4/12/2013

7 Great Reasons to Download My eBook for FREE!

I've been reading and thinking a lot about giving my work away for free (through the KDP Select program) since my first book went up for sale in January, and this blog post is the product of my research and thought.

 My new eBook "Mickey Slips" will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on Monday, April 15, 2013, and Tuesday, April 16, 2013.



You would have to be a muttonhead not to download it and/or tell all of your friends to do the same (and I'm going to tell you why in the next 838 words).

I wrote "Mickey Slips" for all of the usual reasons that writers write:
  • I love letting stories out of my head
  • I wanted to explore a few of the characters from my novel "Here Be Monsters" a bit more closely
  • Short stories are fun to write (although "Mickey Slips" is a long-ish short story at 15K words)
  • I wanted another chance to get my writing in front of readers
 Amazon's Kindle Desktop Publishing Select (KDP Select) has a program that allows me to give my eBooks away for free, and I've been curious about it ever since signing up.

It seems counter-intuitive on the surface, to give away something that I would just as soon sell, but there are seven great reasons for both me and you that explain giving my book away to hundreds (or dare I hope...thousands!) of people.

ONE: It's FREE!!!
Admittedly, this is the biggie.  People like free stuff, and you are people, so you should like this free stuff.  "Mickey Slips" is a great short read of about 60 pages, and for free, it's maybe even a little better.  The "It's FREE!!!" reason is entirely for readers like you.

TWO: More readers is More Better!!!
I wrote my novel and this shorter piece (and the others like it that are on deck, or still in production) for people to read and enjoy.  I love hearing from people who had a good time reading the stories that I write...LOVE IT!

THREE: Getting a book for free on April 15th is like an ANTI-TAX!!!
I picked April 15th for a reason...because people all across America are most aware of taxation on this day.  I figured that getting something for nothing is a nice way to fight feelings of powerlessness and poverty than many people get on the day that US taxes come due.

FOUR: Reviews are Always Good!!!
I want people to read the stories that I write, and I want people to review/rate them.  If they thought the story was awesome, great...tell me what you loved.  If the story could have been better, great...tell me how I can make the next one better for you.

More people reading my stories means more people telling me how to improve my writing.

FIVE: Free Stuff Makes You Cool!!!
 Letting somebody (or lots of somebodies) know about an awesome free eBook is cool.  I'm cool for telling you about it, and you will be super-cool for telling your friends about it.

"Mickey Slips" is crime fiction that I would give a PG-13-ish rating, with a hint of violence, a pinch of sex, some fun tech-weenie stuff, a quirky protagonist who will stop at nothing to help his friends, and some interesting moral questions...if that sounds like something you would enjoy, please download it...and tell your friends to do the same...COOL!

SIX: People Might Like the Freebie and Read My Other Writing!!!
 There's a not-so-tricky trick hidden within the giveaway idea, but since I'm telling you about it, I ruined it (but maybe not).  The trick is my hope that people will like "Mickey Slips" enough to find out about my other stories, and maybe buy them.  Now that you have peeked behind the curtain, the trick may not work on you, but I hope that it still will.

My hope is that even knowing that I'm trying no-so-subtly to trick you, that you will like the story enough to remember it, find your way to my page on Amazon sometime when you need something to read, and buy something else of mine.


SEVEN: If Giving "Mickey Slips" Away Works, I'll do it again!!!
I'm excited about the idea of this giveaway.  Knowing that hundreds, or even thousands, of people will have an opportunity to read my book is awesome.  Everyone who downloads "Mickey Slips" provides me with feedback in one form or another:
  • in theory, I could become a "top-seller" for an hour, or even a day just from the number of downloads, and get broader exposure
  • people who might not otherwise hear about me, or be willing to take a chance on my writing, may read my story, with smiles or thoughtfulness ensuing
  • I could get some useful or beneficial reviews from people who read the story, and improve my writing in the future
  • readers could decide that they liked the free story enough to try some of my other writing, buying enough books to let me retire to the Amalfi Coast (or at least enough to stop eating PB&Js for lunch every day
  • Jeff Bezos and/or Bill Gates might read my FREE story and decide to gift me with a million dollars to support my writing
If any (or all) of the five things above happen, I will certainly be giving more of my writing away in the future.

After the giveaway, I'll report back with numbers and an explanation of how, and what, I did to manage the giveaway and (hopefully) maximize the impact.

"Mickey Slips" for FREE on 4/15 & 4/16

Thanks,

Jamie

2 comments:

Extremely Average said...

You've done a good job of listing the benefits of a free day. I know I'll be downloading a copy and tweeting about it.

ajwrites57 said...

Jamie Sheffield - sounds like a good deal! Taking the time to write 7 thoughtful, reasoned reasons for downloading your eBook for free sounds reasonable! :o)