The trouble with free books is:

Rabidwerewolfie · Post by **Rabidwerewolfie** » 20 Apr 2015, 09:02

I do hate getting a free book and finding it to be a teaser to an expensive series or so poorly written that it makes your eyes hurt. It's very rare for me to start book and not finish it, even a poorly written one, but I'm TRYING to get better about this, as my kindle AND paper collections are stuffed full of books needing my attention and the days just seem to keep getting shorter and shorter on me.

As I have a kindle, I get almost all of my free books from Amazon, but I've also noticed that sometimes I have to do a bit of shopping, as I can find a book free when amazon wants to charge me for it. Sometimes when I find a series I really like, I can also find the next book MUCH cheaper elsewhere.

maisha016 · Post by **maisha016** » 30 Jun 2015, 19:11

I was recently on a loooong flight (SFO-NY), and decided to try out a free book on my tablet... Wow. Absolutely sucked me in! I hated the story, and yet at the same time, I looooved the story! At the end (sadly, it ended before my flight landed- I am a quick reader), I realized that this was the first book of SEVEN. I think I heard my pocket say "OUCH". I will probably have to buy the other 6 now. It was romance mixed with murder and ohhh so beautiful! In case anyone is wondering, the book I read is called "Seven Sons". Be warned. =)

desertmeanderings · Post by **desertmeanderings** » 01 Jul 2015, 06:40

My thing with free books is that I end up with a ton of mediocre unfinished books on my Kindle.

Sherrie07 · Post by **Sherrie07** » 10 Jul 2015, 04:30

My trouble with free books is that most of them are part of a series, sometimes its ok coz the book was ok but i dont get the urge to get the rest of them. But when i get a free book that i absolutely love and there is more to the series i just have to get them or i cant get into any other book.

ashley_claire · Post by **ashley_claire** » 10 Jul 2015, 06:57

I've definitely had a few books suck me into a series that way. I can usually resist the urge to buy the rest because I already have so many books on my reading list, but I've given in a couple times.

savilewis · Post by **savilewis** » 15 Jul 2015, 20:39

Some times its worth it. Unfortunately, there's very few books that I can leave at cliffhangers; maybe it's a love of books and wanting to see where the author decides to take her story. I don't mind the free books that are full books, it is the books that there are 6 or 7 of when there could've just been maybe 2 or 3. Those free books drive me insane and I feel like they chose to do that to make more money.

donaldzlotnik · Post by **donaldzlotnik** » 24 Aug 2015, 09:39

My publisher has tried to convince me to give away free books as an author. Writing is my WORK--how many people do you know who work for free?

I spent ten years writing, re-writing and researching my 1100+ page historical saga. The reader pays less than a half-cent per page that draws them back into a historically accurate past their ancestors existed in.... come on people! FREE? Skip just one McDonald's hamburger and pay the author a decent wage!

robby12345uk · Post by **robby12345uk** » 29 Aug 2015, 06:06

They increase levels of readership but at the same time it means authors working for nothing!

Vickistoner · Post by **Vickistoner** » 31 Aug 2015, 01:12

The trouble with free books is, you can only get the first book of the series free then you go with out because the rest of the series you have to pay for.

MamaOtwell · Post by **MamaOtwell** » 01 Sep 2015, 15:03

Kate, I am right there with you! I love when I find a great free read only to find out that it is a first in a series and the next one is $4.99+! I have read some series of books that I know I would have never found nor picked out had it not been for that very engrossing first book.
Keeping with that thought, I often will seek out the rest of the series before I download the free one just to make sure I'm not setting myself up for a massive investment in case I fall in love with the characters and can't walk away till the story is finished!

TrisNook · Post by **TrisNook** » 03 Sep 2015, 12:24

So far all the free books that I have gotten I have loved, the only trouble that I see with them is I get ones from series and the first book is free and the rest cost. I don't know if I like them enough to buy the rest of the series. Or even if I did, I doubt that the other books will be as good or worth the money.

litmonster · Post by **litmonster** » 07 Sep 2015, 12:12

Kate_Emme wrote:There are always more (not free) books in the series! Ha!

Don't get me wrong, I totally love my Kindle and love that I can get free books. And I understand the idea that it is great to be able to read the first book of a series in order to find out if you are willing to invest in more (sometimes several more) books.

But sometimes there are books that are right on the line (to buy or not to buy). Yes I am interested in the story, the characters struck a cord and the plot isn't boring, but really I am not totally in love with the book. Do you sometimes find yourself reading a book just so you can finish it and see how it ends? Sometimes the free e-reader books are like that. I just want to know how it ends, but I do not want to spend money just so that my brain can mentally "close" that story down.

However, I have also found some great series that I have purchased the remaining books after reading the first one for free! I guess it is a give and take!
-Kate

I agree that the most frustrating ones are the books that you aren't in love with, but you want to know the end, you want to find out what happens next. Definitely one of the most frustrating points to be in when it comes to books in a series, whether e-reader or otherwise.

brandy29b · Post by **brandy29b** » 22 Sep 2015, 18:47

I also agree with them not being edited well enough. I feel that many of them are not very well written overall, either. Poorly constructed plot, or it feels as though it's taken from a TV show or movie somehow. Sometimes I feel as though free books from Amazon don't make me think very hard or critically, and I like a book to have an additional message aside just from telling the main story.

Jojowrites4All · Post by **Jojowrites4All** » 25 Oct 2015, 16:08

Free books are teasers. They reel you into a book-- then you find out you have to purchase several other parts. The next five or so, are so tiny and fractured. Now, you're pissed that the story trailed on when it should've ended at book one.

Amose13 · Post by **Amose13** » 01 Nov 2015, 14:58

Xayathone wrote:I agree with several of the other reviewers. Many of the free ebooks that I encounter have not been edited well, and are often hard to get through.

That can be painful. Poorly edited books make me twitchy. Basic things like incorrect tense, wrong homophone, and the like, make me want to throw something. I read one of those free books where they changed the character name part way through, then changed back. I couldn't even finish it. I had to delete it.