliant to be able to come across promising new authors by reading their posts and by seeing their books on Amazon.
I expect by making their book free for a time, they get a lot more exposure and hopefully hook some who'll be back for their next book and their next.


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## merlin7676 (Apr 26, 2009)

I do admit I get the majority of the free books except for the christian fiction or romance ones as well.  But they have opened doors to different types of reading genre for me. I primarily read sci-fi and fantasy but because of these free books, I now read more mystery and action/adventure books. Also there have been a couple books that interested me so much that I did go and buy the rest (if series) or a book or two more by a particular author that interested me.  So offering the free books isn't a "rip-off" or "cheapskate"; it has been a success with me and I am guessing a lot of ppl as well. I think it's just your perception based on your own reaction to the free section.


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## markel (Oct 11, 2009)

The list on Amazon is heavy with free books because so many people do indeed get them, so to me that list is generally worthless.

However, free books themselves may indeed wind up being good for the author. If a book interests me and it is from an author I am unfamiliar with, I might be less inclined to spend money on it than I would if it were for free. However I would be more likely to get it if it were free. 

I have done that before, and found that I liked that author's work and have gone back for a number of his (not free) books.


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

I think it is a great marketing tactic on Amazons part - I try a lot of the free books - and have found some new authors and some old authors I have read but their new to me series - so overall I would say Amazon has ended up getting more of my money in the long run because I _*had*_ to read more books by the authors I have found this way. And I don't even want to talk about how many samples I have of books I know I want to buy but don't want to lose track of - so I guess that was a long way of saying that no it doesn't upset me other than the fact that I know it will end up costing me more money in the long run


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## Raffeer (Nov 19, 2008)

Some months ago I downloaded a free book by an author named Tess Gerritson. I had never heard of her but the plot looked interesting, the title intrigued. 
I just checked my archives. I have 9 books by her listed. 8 paid for, 1 free. Not a bad deal all around. I was introduced to a new read and I followed up by purchasing every thing I could find written by her.
I have also noticed that an author will put a book up for "free" shortly before a new book is released.
The device changes, marketing changes.


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## KayakerNC (Oct 7, 2009)

Speaking as a "Noob", I pre-ordered some free books (sci-fi and thrillers) to test the waters on my new Kindle.
Lead-ins work for me.


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## kay_dee (May 24, 2009)

I love the free books for many of the reasons posted here and like most of you I tend to only grab the ones that interest me. I have also ended up picking up subsequent books from the authors. I also find it interesting that many of the authors of those "free" books post the Amazon links on their blogs, Twitter and Facebook sites, so it seems like they are very interested in getting their work out there.


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

I admit I love the free books but I have spent hundreds of dollars on ebooks since I got my first kindle last November. 
I think I got Let the Great World Spin free from Oprah's website too. Haven't read it yet though.

Melissa


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

Perhaps what Amazon needs to do is change the way the calculate their Bestsellers, removing the free books from the list.  I know that I don't look at that list when trying to decide what to buy.  I look at recommendations here and purchase authors that I know I will like.  I don't have a problem paying for the Kindle books (as long as the price is less than or equal to the print version).  The freebies are a great way to get me to try new authors and new genres.  And if I like the freebie, I am more inclined to purchase more by that author.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I got *Raising Jake* by Charlie Carillo as a free book and absolutely loved it. It may go on my top ten list for the year. I'd happily read another book by this author but it doesn't appear that he has written any other books.

I also really enjoyed *The Whiskey Rebels* by David Liss, which I got for free, as well as *Perfecting Amanda *by Bonnie Dee, which I enjoyed more than I expected I would.

*Sari Shop Widow*, *The Surgeon*, and the first one by Julia Spencer-Fleming (blanking on the name) were pretty good but didn't get me hooked on the authors but I know there are many here who loved these books.

At the opposite end, I've had free books where I was able to read a page or two and said, blech, and deleted it quickly off my Kindle.

So, all in all, I think the free books can be a great thing, especially for introducing new authors to me.

L


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## Wunderkind (Jan 14, 2009)

Andra said:


> Perhaps what Amazon needs to do is change the way the calculate their Bestsellers, removing the free books from the list. I know that I don't look at that list when trying to decide what to buy. I look at recommendations here and purchase authors that I know I will like. I don't have a problem paying for the Kindle books (as long as the price is less than or equal to the print version). The freebies are a great way to get me to try new authors and new genres. And if I like the freebie, I am more inclined to purchase more by that author.


