Spawn of Scrooge

I know times are financially tough, especially within the western world, but until I began self publishing, I hadn’t fully appreciated just how tightfisted some people have become.

If you need a classic example, here’s one; when a writer promotes his or her work, particularly if they are offering it as an ebook, part of the promotion game involves offering your work for free. This can last from one to five days, depending on the publishing outlet you use.

As soon as you make it known that your latest book is about to be free during a specific time period, the modern day equivalent of Charles Dickens’ immortal character Ebenezer Scrooge swoops down, eager to get yet another book for nothing.

Most ebooks these days are reasonably priced, well below US$5. Millions are no more than US$1.20.

A lot of these tightfisted individuals will justify their actions by arguing that 99% of whats on offer is not worth reading. If that is the case, why obtain a gratis copy?

While it is true that there are a large number of poorly written books now readily available thanks to self-publishing, there are a growing number of well written works emerging from among the morass of books, priced below US$5.

As a book lover ask yourself which would you prefer for the same amount of money, an expensive latte from a well known coffee chain with a dubious track record for exploiting its coffee bean growers, or a new ebook? I know which I would rather have. Remember this, once that cup of coffee has been bought and consumed, it’s gone forever. Whereas a book is for life, no matter what its price may be.

So spawn of Scrooge, don’t be total cheapskates. Give the moths in your wallet a break. Open it and pay for the book you so desperately wanted to get your hands on for nothing.