This postTor is giving away free ebooks (thanks to Slashdot via James):
Tor Books is launching a new site and running a campaign in which they are giving away e-books (free as in beer) until the site goes live. To get in on the deal, fill out the form at their site, and each week you will receive a newsletter containing links to download a new book. The first two books are Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson followed by Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Scalzi’s site says: ‘My understanding is that they don’t have DRM on them. Or at least, mine isn’t supposed to have, and I don’t think they’re planning mine to be special in that regard.’
Here’s what Tor’s website says:
Something new is coming. Register to be one of the first to join us, and receive free digital books from bestselling and award-winning SF and fantasy authors. This is just the beginning.
Once you register, you’ll receive our newsletter and a link to download a digital book. And you’ll receive a link to another new book every week….
Within a day or so of sending us your address, you should receive an email with a download link for this week’s free book. As different free books are swapped in, about once a week, you’ll get further emails with different download links. This program will end when the site launches, but you can keep the free books; we won’t be erasing them with our orbital attack electromagnets. (Yet.)
It’s about time. :) Granted, it’s only temporary, but this may be the beginning of a new trend. For example, HarperCollins is doing the same sort of thing:
In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert Irvine.
The idea is to give readers the opportunity to sample the books online in the same way that prospective buyers can flip through books in a bookstore.
“It’s like taking the shrink wrap off a book,” said Jane Friedman, chief executive of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “The best way to sell books is to have the consumer be able to read some of that content.”
HarperCollins seems to have more restrictions on theirs — you can’t download the book and you can’t print it — but it’s not a temporary promotion, either. Only time will tell if other publishers get the same idea and hop on the bandwagon. I hope so…
