FREE Books – Hell No

Seriously would you ask a plumber to do some work in your house and not pay them, would you tell a cashier their goods aren’t worth paying for. Then don’t ask an author for a FREE Book.  Seriously, that is just lame.

Do you know how much time and money goes into producing a book for you to read?  I doubt it somehow.

The first part is of course is finding your muse and writing your first draft. A draft can be anything from 500 words to 200,000 plus, after all it is their story to tell.  So think about the hours it take to write that many words.  Then you have the re-drafting x about 20 or more RE-WRITES until their story makes sense, flows well etc.  this could take 6 month or a year, if not longer. It depends on the genre, and research done.  

I recently spent 18 months with a client assisting her with writing and producing her book. Time is of course money.

Next is the EDITING PROCESS.  An author will work with one or more Editors for months to get their manuscript perfected.  Copy Editing, Line Editing, Grammar – It all costs money. 

BOOK COVERS are the next thing, and certainly not the last.  Once again you consult with a Graphic Designer or Book Cover Artist.  You may need changes or adjustments.  Once again this take time and MORE MONEY.

FORMATTING. This is when the manuscript is turned into ebooks and PRINT Books.  Another thing authors have to pay for unless they know how to do this themselves.  You book needs to look like any a reader buys from a shop or picks up at a library.  Professional. 

MARKETING.  This is an ongoing event.  Yes some marketing is free, though it doesn’t mean it works. An Author has to market continuously to get their work out there, make connections and a name for themselves.  They will need to do Interviews, Blog Tours, Events, Book Signing, Giveaways, Sales….

So perhaps you’d now like to add up all this time and money spent.  It is in the thousands. So the one thing an Author needs is YOUR SUPPORT!! So the small amount of royalties they earn can cover the costs of Editing, Book Covers and Marketing.

Oh don’t forget these Authors also have families, and daily job so they can actually live and feed themselves.  Unless you make the big time as an Author, it isn’t going to be your daily income.

The only free books we do are those to assist Authors get their name out there with Anthologies of short stories…We all absorb the costs and assist each other. Even then the FREE Version is an eBook not a PRINT.

DON’T ASK FOR A FREE BOOK.  

ASKING FOR FREE BOOKS IS JUST BLOODY RUDE.

PS Some Vanity Press can charge up to $20,000 for all of the above.