His books want to be free
I read an interesting little blurb in today’s Shelf Awareness about bestselling author Paul Coelho. Apparently:
The author “likes to promote pirated copies of his own books. At the recent Digital, Life, Design Conference in Munich, Coelho told a gathering of tech company CEOs, artists and designers that since 2005 he’s been directing his readers to an online site where they can download his books, in languages from German to Japanese, for free.”
Said Coelho: “I always thought that when, at the beginning of your career, you strive to be read, you can’t change your mind later and become greedy about it.”
I’m guessing people’s perspectives might change when they’re already “best-selling,” but more power to him.
Bob Watson:
There are an issue here that, in my view, needs to be explained to the bean-counter types who frequently run publishing companies.
Bookstores and libraries have been giving away free publicity for many years … this is a *good thing* but unacknowledged. Publishers do *not* have the ability (or desire) to advertise and promote every title.
Now that independent small bookstores — and their bookish owners — are fading away, readers who use the big chains and/or Amazon (etc.) are faced with a lot more uncertainty.
Giving the text of a book away in order to make a name is something of a loss-leader but Coehlo is hardly the first.
8 February 2008, 12:33 pmaarthilal:
hello!
I’m a big Paulo Coelho’s fan and I don’t know if you heard about his blog
http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com
I’ve started as a fan and now I’m collaborating with him and thought that you would like to enter his universe.
Check the blog.
if you want, or subscribe to his newsletter
http://www.warriorofthelight.com/engl/index.html
You’ll see a community of warriors of light sharing ideas, dreams and most importantly following their personal legend.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“In love lies the seed of our growth. The more we love, the closer we are to the spiritual experience”
Have a nice day!
Aart
16 February 2008, 12:17 am