Two Perspectives on Free Book Downloads

I’ll admit that I’m a frequent browser of the freebies on Amazon. I’m not one of those people who go digging around looking for free books, but I’ll browse the top 100 and various genre lists that I read looking for a freebie deal. When I first got my Kindle, I downloaded anything that sounded even remotely interesting. Then, after getting burned a few times by dreadful books, I started being a bit more careful–though I still probably grab more books than I ought. And often those books sit there on my kindle (currently showing 237 items) until the whim to browse the far pages of the listing strikes and I stumble across something that looks interesting. I’ve found some jewels that way. I’ve found some authors I’ve made a note to skip in the future. And I’ve found some books that were entertaining enough to pass the time but I was glad I didn’t pay anything for them.

I suspect that’s an experience similar to most folks who grab freebies.

As an author, it’s interesting to see other author’s perspectives on the free books. Some authors get really angry when their publishers make their books free. I can somewhat understand this–after all, they’re not getting paid for those downloaded copies. But, the idea behind the free book from a publishing perspective is that more downloads will raise the ranking of the book, which will in turn get it more placement in the recommendation engine and, in theory, generate more sales once the free offer expires. There are numerous articles out there discussing whether or not the business model still works now that everyone’s doing it (and they seem pretty evenly split as to their feelings pro or con.) Still, I imagine knowing that you, effectively, just “lost” royalties on X copies that were downloaded would sting. Another author I follow was bemoaning the freebies because a reader said to them about a new release, “Can’t wait ’til it’s free and I can grab it.” And I can see how that might be hard to hear.

The other author perspective on free books is pretty much along the lines of the basic business model, with an added thought that a freebie promotion is kind of like having a book in the library. If 100 people check it out, you don’t get paid for those 100 people reading your book, but X% of them will enjoy it and either tell someone else about it (who may go on to purchase it) or want to buy their own copy and so forth. So it’s exposure. Sure, you lose the immediate money for the chance of long term benefit, but it’s a relatively painless (and inexpensive) way to try and get some new eyes on your work.

Now as a reader and an author, I find myself slightly torn. On the one hand: free books! Really, what’s not to love about books that are free? On the other hand, I now feel a slight twinge of guilt when I grab a freebie from a traditional press because I wonder if the author knew and was on board with the idea. (I have less guilt with self-pubs because when you self-pub, no one makes you offer it free. That’s totally, 100% your decision. So theoretically you’re 100% on board with it.) I tend to squash the guilt pretty easily, because I guess if the idea that your book might get put in a free promotion bothers you that much, maybe you ask your agent if there’s a way to negotiate it out of your contract. (It’s a moot point for me at this stage as my publisher isn’t into the free days, having some of the same questions about pros and cons and no good answers yet – though with self-pubbing my novella next month, I’m thinking more about it.)

I wonder if the average reader thinks much about the financial aspect of the free books they download. I know I didn’t until recently. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, either.