Free or not so free

Hello Geoff I think we were on a UK group together as your name rings a bell.

Wish I had experience with e books and could advise you. I put an e book on Lulu and two people have bought it at $1 each LOL.

I don't think people would want to buy a paper copy once they have read the e book.

How about giving away just the first chapter, sucking them in, then make em pay for the rest?
Helena

Geoff, do you know if there are any other self-publishers in the UK on this board? I sure do need a buddy! Helena

What I'd do, is find a novel that you like, that shows off your talent, but isn't your "ace in the hole" so to speak. Perhaps an early novel, or a collection of short stories. Something that basically gets your name out.

That way when you do decide to release a book that you feel could do really well, you might have a good crowd of people wanting to read it. I'd suggest looking into the Baen free library, as it largely follows this format.

The strategy of trying to increase sales by providing a free eBook version is becoming a pretty established trick, since there are more and more stories of people who have had success with it.

What not everyone will tell you is that the successful ones, such as Cory Doctorow or Tobias S. Buckell, have a large pre-existing fanbase beforehand. Baen Books, the publisher who's been most successful with this, does so well because they publish a lot of multi-book series, and when people like their free eBook--usually of the first book in the series--they tend to buy the rest.

As a less-established writer, chances are that providing a free eBook won't generate many royalties. It can, however, help create a bigger following, and hopefully generate more income on subsequent books--provided you're willing to really take the online publicity schtick by the horns to get your momentum rolling.