I agree with the idea of Amazon changing that measurement. If the concept is to have a bestSELLER list, then it should track those books that were sold. The issue of whether free books are good is separate in my view; I've read many books that I bought that I did not think were high quality, which I have also experienced with free books.

Oftentimes, it seems that number of books sold is taken to mean the book is "good" which isn't necessarily the case. If Amazon wants to publish a list of books that have the highest ratings, then it seems that list would appropriately include free and purchased books. I just think "bestseller" is a misnomer when it includes free books.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the trick is to maintain some kind of perspective on the whole free book thing. The amount of books offered for sale and bought by Kindle owners far outweighs the amount offered for free, public domain books excluded.

A lot of times the free books are only free for a short time, then you must pay for them. Now, I think that is a trick by either Amazon or the publisher to get the Author's book numbers to shoot up so it will look like it sells a lot more than it really does, but that's just my opinion.

I have over 700 books on my Kindle and I know I've paid for all but maybe 200 of them. So since I rarely pay full price $9.99 and try to stay under $5.00, you do the math and you can see that I have spent my fair share. Now I'm only one person, imagine this extrapolated out to the amount of Kindles out there, and you can imagine the amount of money we Kindlefolk have spent supporting our Authors.

So, I guess what I am saying is maybe taking a step back and looking at the whole picture might result in a different perspective.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

everyman said:


> i am curious about all of your reactions when you go to amazon and see that almost every single kindle bestseller is a 00.00 book.
> does it affect you at all?


I've rarely ever found the bestseller section of any part of Amazon to be helpful, the only times that I have is when I notice that something that I was wanting had a price drop. With that said, having the freebies dominate the Kindle bestseller list makes it even more worthless than the other bestseller lists, so hopefully Amazon opts to spin out the freebies into it's own list so that the Kindle books that are actually being sold get the proper attention (free equals given away, not sold, and therefor should not appear in any list of anything that is being sold).



> for me, it depresses me. that is my honest reaction. don't get me wrong, i do think it, in one way, gives new authors a chance to get their work seen and out there and read. and that is a very positive thing, for sure.


It gets the books downloaded but there's no guarantee that the books get read. I had 87 freebies from Amazon, 88 if you include the free preview of Witch and Wizard, I've read 7 of them, 8 including the free preview (in contrast I've read 18 of the Kindle books that I've paid for). In addition to that I had 51 freebies from other places, the only one I've read was the free comic that I got for ordering The Conduit (Wii video game) from Amazon.

I say "had" because I had them backed up on my PC but I've just made up my mind that I will be ignoring freebies unless the books that are free are books that I had planned on purchasing anyway, to that end I've just deleted all of the freebies I had on my PC, I would expunge them from my Amazon account as well but Amazon doesn't allow us to choose what they backup for us and what they don't.

I'm a slow reader, I'm also sporadic. I read 50% of The Lacuna last weekend but only 7% during the week. I have 14 kindle books, that I paid for, that remain unread, with three on pre-order, and that's not including all of the DTB's that I've been putting off reading since I had no interest in reading them (I've recently made up my mind to start reading my DTB's). I also favor what cost me money over what didn't cost me anything as I hate wasting money (i.e. it would be the rare freebie that got me to read it before a book that cost me money).

Free is a very nice price but for the life of me I don't know why I continued getting them when it was clear that they were just adding to a backlog that was getting ignored.



> i am truly afraid of how this is going to affect the publishing industry. i think it can have a hugely adverse effect on publishers and authors who will not be motivated to publish their books in ebook format. books i have a huge investment in reading.
> am i alone in thinking this way?


I'm inclined to think that publishers will determine the value of publishing e-books not by what can be given away, but by what can be sold.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I think you also have to look at the types of free books that are out there.  Being a long time Kindle owner, I remeber when an issue or two of newspapers were free too (not the regular 14 day trials).  The books that I've seen are mostly erotic which I don't personally care for.  Like a lot of the posters have mentioned this was a prefect gateway into other genres and works by that author.  I too check out the iTunes free stuff and saw a lot of things I've liked and bought more of.  Not to mention iTunes come out with new stuff all the time, more particularly when they do their bigger upgrades on Tuesdays.  So you can also say that iTunes comes out with more free stuff on a regular basis than Amazon which I find their pace to be rather sporadic.

