Random Acts Of Reality :: Giving Things Away = Better Sales

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Giving Things Away = Better Sales

by Reynolds on Fri 15 May 2009 03:25 PM BST | Permanent Link | Cosmos

I'm mentioned in this column for 5th estate,

Scott Pack, publisher of The Friday Project, shares this philosophy. Acquired by HarperCollins last year, The Friday Project operates under an innovative publishing model - releasing titles under Creative Common licenses and distributing digital copies of books for free. According to Pack, they “have always experienced positive sales as a result of giving away free books.” When the Friday Project made one of their most successful titles, Blood, Sweat and Tea, available as a free downloand from their website, sales immediately jumped. The results of giving away free books has been so consistently positive, in fact, that Pack plans to find even more for creative ways to give the follow up, ‘More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea’, away for free. “We are looking to make More Blood…available for free on any platform we can, as well as creating an Issuu widget so that anyone else can share it as well.”

Which is good, it's always been my belief that giving away my book leads to more sales and it's nice to see that we have the numbers to prove that. If it didn't sell more I don't think that Harper would let me release book two in a similar way,in fact in a way that makes the free download even more attractive and easier to obtain.

I'm really happy that Scott is handling my book.

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Re: Giving Things Away = Better Sales

by Adrian Jones on Fri 15 May 2009 04:12 PM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

Couldn't agree more.

I downloaded your book and enjoyed it so much that I bought the dead tree version.

I also downloaed Charles Stross's Accelerando. And while I somehow haven't got around to buying that one yet, it's lead me to buy just about everything else he's written.

I've also been reading the Hugo nominated novels in the voters' pack. (Apart from Anatheum, which wasn't included) and fully intend to buy all of them. (Already got Cory Doctorow's Little Brother)

It does help that they are all very good reads.

Re: Giving Things Away = Better Sales

by PurpleCat on Fri 15 May 2009 07:23 PM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

Hi,

I've not been on here before but absolutely loved the first book and can't wait for the next one. It's a good idea to give it away for free - a lot of people will still buy the book even if they've read it online.
I hope your patients are treating you as well as mine are treating me!!!!

Re: Giving Things Away = Better Sales

by PurpleCat on Fri 15 May 2009 10:27 PM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

Hi again,

I've just reread what i wrote earlier and realised it might be misconstrued. I meant that a lot of people would go on to buy a book after reading it online, especially one that makes people laugh and cheers them up as much as yours does, so they could reread it and have it there to read whenever they feel like it. Basically I'm trying to compliment your book without being too gushy. not sure I'm succeeding :-). Hope if you're at work you are having a good shift.

Re: Re: Giving Things Away = Better Sales

by Reynolds on Fri 15 May 2009 11:09 PM BST | Profile | Permanent Link

That's fine, I understand what you meant.

Welcome to Random Acts Of Reality, a Blog based in London, England, written by an E.M.T working for the London Ambulance Service. Also, number one search result for "Womble porn". All names have be changed to protect the guilty. This Blog was previously known as "Why I Hate Humanity" but the antipsychotic medication seems to have kicked in.
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