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As I’m writing this post I’m listening to the audio version of Free (Hyperion), the new book from Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson. I downloaded the book on iTunes for free. Just one of the many places (Google Books, Scribd, Wired, Audible) you can access this new release for free.
I wanted to ask whether you thought this was nothing more than a giant publicity stunt, or whether you think this is Anderson and the publisher practicing what this book preaches? My take is that it’s both, as offering something for free has always been a way to get you to pay attention to something you might ignore otherwise. By giving away the book for free online, Anderson will inevitably end up selling more of his previous book The Long Tail (Hyperion), as well as more copies of the print version of Free, purely because of the heightened sense of awareness among book shoppers the publicity surrounding the giveaway has caused.
Of course local publisher Another Sky Press already operates under a similar premise.
What do you think, is this a sign of things to come?
