by Lois Lamanna
Occasionally an author will announce they are promoting one
of their e-books by pricing it for free. The news is greeted by me like
fingernails scraping a chalkboard. I understand the argument for temporarily
lowering the price. Supposedly, the promoted book draws in new readers and once
they sample the work, they buy other books by the author.
Personally, I’m against giving away the product of my
imagination. I spend hours writing, editing, and marketing my work. I expect to
be compensated for my effort. I prefer to use means other than price to promote
my book.
As adults, we have experienced
negative connotations associated with the word free. We look for the strings
attached. We know the free kitten carries the lifelong responsibility of the
animal’s care and the requisite financial burden. Food, litter box, toys,
veterinarian visits, and the occasional scratching post are the strings.
Not only do we look for the strings attached, we are
skeptical of anything free. We measure something’s worth by the price tag. When
the price is too low, we expect shoddy workmanship or poor quality materials.
How many times has a homeowner rejected the lowest bid for a remodeling project
in favor of someone offering to do the job at a higher price?
I’m not an art connoisseur. I go into an art gallery and
make my purchase based on the reputation of the gallery, the reputation of the
artist, and what I like. Price plays a big part in my decision. I naively buy
at the top of what I can afford, thinking the piece must be superior simply
because it is priced higher. A certain portion of readers do the same thing
when searching for a book.
Authors are artists. We don’t use paint and brushes. Words
are our medium. I don’t want someone to judge my work using free as the
barometer for its worth (or lack of). When I check the e-book prices of more
popular authors, the prices are the same or only slightly lower than the price
for the physical versions. Which came first? Did the author sell his work at a
higher price and the readers emotionally evaluate it as being superior or did
the readers judge it to be better and the price commanded for the book follow?
I suspect it is a little of both.
Maybe I have been caught in a web of strings too many times,
lured by the word free, or maybe I am greedy, thinking I should be paid for my
labor, but I will continue to argue that authors should not give away their
books.
Lois Lamanna
Matrimony and Murder
Murder on a Park Bench
A Seminar on Murder
Facets of Murder
Clarity of Murder
Lois, you've touched on a topic all writers are thinking about - or should be. We write to reach readers and, in trying too hard, we've de-valued our own work. No more "free" from me.
ReplyDeleteSo many times I hear of readers ONLY surfing for free books. I know we can.t stop writers from offereing their books free in the hope the next book will result in a cash sale, but Lord Love a Duck, we are partly in this to make money. THEN these same freebee readers will post a trash review on the book they didn't even bother to invest in!!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I tried it once. But like smoking - didn't care for the after taste. I'll never do it again.
Here's the other side of the coin. I have two short stories I've set free permanently. Each one celebrates a different holiday and one, Charming for Mother's Day, introduces my new series. Both have been widely received with (mostly) positive reviews and I can honestly say they have, indeed, done what I'd hoped: introduced new readers to my work. Many of the reviews say, "this is my first book by Gina Ardito, but it won't be my last..." and I've had new readers contact me to tell me they were introduced to my work from my free works and now absorb everything I write. Will I put my other books for free? No. These short stories were intentionally written for that purpose and I don't mind giving out a "free sample" in the hope it will encourage readers to find my longer, fuller stories.
ReplyDeleteAs writers and marketers, we all have to find what works best for us.
Gina's fortunate experience aside, there is a school of thought regarding conditioning potential readers to expect 'free' from authors. I hold to the saying: "You get what you pay for." The occasional prize in a contest is one thing, but to give away months of work for free makes no sense to me. I think it sends the wrong message.
ReplyDeleteAnd you all have given me much to think about. Hmmmm. (That's the sound of me being contemplative.) :)
ReplyDeleteI need to add to my earlier comment. I agree that offering a free book as a prize is a good incentive and I have a couple of short stories available to entice readers to try my work to see if they like the way I write. But I doubt if I'll be giving away large quantities of books again. I guess you should never say "never" though. This business changes too fast.
ReplyDelete