You do have rather interesting points, but I can't help but equate it with the freebies that are handed out on TV shows and other big name companies.  The main one being Oprah, but would you really think the people clamoring to get on her "most favorite things" show are cheapskates too?  Is she making the products she gave away make the value of the product any less?  Perhaps your term of using "cheapskates" is incorrect.

I like deals and I like to save money, but I do not think me downloading some free books that are on the store makes me a "cheapskate".  In fact it is an opprotunity, and I love trying new things.

I think pherhaps that you are thinking that this will explode into a bigger issue when it isn't.  Companies throughout history has given away free things all the time and have done very well.  It is all marketing ploys and ways to draw people in.  So I am not concerned about the fre books on Amazon at all.  Especially when an author like Joseph Finder, is even promoting this free book, which I'm sure many people read "Paranoia" which was offered for free, on his own websites AND has done well for himself.  I even BOUGHT more books by him.

Tris


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## rocky mountain reader (Jul 8, 2009)

I am reading a number of free books, some from Amazon, some from other sites. Almost all are classics that I just never got around to reading (until now) or non-fiction that I had not heard of before seeing them available for the Kindle. I've also purchased several books at Amazon and expect to continue doing so (somewhat to the detriment of the book club I've belonged to for 41 years).

I think the free book offers, including public domain, will help people get started with the Kindle in many cases, and they will soon be purchasing other books. I don't see it as a long-term big problem.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

You know I forgot to add this (sorry typing from an iTouch):

Then what about people who borrow books from a friend or library?  They didn't buy it, and they are getting it for free.  Are you saying this cheapens the whole reading experience and they are ripping off the author?

What about those many people who sit and read books at the bookstores like I see all the time at Barnes & Noble?  I also get emails on coupons and deals all the time, would you say that I am cheapening or they are ripping people like the authors or publishers off?

Maybe if you look around a bit you'd see it has been happening for a every long time...and I don't see it as a collapse of books or deminish the art of writing.

Tris


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I'll say up front I'm completely on the opposite side of this issue. I think the free books are the smartest move publishers have made so far in their approach to ebooks. And I can demonstrate it.

In March, I downloaded the free book, His Majesty's Dragon







by Naomi Novik. This is an older book that I've never noticed, even though it's in one of the two primary genres I tend to read. Within 5 days, I had paid for all of the subsequent books, four of them, currently at $6.39 each; a total of $25.56. I'm eagerly awaiting the next one.

In July, we were offered Darkfever







by Karen Marie Moning. THAT DAY, I downloaded both available sequels, the first at the below paperback price of $6.57, the second at the much higher price of $15.11 because it was still in hardcover. Mind you, I knew the paperback version was out in a week and the Kindle version would drop. I didn't care because by then I was so caught up in the story that I couldn't wait. The fourth book came out in August (hence the first book as a freebie), and I paid full price for the day of release, even knowing it would drop less than a week later when it hit the NYT bestseller list. Between those times, I also bought every other Kindleized book she had--four more books. We're now at $57.54. Two of her older works were finally released in ebook form this week; they're next on my list at $6.39 each. *All this for an author I'd never read and never would have, because nearly all her work was in a genre I'd never considered prior to seeing that one free book.*

These are just two examples of how this has panned out since I started with a Kindle. I've bought at least 6x as many books this year as I have in recent times, and there's at least 10 series in that total that I started _only_ because the first book was distributed for free. Each time, the latest book is nearly ready for release, and more than half the time, I buy that release within the first week at the non-discounted price. Almost every single free ebook I've downloaded has been from an author I had no idea existed, and a number of these are in genres I never would have considered reading before, so now a vast new world of books has been opened to me. I take the time to sample the books before I take them on, so it's rare that I download one that I dislike, which means it's nearly inevitable that I'll end up buying additional books by that author. I've spent hundreds of dollars on new books after the publisher lured me in with a freebie, and I've been converted to more than a handful of new authors who will continue to keep me as a reader for years to come.

And then, because I've bought those books, Amazon and people on forums like this one have suggested additional series that I might like based on those choices. Which I then buy. These so called "free" promotions have cost me a fortune this year. And of course, I recommend books I've liked to others, bringing in more potential customers.

Getting a new customer is a lot harder than keeping a previous one, and offering a free book is an utterly brilliant method of getting new readers. I know for a fact I'm not the only one who's been operating this way as I've seen the same tale over and over on this board, and on the forums of authors who have been a part of these types of promotions. The publishers wouldn't keep offering them if they didn't work.

