Let’s Talk is a fun new meme to discuss an little bit of this & a little bit of that (not always bookish) hosted by Smash Attack Reads and A Book Obsession.
This weeks question: Do you take advantage of Freebies? or Do you think Freebies are a good selling tool for authors and publishers?
OMG YES! YES! YES! and please oh please stop tweeting the links to them! lol
I just can’t help myself with those freebies, plus they’re on the Kindle so out of sight….I’m also bad to a lesser degree with the .99 Kindle deals.
I really shouldn’t download even one more book, free or not, considering how much I already have to read but I’ve found a lot of great authors and series that way. There is no way I would have paid full price but I will always take a chance on the freebie. The only downside is that I haven’t had time to read all of them so they’re just stacking up.
I don’t really know how much it benefits authors. On one hand, as I said, I try a lot of books/authors I wouldn’t have otherwise because of the freebie. If I love it then I buy the next book release or continue with a series so that’s a win for the author but they’re not making any money on that particular book. I guess if the freebie/.99 goes over well then it helps the book ranking and gets them more attention thereby selling more books when the price is raised?? I’m guessing that’s the theory or else why do it?
It’s an addiction that I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon and I hope that it benefits authors as well.
I can't say no to freebies either. I'm addicted.
ReplyDeleteI learned to control myself :) Now I just download those I'm really, REALLY interested in. I now have 40 unread on my Kindle. As for the benefits...from what I see, authors do see the benefit. As you mentioned, aside from the reader possibly loving the first in a series and buying the rest, it boosts their sales rank and it appears more often in recommendations. Some authors that I follow on FB actively encourage their followers to "report a lower price" to Amazon, so that Amazon would make it free as well.
ReplyDeleteAnother guess of mine, it helps the author build up a fan-base, even though there's not much profit.
Whatever the reason, I'm happy they do :)
I would imagine it also gets them more reviews posted which is always a good thing later when the price point goes back to normal.
DeleteI think it's gamble that must pay off or they wouldn't do it.
I like freebies. I get them once in a while especially if the book have my attention. I find it a great way to promote and get the author’s name and books out there, especially if they’re new but if they’re a veteran, then it’s a great way to reach new readers. I get most of my freebies from authors or upon requests.
ReplyDeleteI think freebies are a great way to promote a book because there are so many book blog reviewers that if the book was given to them for free it’ll be a greater chance that their followers and readers will pick it up from reading a review from that blog.
But I do agree that I have no time to read them once I downloaded them onto my Kindle. And yes, I have a whole stack of them piling up. I started many of them but has yet to finish them. I know it's bad of me but there's just so much to read!
I found a lot of series when the first book was offered as a freebie. I probably wouldn't have gone out and bought the book in case I didn't like it but I'll gamble on the freebie.
DeleteI used to go freebie wild but my Kindle was filling up and I never seemed to get to them. Now I try to be really selective and even wait until books I'd buy end up free. A lot of novellas that fit into series' I read are usually free for a quick second, or if I find a deal or accidentally buy the second book in a series, the first will pop up free. I haunt the Kindle Freebie thread in the Kindle Romance forum and there's someone at Goodreads who occasionally finds a good one.
ReplyDeleteThey're so hard to resist, especially when a friend recommends them!
I actively avoid looking for deals lol My problem seems to be on the weekends. My whole Twitter feed tweets out links to them and I'm helpless!
DeleteI had to stop the .99 deals though. Last november I had about 30 of them on my Visa bill O_o
I'm pickier than I used to be too, but I've always only picked up books that really caught my attention. And yes, a lot of my Freebies have directly resulted in purchasing more books in a series or by the same author. I'm not going to count the unread Freebies on my Kindle... *sigh* I'm afraid the number will be way too high. ;)
ReplyDeleteI go through phases. I'll be really selective for months and then go on a huge bender downloading them ALL lol
Delete<----is a freebie whore!
ReplyDeleteThat didn't exactly come out right LOL
I will say that I have at least 3 series that I bought because I read the first book 3. The most notable being the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian. So it works :)
I think they're fantastic for series! I know if a new book is coming out in a series that I haven't started yet and they offer the first from I'll grab it to see if it's worth diving into.
DeleteI love them too but have become more pickier lately
ReplyDeleteI've had to get more control one rate .99 deals. It was getting bad lol
DeleteI am completely addicted to them as well...and agree that sometimes (when one finds the time to read them) one can really find a gem and hopefully the word of mouth and purchase of future releases or the next in the series makes it worth it for the author.
ReplyDeleteI had to get it under control a bit. I was downloading so many and quite a few were bad and I almost fell into a slump.
DeleteI got a little pickier but I've found so many great books that way.
iT have gotten MUCH better. Before I dl_ed like 10 a day, yeah, it got to be a much. Not only a few a month
ReplyDeleteI'm getting better too. Or at least trying to read a few before I download more.
DeleteI also agree. Especially when the book is a part of a series and you get the first free. Usually captures me if I love that first one. Then put the others one sale and I'm squeeing! :D
ReplyDeleteBtw, go here for some good freebies! http://rockitreads.com/free-books/ (loved Shadow Bound)
ENABLER!!
Deletelol
I'm going to be the outlier here and say: I'm still an old-fashioned jacket + paper book reader. I have yet to purchase a Nook or Kindle :D However, it's difficult to disregard freebies of any sort!
ReplyDeleteThose .99 books are like the songs on Itunes. Soon you have a $30 charge on your hands.
ReplyDeleteI have a sick twisted addiction as well Karen! To buying the ones less than $3 on kindle. Freebies I'm not hooked on, it's those blasted kindle daily deals that always get me. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night...see that kindle daily deal email and just click buy buy buy. We need a support group....
ReplyDeleteOh man, when I first got my Kindle I downloaded freebies like a fiend! I'm a little better about them now, especially with such a big review pile to get through, but every once in awhile I just can't resist. But I'm trying to be better about glancing at them quickly to make sure I actually want to read them instead of storing 1000 of them on my ereader, hah.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden