After careful consideration (and lack of sleep,
chocolate and oxygen), I decided to make A
Little Book About You free for the month of July.
Now wait a minute. Didn't I say something to
the contrary a few, short months ago? Why the sudden change of heart?
Well, there are several factors that went into my
decision. First, ever since Amazon was granted a patent for a possible (and
likely) second-hand used e-book market, I pondered how it might negatively
impact me as an author. Over the past two years, I've given away tens of thousands
of e-books. Were those about to come back to haunt me? If I suddenly had to
compete against copies of my own work that I had unwittingly given away for
free, I might never sell another again. Why feed my own demise?
Amidst the chaos, a court case involving
Capitol Records and ReDigi surfaced, offering a preview of what's to come. In
the end, a federal judge ruled against ReDigi for redistributing previously
used copies of digital music, and agreed that Capitol Records' copyrights had
indeed been violated. Thus, ReDigi cannot resell perfect digital downloads
without express written permission from the copyright owner(s).
Here are a couple of articles about the ruling:
If ReDigi had prevailed, the results would have
been devastating. I truly believe that the very fabric of the digital market
would have collapsed, and artists might be forced to focus on physical copies
of their work in hopes of getting whatever they can from them. After all, why
purchase a digital copy at full price when you can wait a week and buy a
"used" one instead? If such a market were allowed to exist,
publishers and therefore authors wouldn't be able to earn a decent wage off
their endeavors. Worse yet, second-hand markets don't imply that a single penny
goes back to the creator. Quite the contrary.
As long as publishers keep prices reasonable
for the consumer, the motive for such a market evaporates (a point championed
by J.A. Konrath). Besides, it’s our
duty not to gouge the consumer for ever penny we can (though I suspect there
are others who would disagree with this assertion).
With this ruling in hand, the specter of a used
digital marketplace has waned in my feeble, old mind, and I feel obligated to
provide readers with a taste of my work.
Besides,
it's good business.
Second, the most valuable asset for a writer is
the free giveaway. Sure, tweaking prices can lead to surprising results, but
there's no better way to generate instant enthusiasm for your work than by setting
it free. It’s also an excellent way to get unsolicited reviews. Sure, not all
reviews are glowing, and in fact, most of my 1-star reviews come from trolls
who didn’t pay a dime, but I tend to accumulate more positive reviews in this
manner than otherwise.
Third, marketing is invaluable, and I'd be a
fool to pass up effective free marketing.
Within my books are advertisements for other works (for better or worse), which
frequently lead to sales. I use affiliate links in these ads, which nets me
additional revenue when they make a sale in Amazon (and not necessarily for my
work). With all cylinders going, it's hard not to make a hundred dollars per
month off affiliate revenue, which is a nice, painless way to supplement your
income. Providing readers with affiliate links can be just as important as
selling a copy of your book. Occasionally people buy Kindles, which earns you $10-$15
per sale. Sure, it doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen.
To make this work, you've got to get your
affiliate links out there—not just
hundreds but thousands of them. Indeed, the one and only time that I
reached $300 in affiliate revenue came as the result of a large giveaway. The more
eyeballs on your work, the better the results.
Most importantly, even if the download doesn't
result in additional sales or affiliate revenue, exposing new readers to your
work is extremely gratifying. I know that someone out there will enjoy it, and
hopefully, it will inspire positive change in the world.
That's how I feel about A
Little Book About You. It's a simple picture book with a great message. Money
should not be the deterrent. Sure, I'd like to make a sale off it, but I'd much
rather have it in the hands of someone who can benefit from it.
So here, take
it. No strings attached. Download
it. Share it. Read it to your kids. It's my “little” gift to you. Enjoy!
P.S. And don’t forget to get your free Slurpee at 7-Eleven today!