Tell me again how this is going to destroy the industry, because I'm not getting it. Smart publishers and authors are already figuring out the best way to bring in new revenue using the ebook model, and they're going to make a killing in the end because of it. Those publishers who think that holding back an ebook until after the hardcover has been out a while are going to find that the number of hardcover sales is diminished because many ebook readers would rather wait for the electronic release than buy in HC format. They're learning, and they'll continue to learn as the market for ebooks grows.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I completely agree with the others.  I have gotten free books, then gone on to purchase many many more in that genre or by that author.  I have also downloaded some and ended up deleting, did that just last night.  I never go by lists, they are so over blown and unreal.  I get most of my books here on kindleboards from recommendations.  Thank you fellow kindleboarders!


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Tris said:


> You know I forgot to add this (sorry typing from an iTouch):
> 
> Then what about people who borrow books from a friend or library? They didn't buy it, and they are getting it for free. Are you saying this cheapens the whole reading experience and they are ripping off the author?
> 
> ...


Before I got my Kindle, I rarely bought a book; I use and support my public library extensively. So the fact that I now load up on free books for my Kindly has not at all changed my purchasing behavior.
I also use my library for audiobooks & occasionally a PDF book to read on my netbook.

Many of us who love to read also don't have huge book-purchasing budgets. The library & Kindle-freebies are a great value.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

I'm in agreement with just about everybody.  I have purchased several dozen books in genres I would never have considered picking up if I hadn't had a free book to "kindle" my interest first.

I do also think the semantics are important - it is NOT (as Andra pointed out) a bestSELLER list.  I think it would be better labelled Top 100 Kindle Downloads with a separate list of Bestsellers.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

very interesting thread.  We have been offering free books for the past several months, usually letting them run for 4 weeks at a time.  The selection process for us is 1.) first in series, and 2.) the title has been reviewed very positively in different publications.  I am noticing a lot of other houses just dumping the worst titles out there, which I think muddies the water.  The hopes should be as you all have said, to attract new readers to a very strong writer.

We use to print ARC's up and do a blind mailing, never knowing if anyone has ever read them.  Here on kindle, at the very least we know that they have a better chance of getting looked at.

The author's on our list are clamoring to have some of their titles listed for free, cause they know more people are apt to be exposed to them.  However, not all writers are ready for that strategy... i.e. witness a lot of the freebie titles gathering a ton of 1 star reviews.


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## mindreader (Oct 8, 2009)

I've taken advantage of several of the free books, discovering some great new authors in the process.  I'll definitely be a return customer for most of them. 

I don't "purchase" every free book that's offered, but I do check out most of them-to see if they'll be of interest. I probably wouldn't have taken the plunge with most of these authors if these books hadn't been free (& the reviews hadn't been good).  

Before I bought my kindle, I didn't know Amazon/publishers offered freebies, but now I'm very glad they do.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

_"Those publishers who think that holding back an ebook until after the hardcover has been out a while are going to find that the number of hardcover sales is diminished because many ebook readers would rather wait for the electronic release than buy in HC format. "_

I totally agree with this. Current example is the new Stephenn King- _Under the Dome: A Novel_. It is out now, but not available in Kindle format until *December 24th.* Now, I ask you, what sense does this make? A co-worker is reading this and was telling me about it and I was so ready to buy it even at full price  and then I find I can not purchase it until DECEMBER 24TH. Ok, now I'm over the impulse buy stage and I may not even buy it because it is not available to me via Kindle and I am a little miffed about it. By December 24th, I'll be on to better things and I won't even remember this book!
(Sorry to hijack the thread!)


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Giving away things for free is a perfectly valid marketing technique, and one that works particularly well for digital downloads, since the incremental cost of the product is essentially nothing. It's apparently one that the publishers are happy with, since they keep offering freebies.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

*I'm not complaining!!* _ Free books and these boards have opened many doors for me._ I have tried new authors, series, genres...etc. I couldn't be happier. I download the free book...I can always delete it if I find it doesn't suit me. I don't do that with books that I have purchased!! *I have purchased PLENTY of books* and the freebies offset my purchases a bit, creating a nice balance. If I spend X amount; I don't mind doing so, if the next couple of books are free. I agree with the majority on this one.

