From Edie: Discover the hidden financial and emotional cost of giving away free books. Learn how authors can set healthy boundaries, educate readers, and protect their writing career without losing generosity.
The Hidden Cost of Free Books for Authors
By Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted
Generosity is a good thing, and most of the authors I know are incredibly generous with their time and kindness in giving away products. Still, there is a limit to what every writer should give away. To address this, we need to talk candidly about our readers.
We all know that readers are pretty much our bread and butter. These are the people who spread the word about our books, who physically purchase them, and who cheer us on. We love our readers. They are vital to our success, but just as they can be the icing on the cake, they can also be the cause of our demise.
Don’t misunderstand. Readers don’t set out to hurt us, but as innocent as it is, it happens.
1. Not sharing the word: It’s a given statistic that word of mouth is one of the most valuable selling tools available. Whether you’re selling a book, a house or chocolate chip cookies, when your friends actively share their delight and excitement about your newest book, good things happen. Friends trust the recommendations of their friends, and sometimes to their own detriment, so when your group of friends and loved ones fail to spread the word about your newest book, you lose valuable sales—sales that grow a total which publishers look at before issuing a contract. As I said, our friends don’t set out to hurt us, but a failure to help you spread the word really hurts. Often, they know us so well that they do not even think about it. They assume this just happens, or they don't know that telling others about your book is necessary. It’s your job to educate your friends. Tell them the importance of sharing the news and how their recommendations will encourage others to purchase the book because they were told it was awesome. Our friends have a huge pull in our book sales; however, by the same token, if you are not excited about the release of a new book, why should your friends be? The pendulum swings in both directions. Encourage your friends to share the news about your book, and when they do, you’ll see a negative turn positive very quickly.
2. Expecting a free book: This is a hard one. Those we love often “expect” a free book. It is true that many publishers will provide a few free books for their authors, and those are your books to do with as you please, but when the free books run out, and you must begin to buy books, the road of kindness can spiral you into the red quickly. It’s important to properly train your friends and relatives. Help them understand that books are not free and you are responsible for their purchase. When they understand this, most are very willing to purchase a book. There’s always that one who will try to make you feel guilty, but you must give yourself permission to say no. I know of one author who, when friends kept nagging him for a free copy of his newest novel, he responded like this: “You drove to see me today. Thank you so much, but do you expect me to fill your car with gas?” Though a little harsh, it certainly got his point across. The thought is that, as authors, we have a responsibility to educate our readers. They don’t know the ins and outs of how this business works, and they often respond based on what they assume is correct. Of course, this road will be personal for every author, but tread softly and remember this is still your career.
3. Book sharing: Oh, my, ohh my! This, again, is hard. Still, this is where the rubber meets the road. Every time your book is shared with someone else, it’s a lost sale. I don’t personally encourage others to share books, whether it’s mine or someone else’s. I have, in book clubs, taken a photo of the cover and nicely said, “I’ll order it. It helps the author when I purchase the book.” Book sharing is a kind killer. Though we love our books to go from hand to hand, it really puts a dent in sales when you consider that for every book purchased and shared, it’s shared a minimum of four times. Once more, educate your readers. Here’s where folks throw back: “What about the library? That’s sharing your book.” Well, yes and no. Avid readers tend to browse the library's aisles, and generally, when they read a book by an author they really like, they will purchase it before they will be added to a waiting list to check it out. It’s a share, but a share to avid readers who will purchase to keep the book or even to give as a gift.
Please don’t read this post and assume that it’s all about greed. It’s not. But the truth of the matter is, if you take your writing career seriously, you must learn to think of it as the business that it is. Your publisher can’t publish your book and then give away all the copies. You can’t own a pastry store and give away all your pastries. And by this same token, you can’t purchase books and give them all away.
How can we combat these killer expectations? We can start by simply educating our readers. Kindly show readers the importance of author respect. You don’t have to be mean, but you simply tell them what happens in the publishing world. Offer them a discount if they attend your in-person book launch or if they order their book via you through your website. Be excited about your book release and let them know just how valuable they are to the success of the book. Donate one or two of your books to local libraries and show that you support the lend-a-book model. Show them this is a way those who might not afford a book can borrow it without hurting you (hint – for every book checked out of the library, readers will purchase upcoming and backlisted books by that author). There is a win-win here.
No, it’s not about being greedy with our books, but it is about treating your career like a business. It’s hard to say no, and though no is not always the easy answer, it is the one that can help you discern when to give away free books and when not to.
Be enthusiastic about your books, and that will spread like crazy, making others want to know what you have brewing between the covers of the next read.
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