tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post2309265612671249773..comments2024-03-26T23:41:10.319+00:00Comments on Authors Electric: The Value of FREE - by Debbie BennettKatherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-43306407592409396152015-08-07T08:12:17.863+01:002015-08-07T08:12:17.863+01:00Debbie, that's my feeling as well about rotati...Debbie, that's my feeling as well about rotating the books being offered free. But there are authors out there who do it, I reckon they've never developed a business brain!Chris Longmuirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02488093821886798927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-86824598366223836232015-08-07T05:26:45.583+01:002015-08-07T05:26:45.583+01:00Thanks for a stimulating post, Debbie, and with in...Thanks for a stimulating post, Debbie, and with instructive details! I'm evaluating my options with a couple of works going forward, so I find your post very timely. I assume you read "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" by Wired's Chris Anderson. <br /><br />I found his accessibly-written history and analysis of the "free" merchandising strategy in the Information Age stimulating. I didn't buy it as a panacea, but could appreciate it's usefulness. <br /><br />Your real-life account - as an author - brings the strategy into much clearer perspective. Good luck with all of it, going forward, and please keep us posted! <br /><br />BTW - Anderson's book is available, free, as might be expected. <br />https://archive.org/details/FreeTheFutureOfARadicalPriceUmberto Tosihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04939504157464234443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-67277208862361022372015-08-06T17:15:26.931+01:002015-08-06T17:15:26.931+01:00I meant Amazon's KDP Select 90 day cycle of co...I meant Amazon's KDP Select 90 day cycle of course....Debbie Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761474820689143835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-85065272087153015942015-08-06T17:09:34.947+01:002015-08-06T17:09:34.947+01:00@Lydia. You can't do permanently free directly...@Lydia. You can't do permanently free directly on Amazon. Only either by being in Select and having your 5 free promo days per 9 day cycle - or by going free elsewhere and waiting for Amazon to price-match.<br /><br />@Chris - I'd never *rotate* free. Why on earth would anybody pay for anything if they know it will be free sooner or later. Nothing except the first book will ever be free.Debbie Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761474820689143835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-72263501857478229842015-08-06T11:37:53.064+01:002015-08-06T11:37:53.064+01:00I've never done free, and I reckon that those ...I've never done free, and I reckon that those who rotate their books making each one free in turn results in readers marking time on them. Plus I suspect the majority of free ebooks are never read. I know that when I first got my Kindle I was tempted by free ebooks, but I never look at these offers now, it's not something that pulls me. And my one foray into a Countdown deal was an abysmal failure. But it's interesting you've had a good result and I hope your success continues. I reckon I'll never crack this marketing lark.Chris Longmuirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02488093821886798927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-54054945662763219372015-08-06T11:33:24.244+01:002015-08-06T11:33:24.244+01:00Yes an interesting post Debbie, the pros and cons ...Yes an interesting post Debbie, the pros and cons are not only amorphous but shifting all the time - why did you put it free on Smashwords and wait for amazon to price match, instead of just putting it free on amazon, just wondered if there's some advantage to doing this. Lydia Bennethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09328239009863878547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429560125838989988.post-15449111154158154662015-08-06T09:54:31.888+01:002015-08-06T09:54:31.888+01:00Really interesting, Debbie. I've had the occas...Really interesting, Debbie. I've had the occasional good result with free books in the past although I stopped doing it altogether, went with the countdown deals - also had some good results with that with a week at 99p - and then took everything off Select and put it out elsewhere with D2D. Now I've just pulled a couple of vaguely related novels out of D2D, leaving the rest on and am waiting for them to disappear from all the other platforms before putting them back into Select, and therefore KU, for an experimental three months. But I don't write series, and most of my books are all different from each other. I do have a series in mind just as soon as I've got the latest book out of the way though! The thing is, we have to experiment all the time - because it's such a changing business. Keeps us on our toes, I suppose. Catherine Czerkawskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14554969254207924049noreply@blogger.com