This thread reminds me of my Mother-in-law when my kids were little: She actually told the ice cream man... that he made the cones too big; duh!! From that day forward, we were downsized. My kids are 19 and 21 and still talk about Grammy ruining it for us with the ice cream man.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

NathanHenrion said:


> The author's on our list are clamoring to have some of their titles listed for free, cause they know more people are apt to be exposed to them. However, not all writers are ready for that strategy... i.e. witness a lot of the freebie titles gathering a ton of 1 star reviews.


I do think this is absolutely key--"free" as a marketing tool for a book is only useful if the writing is actually good! I've been floored by some of the truly rotten stuff being offered out there both independently and by some recognizable publishers. I'm not talking about things that simply aren't my cup of tea, but rather the books that are simply so horridly written and edited that they never should have been released in the first place. This isn't a case of "any publicity is GOOD publicity"!



sherylb said:


> _"Those publishers who think that holding back an ebook until after the hardcover has been out a while are going to find that the number of hardcover sales is diminished because many ebook readers would rather wait for the electronic release than buy in HC format. "_
> 
> I totally agree with this. Current example is the new Stephenn King- _Under the Dome: A Novel_. It is out now, but not available in Kindle format until *December 24th.* Now, I ask you, what sense does this make? A co-worker is reading this and was telling me about it and I was so ready to buy it even at full price  and then I find I can not purchase it until DECEMBER 24TH. Ok, now I'm over the impulse buy stage and I may not even buy it because it is not available to me via Kindle and I am a little miffed about it. By December 24th, I'll be on to better things and I won't even remember this book!
> (Sorry to hijack the thread!)


I know--this is exactly why the strategy will backfire on them, and any marketing department worth their budget should be able to figure this out. Sell the ebook for the same price as the HC if you're that worried about it, but the only way to really reap the benefits of your first few weeks of release is to make the book available in BOTH formats immediately. Otherwise, you'll miss a significant chunk of your consumers! There is simply *no* advantage whatsoever in deliberately releasing a book to hardcover only and announcing the fact that the ebook will not be available until a later date. All you do is alienate your readers. With people's short attention spans nowadays, you can kiss off a fair number of people who will forget the book entirely. Another group will refuse to buy based on the principle of it all. Yet another group won't bother until the paperback comes out, dropping the ebook price, and they can buy it at a truly significant discount. I suspect it's the minority--the deeply core readers for that author--who will actually buy the ebook immediately when it comes out, and an even smaller number who will buy the hardcover instead. Just plain stupid. I'd love to see actual hard numbers to back up why the publishers think this works.


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## esper_d (May 2, 2009)

You asked for others reactions to the free books and here's mine: It doesn't hurt me, I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Bring on more free books!!


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## Airan Gale (Oct 11, 2009)

VictoriaP said:


> Sell the ebook for the same price as the HC if you're that worried about it, but the only way to really reap the benefits of your first few weeks of release is to make the book available in BOTH formats immediately. Otherwise, you'll miss a significant chunk of your consumers!


I agree with this and think it's about time publishers did some serious market research into this very subject. Those who have a Kindle are very unlikely to buy the HC new release. For one thing, the KIndle frees you up of having to lug those heavy tomes around.
And those who DO buy the HC are very unlikely to own a Kindle (yet).

By the time the Kindle version is released, especially if it's months after the HC, a good percentage of Kindle owners might very well have lost interest or read enough reviews to decide it's not really for them.


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## d.rose (Nov 4, 2009)

I did download some free ebooks but that is to try new authors that I would not consider buying for because I don't know them and have not tried anything by them.. so once I try it and like it then the author would be on my list of authors to look for and therefore would purchase any books I could find by them 
I have been introduced to many authors that way.. and I'm not interested in classics so they are all new authors


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

I tend to grab anything free that I think I or my wife might one day be interested in.  Consequently, 129 of the 200 books I've "purchased" have been free.  I've actually read 16 of those, or 12% (as opposed to 39 of the 71 I paid for, or 55%).  4 of those have introduced me to authors I'd never heard of but will now purchase everything they've ever written or will write.  6 have introduced me to authors I will definitely check out again.  That's "found money" for 8 authors (one had 3 free books) and their publishers that they never would have had a chance at had they not offered these books for free.

If you expand the list to include authors I've tried because their books were available at a huge discount but NOT free, the payday for the authors and publishers gets even bigger--I've been introduced to another 5 authors this way that I want to read every work from.

