Are Free Books Good For Authors?

BlogHer Original Post

Are free e-books good for authors? Will an e-book promotion encourage readers to buy more books? This was topic of discussion on GalleyCat this week after author Donna R. Wood made the argument against free books. I don't personally download many free books, but I do love a good e-book sale and whether it's free or deeply discounted, an e-book promotion is a very good way to lure me into reading your series. Author Lauren Dane shared her experiences with e-book promotions and how the power of free increased her sales. - Karen

"Rather than “devaluing” my work and my career, that promotion brought me to the attention of people who may not have picked me up otherwise. It brought me to a new level in my career. More visibility. More sales. BECAUSE of a free giveaway.

As a promotional tool, free works. Not free forever, but a week, two weeks, whatever, to get readers to pick your book up, especially a book that is years old? What harm is it going to do to try? That’s a real question because, IMO, bookmarks don’t sell books. Cover flats don’t sell books. Books sell books. I’m going to repeat that. Books sell books."

it's free

Credit: It's Free via Shutterstock

BlogHer Book Club Host Karen Ballum also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

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