Free Books?

There are those who tell me an author should give you a "free" book to entice readers to buy more, and to some extent, that does work. I've done it in the past. When I talked with a marketer last year about taking over some of my business responsibilities while I concentrated on writing, she suggested that, as well. "It invites people to try you for free."

Been there, done that. I work hard to provide a quality product, and I think it's worth spending at least a buck.

How many of you shop at Kohls? Or a similar store? Do you ever buy anything full price? As a rule, are we being told "full price" is too much? My answer would be yes, and it's for that reason that I price my books reasonably. When I see the big house publishers selling e-books for more than $10, my eyes bug out. As much as I love my favorite authors, I'm not going to pay that. Heck, I can buy the paperback for the same, and in many instances, less. So when my books are priced reasonably, I feel like I'm already providing the "low, low, sale price." And when I run a special? Yes, I've discounted the books even further, but I have a real hard time giving away my hard work for free, even as a sample.

Which brings me to why do I write. It's certainly not to get rich. I write because it brings me joy and I want to share my stories with you. I work hard to make sure they make sense, that they are the best stories they can be. I want to be professional about telling you stories and it costs money to bring them to you. I invest in my writing in hopes that you will like it, as well. So when I publish a brand new book and someone asks me "is it free?" my immediate response might not be the one I want to verbalize. Heck, even the bards of old had a hat for people to throw in their pennies in recognition of a story well told. I'd like to believe the stories I write are worth something to the people who read them.

Let me back up for a second. When I got my first Kindle, the first thing I did was search out free books. Why? First, I didn't know how ebooks worked. Second, I didn't know if it was going to be a medium I could appreciate. (Example, I'm not a fan of audiobooks. Not because they aren't entertaining, but because my attention span wavers too much to listen for an extended period of time.) I started out with the classics on my Kindle - Jane Eyre, A Christmas Carol, A Portrait of Dorian Grey, etc. I found some others that sounded interesting and downloaded those as well. Then comes the moment of reckoning. Do I enjoy reading ebooks enough to pay for one? If you're like me, the answer is yes. There are a number of authors I like and a limited amount of shelf space for paperback/hard cover. Then there's the transportability. When I go on vacation, I can take half a dozen books with me without going over the weight limit with my suitcase. I found I liked ebooks, and for those books I was "testing out," if I enjoyed them, I could still buy a paperback version for my shelf to go back to, to hold in my hands. I still prefer holding a "real" book in my hands, but for convenience and on the go, ebooks are fabulous.

Back to the "on sale" mentality. Yes, I still struggle with paying full price for a book. Hey, I shop at Kohls. I might spring for a hard cover book by someone I truly admire and know I'll read again and again. It's an investment. I do have a price I won't pay for an ebook, even for highly anticipated books by my favorite authors. Do I expect them to give their books away for free? No. Storytelling is an art form, and its worth something to me. I hope its worth something to you, too.