I recently came across a discussion that had me cringing and rather than step into the convo uninvited I decided to give my two cent’s here. The gist of the conversation was about free reads and whether or not to have it edited. My answer is….
Not only should you have it edited but proofread and beta read isn’t a bad idea either. I know some are going to make the argument of why spend the money and time on something you’re not going to make a dime on. My counter argument is….Oh but you will. See, think of it as paying for advertising. So many new books are hitting the market every single day. Free books are a great way to pick up new readers. But if you want them to continue to be a fan, then you better put as much work into your free read as you did the books you’re selling.
SJD Peterson, better known as Jo, hails from Michigan. Not the best place to live for someone who hates the cold and snow. When not reading or writing, Jo can be found close to the heater checking out NHL stats and watching the Red Wings kick a little butt. Can’t cook, misses the clothes hamper nine out of ten tries, but is handy with power tools.
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Totally agree with you. If I read a free story from an author that is new to me and I like that free story, you can bet that I’m going straight to Amazon to 1click one of their books. If the free story is crap, I’m moving on.
I do the same thing. If their free read is bad and unedited then I’m very leery of paying for one of their others. On the other hand I have found some amazing new authors through free reads 🙂
Well said. As a reader, I agree totally with everthing you stated. I’ve found some amazing authors through a free read and went on to support them 100%. Reading Pup at the moment.
I’ve done the exact same thing. I put out a free read every year through DSP and it goes through pretty much the same editing process 🙂 Hope you enjoy my naughty PUP 😉
Yes, yes, yes, & yes! I agree with all the responses! I hope an author who thought differently would reconsider from your post 🙂
I so agree with all the comments above! That’s how I find a lot of new to me authors or give someone a try that I haven’t read before.