Readers have asked why would an author give an eBook away for free? Here are some reasons from a marketing viewpoint.
- More readers which generate more reviews on Amazon.
- Free downloads count as “sales” on Amazon.
- Now the book is on top of the bestseller list.
A case study I noticed today when doing a search for bestselling books priced between $5.00 – $9.99. The number one book for this search result is The Secret Holocaust Diaries. The Kindle price is $8.59 with a rating of 4.7 stars by 90 customer reviews. From a marketing standpoint look what is has going for it:
- Great customer reviews.
- A price where everybody makes money.
- It is on top of a bestseller list.
What is so special about this book? It was FREE for 6 days in the middle of April. We featured the title on Digital Book Today and The Best of Amazon’s Daily Free eBooks. This is the book that I am currently reading for free.
I truly believe I have saved money with my Kindle since I only occasionally have to buy books.
Here is a link to my search. At the time of this search, all 12 books listed were FREE at some point during the past 6 weeks.