Free and cheap is a VERY effective marketing strategy, if you have a product worth buying but want to expand your customer base.  The way most of the major publishers who have been offering free books have handled it is to offer older books that established fans probably already own or have read.  The marginal cost is obviously zero, and the opportunity cost is almost zero--very few people who get the free book would have paid for it, because those who would pay for it already have.  If getting one work into more people's hands will generate new revenue from other works by the same author, then giving it away is a no-brainer.


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## danfan (Apr 17, 2009)

I've recently started d/l lots of free books. Not because I'm cheap LOL but because this year I've spent more than books than ever before. Simply because, with a Kindle, I read twice as fast!  

With Christmas coming up, I have to cut back somewhere & I am not prepared to stop reading altogether. I see d/l cheap or free books no different to the market than if I went to the library and borrowed them.

For me, the downside of free books is all the skewed reviews on Amazon. It gets hard to scan the index & look at stars when I know a bunch of 1 stars are from people who downloaded a freebie that they had no interest in & then gave it a 1 because they hate horror or thrillers, or whatever the genre.


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## legalbs2 (May 27, 2009)

Rather then download Free Books, I just try Samples of author's books I have never read before.  I rely on the reviews to be honest and avoid anything not rated 3 and above.  I know that some people just never give a good review even to purchased books for a price, but, all in all, I have found 99% accuracy on reviews.

I did download a lot of Free Books, but found most not worth even getting through the Sample.  I have found a good author from a Free Book, only to find that was the author's only good work.  I guess "you pays your money (or not) and takes you chances".


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## kat89447 (Nov 6, 2009)

I don't think you have to worry too much. Yes people will try the free books and that is why they hit the Kindle bestseller list, but most of the free books are just supplements because the average Kindler reads more than the regular reader. I download many free books and have discovered new and wonderful Authors that way, and if its the first in a series and its good then that same Author will get me to buy the rest of the series. Free and Cheap books are a great tool for the publisher and the Author and they are making plenty of money off of the rest of their books to more than justify the freebie. Free or Cheap books are probably 1/3 of my library, their companion books or other books by the same Author are another third and the rest are bestsellers and my fave Authors from before Kindle. If an Author only reaches 1 new reader a day because of a free book then they will make many dollars down the road on their regular priced books.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

legalbs2 said:


> Rather then download Free Books, I just try Samples of author's books I have never read before. I rely on the reviews to be honest and avoid anything not rated 3 and above. I know that some people just never give a good review even to purchased books for a price, but, all in all, I have found 99% accuracy on reviews.
> 
> I did download a lot of Free Books, but found most not worth even getting through the Sample. I have found a good author from a Free Book, only to find that was the author's only good work. I guess "you pays your money (or not) and takes you chances".


You can just download the whole book if its free, and have a larger sample to work with


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## legalbs2 (May 27, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> I completely agree with the others. I have gotten free books, then gone on to purchase many many more in that genre or by that author. I have also downloaded some and ended up deleting, did that just last night. I never go by lists, they are so over blown and unreal. I get most of my books here on kindleboards from recommendations. Thank you fellow kindleboarders!


Anjou, I always agree with you. Why is that? I know why, we are the exact same age. Too funny.


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## everyman (Jun 2, 2009)

Thanks everybody for your feedback. Well, I guess you told me!  hahaha.  I really must have written it wrong. I have no problems with the free books.  I had a specific problem with seeing the bestseller list as all 0.00.  It was that that hit me wrong.  And I feel a lot of you said it better than me. That the free books are not really "sellers" in that people are not paying for them.  So that they really should create a separate list. Kindle Bestsellers. And Kindle Hottest Free Books.  
I am one of those people that always looks at the most popular lists on Amazon. It interests me. So I just did not put my finger on what it was that bothered me so much about the free books dominating the Best Seller list.  I appreciate those that made that subtle distinction for me. And I feel it made a lot of sense to me. 
Once again, all of you, which seems most of you, who got annoyed with me because you felt I was criticizing you for wanting the free books, nothing could have been further from my mind. That is not the case. I apologize if I came off as judging anybody.
I know it was the way I worded it. But really, I just don't like that darn list the way it is.  Simple as that.
Anyway, this sure got some interesting responses and it's good to see everybody's passion fully intact for our Kindles. Thanks everybody. I hope this makes my concern more clear now.  I am not against free books on any level. That was not my point.
Just not a great writer, I guess.


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## k_reader (Feb 7, 2009)

Two lists: 'Kindle Bestsellers" and "Kindle Hottest Free Books"  

I think you should propose this idea to AMAZON. It is a great idea!

