Now that being said, it doesn’t mean that INFESTED is the same story as the one heard for free on the podcast. I’ve already re-written it, using a log of what I learned while podcasting it. The new version is much stronger, has new science, and sets up the sequel CONTAGIOUS. So sure, I gave it away for free, but if people really like the free version, they might consider paying the $ for the print version. We’ll see how it goes over.

Podcasting worked for Scott because, in addition to being a good author, he’s also a good entertainer – he reads his work well.

Finally, the “free” part merely got his work into the hands of the public (because the publishing industry wasn’t doing it for Scott). While thousands of people like Scott’s work, many more probably listened and decided it wasn’t for them. But it cost them nothing to try Scott’s work out.

Which leaves you feeling better: spending $0 and finding that you don’t like the author’s work, or spending $15 and finding that you don’t like the author’s work.

If an author doesn’t have a good product, it won’t sell – no matter what.

If an author can’t read his work well, he should probably not try to podcast it (unfortunately, I’ve encountered a few of these).

And “try before you buy” is an old, tried-and-true marketing technique. More authors should do this. John Scalzi posted chapter 1 of his new “The Android’s Dream” on his blog. That allowed many, many people try try his work before spending the money.