Heck, I have to say that it worked for me. I’m a proud 3G iPhone user. I love that thing. Most agents say they would prefer not to be connected all the time but not me. I have an easier time relaxing if I can take 2 seconds to check my email on my iPhone and know that no fire has erupted. That nothing urgent has happened while I took an hour out of my day to visit the dentist or what have you.
And if a fire has erupted, well, then I can either respond by email right then or make a phone call.
So what I’m saying is that I’m pretty handy with my iPhone. So handy in fact, I downloaded Stanza as one of my first apps for my new phone. (apps stands for applications). Stanza is electronic ebook reader made by Lexcycle for the iPhone. And let me tell you, everyone I’ve shown the reader to has been surprised by the easy readability of the novels I’ve downloaded. No, it has not replaced the Kindle for my submission reading but I do like the fact that I have a book handy, no matter where I am as I always have my phone with me.
So a recent strategy I’ve been seeing is publishers offering free ebooks via Stanza for the iPhone. Sweet! I’ve been a downloading maniac this past month. I snagged PRAGUE, PERSUASION, MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS–some good titles. And although there are ebook romances available on the iPhone, there haven’t been many offered via traditional publishers.
Until now. Harlequin just announced that they are offering 16 free full ebooks on Stanza. A quick look shows that most of the titles are from the Harlequin category lines such as Silhouette Desire, Nocturne, American Romance, Blaze but I think I spotted one single title in the mix. I couldn’t quite tell from the small image of the cover.
So here’s my question, if it’s free, will they come? It worked for me. I imagine Harlequin is betting it will work for others as well. But here’s the other facet to this. Will it translate into a purchase down the road for that particular author or another book in that category line?
Now that is truly the million dollar question.
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Absolutely! But, here is hoping they provide in pdf also. I still read ebooks on my laptop. Living where I do there are no ebook readers. I’d have to import one. It’s like the land that time and the computer age forgot. heh.
Sarah,
The books are available in PDF form, and a couple of others as well. I got a couple the other day.
In my observation as a blogging book reviewer, yes!
If it’s free, they do come. If they can buy more, they do. Most importantly though, they keep reading despite the recession. If people stop reading, they may not re-start buying once the recession is over. They lose interest or lose track of their favorites. Smaller subgenres, like Science Fiction Romance, could fade away and never come back, if readers stop reading.
However, the recession does provide us with an excellent advantage too – during difficult times people need great stories more than ever! So, the idea of free eBooks is a good thing all around.
I think I’ve said it before, but any ePublisher who offers an eBook reader of some kind as a prize in a contest is doing a very good thing for themselves and the readers too. I think Samhain does this. Samhain always seems to be on top of what readers want and need. I can say that hear because I don’t and won’t have anything on submission with them.
Yep, I’m a PDF gal myself, Sarah.
It is the standard for business books
(and white papers and…).
I think things won’t really start happening in eBook until we get a standard format.
I really wish developers would hold hands on that.
Free does get traffic. I know my publisher, Ravenous Romance offered a free story on Thursday, and within 2 hours it had moved to #1 all-time “sales.” I paid attention, since my book had been #1 on the Top Sellers, so it affected my rankings. Whether it translated to more sales is unknown, but I think it got a lot of eyes on the website. Given that it’s a new publisher–of ebooks only–I would guess many readers would wait to see if they liked the free story before spending their dollars.
For a big name, it might work better since readers already know the level of quality they can expect from the other offerings.
Just my 2 cents.
Two of my publishers have free short stories on their sites. Free samples are good. I don’t have an iPhone. Unlike Kristen, I don’t have the need to be that connected. But I always want something to read with me. I have an eBookwise, so formatting can be a bother, but if a free read fits, I’ll do it.
Since I can’t imagine every buying a book because of a trailer, I rely more on excerpts than anything else. So, a peek at a writer’s voice, etc. is a major selling point for me.
I have been using the ereader app on my phone for a while, and I totally agree that they are great. I have been downloading the free books too! I was a little worried that it wouldn’t be any good at first, but it has totally worked out for me!
I want an ebook reader! I still read on my laptop too. I almost took the dive at Christmas time, but I keep waiting for that standard format to be developed. Yes, I think free reads will bring return customers. I would love to see some hard statistics on the results.
I have an ereader, my husband has an ereader, (he doesn’t want to read a book on his blackberry – he says) and he loves free. Who doesn’t, but Kimber Chin has an excellent point. We really do need a standard. Then stand back and watch what happens.
Allison
Thanks Lynley, will check it out.
Was just talking to dh who reckons that it should not be locked down into a proprietary format – more people will buy if it is like pdf and text – and allow people to buy things other than books. For example magazines, articles, tech docs – for a reasonable price. It is not just book geeks like me who’ll get ebooks to take off, it is selling it to a commuter, students, business person who all need to carry around large amounts of data or technical information like manuals. Or like me, someone who wants to be able to use it for a variety of things. Be interesting to see what happens in the next 12 months.
I might try it for my Iphone. I just don’t want to make the switch to ebooks, myself, though. I love the smell, feel, experience of reading a real live book! But the convenience of having a book handy all the time would be awesome, I have to admit.