I’ve been asked about this quite a bit, so I’m going to blog about it instead for anyone interested.

Amazon Freebies.  I’ve never really worried about pricing because I had a set plan that I’m still happy with.  When the first batch of indies went free on Amazon (last year?), I decided it might be a good idea for me to try this when the sequel to Thirst came out.  Thirst has sold relatively well in the UK since its release, but not so much in the US.  I badly wanted Thirst to go free in the UK, so when Taunt was released I set Thirst for free on Smashwords and hoped for the best.  Taunt had problems getting into Smashwords premium catalog, so it wasn’t available anywhere except Smashwords and Amazon until maybe last week.

Freebie Heaven.  After a couple of weeks of being free in the distributed channels, Thirst went free on Amazon UK.  It got into the top 100 free list the following day and stayed there for a month.  Amazon put it back to paid for some reason, it stayed in the top 500 paid for a couple of weeks, and now it’s back to free again.  I have no idea why.  About three weeks after it went free in the UK, it ended up free in the US, and again got into the top 100 free list the following day.  It hung about there for a while, but not as long as in the UK.  For the first time, Thirst and Taunt began selling more in the US than in England.

Results.  Long story short, I’m so glad I set Thirst for free.  I’ve gotten a lot of feedback and some reviews, sales of Taunt increased in the UK and got kickstarted in the US.  The biggest surprise was how many people were eager for Taunt to become available on avenues other than Amazon.  Apple’s iBookstore in particular linked Thirst with a lot of potential readers.  Different countries have different levels of interest, but it’s been really eye-opening.  Getting into Smashword’s premium catalog is important, people!  Don’t underestimate the power of their distribution—I really wasn’t prepared in time.  Most of the emails I’ve gotten from readers have come from Apple shoppers, so thank you, Mark Coker.  :D

I didn’t get as many sales or freebies downloaded as many other indies, but I got a little bit of a buzz and some exposure that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  I don’t promote, I don’t even take part in forums anymore.  I keep my head down most of the time, so the difference to me was huge.  I think I picked the perfect book to go free.  It’s short and easy to read, in a fun genre, and most importantly, it’s number one in a series.  A completed series could do really well if the first book went free.  I’m just grateful my book found a few people who enjoyed it.  The freebies coincided with my laptop disaster, so I was barely around for most of it and didn’t do anything to encourage more downloads.  It was all Amazon juice.  In saying that, it’s significantly harder to get noticed now, even as a freebie, than it was last year or even earlier this year.

My Thoughts.  I’ve been warned that freebies attract bad reviews, but I don’t have a problem with receiving negative reviews.  Everyone has the right to express their opinion (sorry, Konrath), and if a book works or doesn’t, it’s always interesting to know why.  We tend to hear about the hugely successful and popular indies; I am never going to be a crazy big seller, and my name will never be well-known, but I thought it might be interesting to hear how a freebie offering went for a distinctly-average-and-not-at-all-superstar indie who has bad covers, meh blurbs, and no marketing skills to speak of.  :)

Now, I know there are people who think free might devalue our work.  I don’t agree.  I see it more as an investment, or a chance to give back in a small way (and btw, the amount of readers who unexpectedly say thanks for the freebie astounds me.  Faith in humanity renewed).  I know there will be people who download the book and will never read it, or will give up after a chapter.  And that’s fine because there were people who read it straight away.  I know that some people will hate it for the exact same reason others will enjoy it.  That’s what books do, provoke an emotion, good or bad.  For me, the Amazon freebie was a great boost, and I had my first squeeful “author” moment when I heard about a reader tweeting her (awesome) reactions as she read the freebie and its sequel.  Okay, I admit it, I’ve been book-related teary-eyed a lot lately.  ;)

The dreaded freebie backlash could hit tomorrow, but I’ll be too busy writing to cry.  Much.  I might buy some Ben & Jerry’s though, just in case.  :D

Internet.  *Snuggle*

Laptop problems are now temporarily sorted.  I have a lot of catching up to do, it seems like almost every writer I like has published a new book.  Sadly, my Kindle passed away recently.  Anything with a battery and a screen is doomed around me.

I’m struggling to remember what’s happened since I last posted.  We’ve had two birthdays in the family.  My eldest (who wants to be a ninja when he grows up) turned seven, and my youngest had her first birthday.  She started walking recently which never gets old.  It’s like we’ve come full circle.  Bittersweet.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to check in and keep up to date on stuff.  I couldn’t import my blog feeds, so I’m starting from scratch.  I had subscribed to a ridiculous amount, so it’s probably a good thing.  I’m trying to finish a novella that’s been one chapter from done for most of the year while I’m planning sequel stuff to make sure the bigger picture still works with the new minor storylines.  Desperately trying not to succumb to the new shinies, and especially not the partially written shinies.  :)

I’ll be around, but probably not as much as before due to the craziness that is my household right now.  Slán!