Doesn't Jeff Bezos want us to send feedback?  That would be great feedback.  I HATE that you can't get a true bestseller list on Kindle.  What I usually do is going Amazon books and look at the best sellers there.  This is more a true gauge of bestsellers.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

everyman said:


> Thanks everybody for your feedback. Well, I guess you told me! hahaha. I really must have written it wrong. I have no problems with the free books. I had a specific problem with seeing the bestseller list as all 0.00. It was that that hit me wrong. And I feel a lot of you said it better than me. That the free books are not really "sellers" in that people are not paying for them. So that they really should create a separate list. Kindle Bestsellers. And Kindle Hottest Free Books.
> I am one of those people that always looks at the most popular lists on Amazon. It interests me. So I just did not put my finger on what it was that bothered me so much about the free books dominating the Best Seller list. I appreciate those that made that subtle distinction for me. And I feel it made a lot of sense to me.
> Once again, all of you, which seems most of you, who got annoyed with me because you felt I was criticizing you for wanting the free books, nothing could have been further from my mind. That is not the case. I apologize if I came off as judging anybody.
> I know it was the way I worded it. But really, I just don't like that darn list the way it is. Simple as that.
> ...


I think your post probably did what you needed it to do: it helped you figure out what was bugging you about those lists. I didn't take your post as being anti-free-books, just anti-free-books-on-the-best-seller-list. So keep posting!


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Just because a book is free and downloaded does not mean the book has or will be read.  I usually grab most free commercial books (expect the Christian or Romance titles or PDF formatted) so have about 40 freebies in the Kindle archives, but have read 4 so far.  Give that a 10% read rate on the freebies.  And 3 out of the 4 were titles I probably would have bought anyway, so maybe that should be a 2.5% read rate for freebies.  I 'd rather pick what I want to read then go for what is free.  I think of the freebies more of a rainy day fund if I'm ever not able to buy what I want when I want it.

That said, giving away a first book in a series can be like a drug pusher giving away the first hit of crack.  Of course, this works better on readers who actually like series.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Everyman - we all need someone to shake us up once in awhile, and you did a good job of it    I agree with you regarding the free books being on the best seller list, but I don't bother with those lists, I've seen too many just blown out of proportion with no quality involved.

I'm not a good writer either, but just like my Spanish, I keep trying, it might be a piece of junk but at least I try - so you hang in there and keep on a postin'


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## everyman (Jun 2, 2009)

Anju and k-reader

thanks so much for your kind support. i really do appreciate it.  i love these boards.  thanks to all.


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## pawnslinger (May 1, 2009)

It is understandable that a group of free books would be very high on the best seller list.  They are promotional items.  And, in my case at any rate, they do their job well.  I have had my K2 for about a year and in that year I have gotten lots of free books and a ton of free samples.  All of this has led to more purchases... many more purchases than in the prior 10 years combined.  I think reading is contagious (for me anyway).


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Everyman, don't fret.  No one's all that worked up, I promise, me included.    This sort of discussion blows up, then back down, and the cool thing is that on these boards, they're never allowed to get out of hand!  I swear this really is the best forum on the Internet.  And as you said, it's all helped clarify what was really bugging you.

Like Anju, I'm not one to fuss much about the bestseller lists, since what I like to read most typically isn't on them, so I rarely use them as a guide.  But your point is a very good one--there probably should be two lists--one for actual PAID bestsellers.  I'd be interested in that simply to see if there's any actual difference between Kindle readers and regular DTB readers--would the bestselling lists be the same, or different?  Inquiring minds want to know!  LOL


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

It is pretty sneaky how bestseller's can be manipulated and worked by the industry, especially on the print side...just saying


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## pawsplus (Mar 31, 2009)

I get VERY few free books b/c, well, most of them are crap.  Not my cuppa.  But I  have occasionally found one I thought I might like and then later on bought another in the series w/ real money, so I think the publishers DO many $$ from them, even indirectly.  And they don't keep them at $0 forever, after all.  Usually just an intro period.


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## CMorrison64 (Jun 1, 2009)

Trust me I buy plenty and always feel the freebies are a nice treat and I usually end up liking the author and buying the remainder of her books.


