Comments on: Did Tor’s free ebooks affect sales?

By: ediFanoB

ediFanoB — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:53:02 +0000

I found the link to your article at
http://www.nethspace.blogspot.com/

I subscribed to the TOR newsletter and then I had several problems because I’m nit a North Amreican resident. I live in Germany. Finally TOR fixed the problem.

First of all I’m no friend of ebooks. Ebook readers are to expensive for me and I alos don’t like to sit in front of a screen in order to read a book.

But I donwloaded the ebooks. For me it’s an opportunity to take a deeper look and it supports me to decide whether I buy a book or not.

I use ebooks like extended excerpts.
Anyway in case an ebook keeps my interest I will buy it as a paperback.

By: Jan Rubak

Jan Rubak — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:37:51 +0000

I sent Cory Doctorow an email asking for his take on Mark’s challenge from above. He referred me to the following column:
http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2008/03/cory-doctorow-put-not-your-faith-in.html
wherein he basically outlines his reasons for doubting that eBooks will *ever* take off, hype notwithstanding.

By: Douglas

Douglas — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:12:03 +0000

I’m going to chime in about the Baen free library as well. Just talking about me: Every book I’ve read there, I’ve ended up buying hardcopy. Why? Because – as EVERYONE I KNOW agrees – the /feel/ of a book is much nicer than reading it on a screen. I’ve gotten into 2 new authors in the past two months due to said free library, because I can try their books – usually the first in a series – to see if I like it. And there’s this thing about series: You want to see what happens next.. Much the same way, the way that the first few chapters of books which /aren’t/ avilable for free are often up has much the same effect. ‘This looks interesting.. Let’s buy it!’
it’s a good model. I likes it, and everyone at Baen seems to like it. I ’spect Tor will as well.

By: Simon Haynes

Simon Haynes — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:39:05 +0000

I used the TOR giveaway, Tobias’s blogs about his ebook experience and Cory’s articles to convince my own publisher to try a free ebook experiment. They released the first book in my series as a freebie on the 1st of June, and so far we’ve seen just under 20,000 downloads.

The ebook release was timed to coincide with the launch of book 4 in the series, so there’s no easy way to determine whether the ebook or the new release caused the interest from booksellers & buyers, but the ebook earned a load of media & blogger interest and continues to attract around 200 downloads per day.

I intend to talk my publisher into releasing my second novel as an ebook when the fifth book hits stores next year.

By: Dave Freer

Dave Freer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:21:15 +0000

I donated my first book to the Baen Free Library just after Eric Flint started it. There’s a huge selection available, DRM free. I’m distinctly a midlist author. My books – available for free electronically – are still selling in paper – in quite reasonable numbers (from 1500 -300 in the last 6 month reporting period, for the books that have been out in paperback for more than 2 years (up to 8). That makes an appreciable difference to my income, and I support a family, kids, 4 dogs, and am staff to 4 cats. It has paid dividends, as has Baen’s webscriptions – e-books priced BELOW physical book prices. Why is it hat every time free e-books get discussed Baen – who were first to do it and have made a success of it – barely get mentioned? Is it because my one co-author is Socialist and former Union organiser? Or another is a stauch Clinton supporter, or that other writers support views ranging from Christianity to paganism to liberterianism? Or is that the covers don’t appeal?
The company also has had a no DRM policy – “our customers are not thieves” policy from the word go, combatting the temptation with reasonable prices. ‘Piracy’ -the reason for expensive DRM – is easy – yet I make a quarter of my income from e-books. ‘Piracy’ doesn’t actually happen if books are reasonably priced and easily available.

By: Janice in GA

Janice in GA — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:53:27 +0000

Well, I for one read “A Shadow in Summer” and would love to be able to download the next installment. Abraham is someone I probably wouldn’t have purchased cold, but I definitely liked the book enough to want to read more.

But most of my leisure reading is done via ebook, for various reasons. It’s disappointing not to be able to download the next one.

By: Hallvard

Hallvard — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:54:18 +0000

“Could it be because this guyâ€™s writing sucks?”

His books do sell, presumably to readers who don’t think so. Maybe his books appeal more to less geeky types than us “downloaders”, or to younger readers for whom the price of a book makes more of a difference, or whatever.