Yes, I give away free eBook erotica. Free porn, free smut—a rose by any other
name... Click here to get your free eBook erotica from me for the Nook. OR, click here to get your free eBook erotica from me at Smashwords.
WHY GIVE THEM AWAY?
A writer wants to
be read, above all else. When eBooks are
free, more people read them. The more
people who read my books, the better I feel.
So, I give free eBook erotica away because I’m selfish and like feeling
good.
An un-established
writer wants her name to be more widely known.
Why should readers take a blind risk on you? Would you?
Well, that’s complicated. I
certainly purchase the works of many authors I haven’t read before, but only
after perusing the cover, the blurb, and having a peek inside. However, I am far more willing to take a risk
with an author who is new to me when the first eBook is free.
A reader who enjoys
the free read is far more likely to purchase an author’s other eBooks.
Free eBooks help build an author’s audience
and consumer awareness. Ever try to meet
someone at an airport or a crowded party?
How do you stand out from the mass of bodies? You raise your hand and call out “Yoo-Hoo!” That’s what your free eBook erotica is, a
Yoo-Hoo directed at book readers and book buyers.
Another reason:
good karma.
BUT WON’T I CANNIBALIZE MY SALES?
Actually, no. First off, if you never plan to put a price
on that particular eBook, then you have nothing to cannibalize. But why throw away potential sales? It’s been my experience that books once
offered for free will continue to sell well after a price is put on them. Yep, it’s true. How’s that, you ask?
Truth be told, many
who take advantage of your free offer will never pay for a book. Therefore, their downloads don’t cost you
sales. HOWEVER, some of them might be
converted from freebie-jeebies to paying, loyal customers—bonus! Even if they don’t become born-again eBook
buyers, their free downloads will lift your rankings with the major
booksellers, and that is always good for sales.
I won’t pretend to know the booksellers’ ranking algorithms, but I’ve
observed them in action, and that’s what happens. The freebie-jeebies help raise your “hand”
and give a virtual Yoo-Hoo to those who will pay for your eBook once you put a
price on it.
SHOULD I GIVE MY FIRST EBOOK AWAY?
Probably not. As Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, advises
in his free eBooks on marketing, this strategy works best when you have
somewhat of a backlist. This way, your
satisfied readers can jump right back to your author’s page and check out your
other works. It doesn’t do much good if
the next book doesn’t come out for another month. The marketplace has a short memory for those
who aren’t eBook gorillas yet.
That said, I did
offer my first eBook for free for a period, and after I subsequently put a
price on it, that eBook has remained my biggest money seller. So, it didn’t hurt me too badly, but I can’t
help but think that I squandered a major opportunity by not having a backlist
available. Oh well, live and learn! No use crying over spilt downloads. Benefit from my mistake!
“But I want to get
my first eBook out there!” An
understandable sentiment. You’ve worked
very hard, and you are eager to get the positive feedback of readers enjoying
your handiwork. However, it is
important to keep in mind that when one chooses to self-publish, one has
foregone the counsel and assistance of a publisher, and that means that one has
to wear the publisher hat in steering their handiworks to the marketplace. The publisher would tell you that you need a
backlist.
This next bit of advice
has come from many quarters, and that’s because it is valuable and true—the
best course of action after completing your first book is to start working on
the second. Patience is key. And patience is sometimes the most difficult
coin to mint.
WHAT THE HECK DO YOU KNOW, CHASTITY?
Truth be told, not
a whole heck of a lot, but what I do know, I share.
Feel free to email me at ChastityFoelds@gmail.com
to discuss this further, or leave a comment below and start a dialog.
Ta-ta and Mwah!
Chastity.
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