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## andy_in_virginia (Dec 3, 2009)

I get slightly annoyed that most of $0.00 (or $0.01) books are of the Christian fiction format.  I have nothing against this type of genre being on Amazon, but I wish it would be labeled honestly as being 'Christian fiction' as I have absolutely zero interest in it.  Most of the time the synopsis of the book doesn't mention this at all and you have to read the reviews (usually the one star reviews!) to find out the 'hidden' message in them.  Why can't Amazon flag them as that genre or at least mention it in the synopsis?


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

andy_in_virginia said:


> I get slightly annoyed that most of $0.00 (or $0.01) books are of the Christian fiction format....


(scratches head) I'm sorry to disagree with you, Andy, but I just don't see that to be the case at all. I have well over 150 free books that I have picked up over the last 2 years and only 4 would be considered Christian Fiction. Now, I do see a lot of romance (not my thing) and a lot of Sci-Fi/fantasy (which I ALWAYS pick up). But I find free Christian Fiction (also not my thing) to be a rarity although I keep my eyes open for recommendations for my 87 yo Mom who likes that genre.

JMO.


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## earthlydelites (Dec 12, 2009)

from my perspective, free books is just a marketing tactic. 

I walk from the station in the morning and I'm handed free energy drinks. Does that mean that they are forever going to be free? Not at all. It's given me a chance to taste the drink, see if I like it, and if so I'll know where to buy more from.

The same thing with free books. You read one, you like the author, you're happy to pay for another book. 

I personally haven't downloaded any free books, although I have only owned my kindle for a few days. If something strikes me as being a good book to read, I'll purchase it or get it for free, it doesn't bother me.


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## PaWildWoman (Apr 15, 2009)

I've had my Kindle for a year......

I LOVE FREE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have gotten hooked on several different series.....Novak's Dragon series is one.....because of free books.  I would not have given that series a glance if i didn't download the first one for free.  Went and bought the rest.

Library's have not ruined publishing so I can't see that free books are going to do anything but enhance the industry.  And as a marketing tool....it's spectacular.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For a while there all the free titles were. . .well, not to put to fine a point on it. . . .


Spoiler



zombie porn


.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> For a while there all the free titles were. . .well, not to put to fine a point on it. . . .
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Or


Spoiler



vampire porn


 

Aside from those, there's usually a ton of romance novels available for free (think Harlequin types for the most part, but you do need to read the descriptions if you're not into the graphic stuff, because there's plenty of that offered). Most months, I find there's 3-5 sci-fi/fantasy available, a few Christian fiction, a couple of Young Adult, a few thrillers, etc. I think most genres are covered, but certainly not all, and it just depends on the publisher.


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

Interesting conversation!

I've never downloaded a free ebook but really enjoy sampling, which more often than not leads to a sale.

Guess I don't have the patience or time to wade through all the freebies looking for the good ones, but I never liked those deep-discount bins in a store either. Maybe shopping habits die hard!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't much wade through the discount bins either.  But the freebies are just so easy to click on!

I know some people don't like having titles in their archive that they'll never read but it's not a big deal to me. If I start reading one, and it's not to my taste, I have no problem deleting it from the Kindle. I then usually go to my collection at Amazon and make a note about it. And, actually, now, there is also the option to delete it permanently via the Mange Your Kindle page. . .at least, it works for most people, though sometimes with quirks; it's still somewhat in Beta stage, I think.

There are a couple of very useful threads here that help with the wading, too. First there's this one:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,16184.0.html

That's a list to the December thread; there's a new one each month stickied at the top of the Book Bazaar. So the people who do like to wade around can come and tell us what they found!

There's also this thread:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,16096.0.html

which is maintained by one of our members. He keeps track of when things going on and off of being free. He also tracks under $1 deals.


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

Thank-you Ann in Arlington!!


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## ChristianBk (Dec 10, 2009)

I download the freebies because (duh!) they're free. Sometimes, they're quality stuff (most recently, the slow cooker one and in the past Perdido Street Station). I also don't have to worry about reading some of a freebie, deciding I'm not enjoying it, and moving on... whereas for a paid book, I need to be darn sure I'll enjoy it.


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## brandydandy (Dec 27, 2009)

I just got my Kindle and downloaded about 15 free books.  I read Murder takes the Cake by Gale Trent and loved it.  I have her other books in my cue to buy.  I read a Love Inspired, and it was okay.  I noticed that it was the first in a series.  It was decent, and I might try another.  Just started a 4th, and not sure if I will keep it, but since it was free I have no issues in deleting it.  

I think it is genuis.  Give us books that are the frist in a series to make us want more, and I will buy.


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