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Free books aren't free !!!

2K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Andra 
#1 ·
Yes.... I know the books are free to download, but then after finishing the new (to me) author's book...  then next in the series is NOT free.  Hmmmmmmmm  I see a pattern starting to form. :)  I just finished the "Emperors Dragon" by....  (lost my paper and have a horrid memory)  Anyway it was one of the free books till May 31st.  I don't usually read dragon books, and of course this one was GREAT.... AND that makes me happy.  But at the end of the book there was the next first chapter of the next book.  Already hooked and it is 6.99 I think. Then after looking on Amazon there are two or three more in the series!!!  YIKES....    :eek:
Anyway.. loving my Kindle, especially the large type. - DonnaLee
 
#3 ·
Haha. I think this is a great business model, to be honest. We get something completely 100% for free, and if we really want more, we can choose to get more by paying for it. That makes it pretty much risk-free; you'll definitely have a sense of whether you're interested in a series after reading the entire first book.

The major comic book publishers do things the same way. You can go to the Marvel or DC website, download the first issue and read it for free. I think it's fantastic.
 
#4 ·
It's the best marketing tool I've seen in years.  LOL  They've hooked me for several series this way, including Novik's Temeraire books (the dragon series mentioned, starting with the freebie His Majesty's Dragon--I'm thinking that series is at 5 books & counting!)

Still, it's a great way to find new authors I might not have otherwise found!
 
#5 ·
Five in the series.....  Oh my... guess my stack of PBs will have to wait till the snow flies again.  Just downloaded the "Throne of Jade" book #2.  "Red Mars' and the other free downloads didn't interest me at all no matter how many nextpage buttons hit. :( 
Thanks for the #s'  I do love that dragon! And I would probably never have picked it out of a stack of PBs or even HCs.
How does one delete unwanted books from the Kindle??? 
 
#9 ·
If I can read about vampires I guess I can read about dragons  :D  I am reading a very long DTB and not happy with it being a DTB so reading other kindle books every chapter or so  ;)  Been putting these off - so here I go ---------
 
#10 ·
Well, what I liked the most about the Temeraire series was that it's not your typical sword & sorcery & dragons series, or even a normal fantasy realm.
It's set in the Napoleonic era--what if during the war between Britain & France, both sides were armed with self-aware air support?

Don't get me wrong, I love "traditional" fantasy, but this was a terrific detour from the usual.

Looks like the newest one (book 6) won't be out until sometime next summer at the earliest, so plenty of time for everyone to get caught up on the first five! LOL
 
#12 ·
I was hooked after reading the "Assasin's Apprentice", I was hooked on Robin Hobb's writing and devourved the entire Farseer trilogy. There are a total of three trilogies Robin Hobb wrote based in that land and I can't wait to read the rest of them. I will gladly pay for the rest of those.

I think it is great to have free books to choose from, I wouldn't have found out about Robin Hobb as quickly.
 
#13 ·
I think it is brilliant marketing on the part of the Publishers. HTey are pulling out slightly older series, offering the first for free and then some of us buy the rest of the series. I noticed looking at the Fantasy category that all nine books of the Hobb series are being purchased regularly.

I love the three trilogies and think it is great that people are buying them. I am betting that they were not doing a brisk business in the stores any more. Now that people can download the first in the series for free, the sales pick back up. Good for the Publisher and good for the Author. Not bad for us because we get one book for free and the others are at a reduced price since the series has been out for a while.
 
#14 ·
LilliPilli said:
I LOVE Temeraire! I don't think I ever would have gotten the first one if it hadn't been free. Have you tried Assassin's Apprentice, another free first in a series? I have almost finished the third one and have enjoyed them very much.

There are two other trilogies that tie into the Assassins Apprentice. The Twany Man trilogy and the Farssers series.

Whoops missed the post saying the exact same thing. Sorry.
 
#16 ·
"Free" seems to come and go without warning.  Sometimes they say free for this month but mostly, if you see it free and it looks at all interesting, you should grab it.  If you go to the "Shop all departments" drop down on the main Amazon page and click Kindle Books, you'll see on the left side several categories links.  One is "Big Deals on Kindle" which shows what's currently free and a few very inexpensive ones.  You can also just click the Kindle Books link along the top, search -public (which removes public domain titles) and then sort low to high.  Most of the free things will show up that way.
 
#17 ·
#19 ·
I love how they use one novel to get you to buy the rest of a series, collections
 
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