Increasingly, at writing conferences and in the mainstream media, I observe growing unrest surrounding the proliferation of free and cheap literature, particularly ebooks. The reasons for sharp discounts and giveaways are legion (and some reasons are better than others), but regardless of the reason, I see greater peer pressure on and shaming of those who are seen to “devalue” literature in our culture.
Whole books have been written on this topic, as it’s an anxiety affecting creators in diverse fields. Some describe the phenomenon from a neutral and even historical perspective (“how have we ended up here?”), some are more activist in their approach (“fight and resist”), and still others are pragmatic (“here’s how to play with the hand you’ve been dealt”).
Given my position as a business consultant, I tend to focus on the last of these: how can a writer be competitive in the current environment and make a living? How can you reframe the problem as an opportunity and move forward? As someone who gives away much of her advice for free, on this blog, I am well versed in the power of free, and its disadvantages. And I’ve commented on strategic use of free here.
In my latest column for Publishers Weekly, I address this question again.
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
I tried to comment on your article in Publishers Weekly, but apparently that’s only possible through a Facebook account — which I don’t have. So I’ll post the comment here, if that’s acceptable:
If you’re looking for a free cheese cube, I’ll give you a chapter or a couple of chapters in the “Look Inside” feature which is available for virtually any book offered on Amazon. That’s really the true analogy.
More to the point unfortunately, as I’ve heard from friends who are self-published authors, freebies don’t usually translate into sales; they don’t even necessarily translate into being read. Very often, readers who download freebies are just hoarding books, and never get around to reading them.
I have occasionally bought BookBub discounted books; almost all of them are languishing unread on my Kindle, but ready for the moment when I run out of books to read — which is never going to happen in these days of instant purchase on Amazon.
Hi Joanna – Indeed, another author on a Facebook thread mentioned this phenomenon. I jokingly suggested that we need self-destruct technology for ebooks.
More seriously, though, I tend to see hoarding as having a neutral effect. Only a small percentage of readers who take advantage of a giveaway will become loyal fans – just as a small percentage of those who take a cheese cube at the supermarket will buy the cheese. Over time, through various experiments, it’s possible to improve use of giveaways to increase conversions or better reach those readers who are most interested in what you have to offer.
I know from my own experience that I have heaps of free eboks on my kindle that have been there for about 3 years – unread – while I keep buying ebooks from authors I know or where the blurb captures my attention.
Free ebooks might be a good way to get a higher rank at Amazon, but in the end I found that it actually didn’t increase my readership rate that much, and the rank drops fast once the giveaway is over. Now with the glut of free ebooks around, every author in fierce competition to get readers any way they can, I think we’ve shot ourselves in the foot.
Juts my opinion.
Hi Angela: That’s a really insightful point there – that you buy ebooks from authors you know and where the blurb captures attention. Getting something for free isn’t enough, in other words. There has to be something else compelling us to action if we’re going to invest our time in a stranger’s work.
You hit the nail on the head! Said it so much better than I could 😉
Thank you Joanna Elm. This makes a lot of sense.
[…] https://janefriedman.com/giving-away-writing-free-cheap-yes-no/ “Increasingly, at writing conferences and in the mainstream media, I observe growing unrest surrounding the proliferation of free and cheap literature, particularly ebooks. The reasons for sharp discounts and giveaways are legion (and some reasons are better than others), but regardless of the reason, I see greater peer pressure on and shaming of those who are seen to “devalue” literature in our culture.” I have to admit giveaways are hard for me anymore with the amount of books I still have on my kindle and in print to read. That said, I am more tempted by books at lower prices if I want to take a chance on a new author. I will spring for higher priced books if it’s an author I know. […]