SFF Chronicles News
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18th December 2010 01:46 AM
Elaine Frei
There’s an interesting experiment going on at Baen Books’ website, one that has the effect of benefiting readers of science fiction and fantasy by offering free electronic copies of some of its books. The experiment seems to be working out for the publisher, which specializes in space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy.
In 1999 the publisher introduced Baen Free Library, which offers full novels by some of its authors online at no cost to the reader. The idea grew out of a discussion of internet piracy and was intended to find out of authors and publishers really lose out if free copies of their work is available, with the publisher betting that sales would actually increase if readers could sample an author’s work.
The argument put forth by writer Eric Flint, who was the first author to offer a free book on the site, in the online introduction to the Free Library, is that “free books are the way an audience is built in the first place”, and that the free electronic books are essentially a form of “word of mouth” advertising, the way most readers find out about new authors and books in the first place.
Flint points out in his introduction that the most common way readers discover new writers and new books is by either borrowing one of the writer’s works from a friend or from the public library. In both cases, he says, they have been the beneficiary of a free book. Many more people gain free access to books from friends and from the library, Flint says, than will ever access them on the internet.
And, one would assume, Baen Free Library’s continued existence supports the idea that offering some books for free has not hurt Baen Books’ bottom line, or the publisher would not continue to make free electronic copies of its books available. In fact, it has just this week re-launched its site, complete with new features for teachers and librarians, also available for free.
Authors with works available in free electronic copies include Lois McMaster Bujold, David Drake, Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, Harry Turtledove and David Weber among many others
Elaine Frei
There’s an interesting experiment going on at Baen Books’ website, one that has the effect of benefiting readers of science fiction and fantasy by offering free electronic copies of some of its books. The experiment seems to be working out for the publisher, which specializes in space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy.
In 1999 the publisher introduced Baen Free Library, which offers full novels by some of its authors online at no cost to the reader. The idea grew out of a discussion of internet piracy and was intended to find out of authors and publishers really lose out if free copies of their work is available, with the publisher betting that sales would actually increase if readers could sample an author’s work.
The argument put forth by writer Eric Flint, who was the first author to offer a free book on the site, in the online introduction to the Free Library, is that “free books are the way an audience is built in the first place”, and that the free electronic books are essentially a form of “word of mouth” advertising, the way most readers find out about new authors and books in the first place.
Flint points out in his introduction that the most common way readers discover new writers and new books is by either borrowing one of the writer’s works from a friend or from the public library. In both cases, he says, they have been the beneficiary of a free book. Many more people gain free access to books from friends and from the library, Flint says, than will ever access them on the internet.
And, one would assume, Baen Free Library’s continued existence supports the idea that offering some books for free has not hurt Baen Books’ bottom line, or the publisher would not continue to make free electronic copies of its books available. In fact, it has just this week re-launched its site, complete with new features for teachers and librarians, also available for free.
Authors with works available in free electronic copies include Lois McMaster Bujold, David Drake, Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, Harry Turtledove and David Weber among many others
