I am, however, VERY likely to run straight to my local bookstore and buy to the sequel to said free eBook, and possibly pick up a print version of the freebie.

I love eBooks, but I don’t like paying for them. I think this is mostly habit formed from years of DRM encrusted offerings. I don’t want to buy a book and not be able to read it later.
There’s also just something satisfying about having a printed book; the way it looks on the shelf, thumbing through the pages, being able to read it without worrying about portability or if you have enough power left on your device.
I’m going to have to experiment with buying eBooks now that some publishers are selling them in ePub format.

(Oh, and I’ve never heard of Trigger Happy, so I downloaded it. I’ll read it as soon as I convert it to ePub. You’re right, everyone hates PDF’s. )

I fell into the same trap as Stephen Poole, imagining that the number of downloads was a reliable indicator of the number of books read. The true figure is probably well south of 5%.

Recent returns have been more encouraging. The user base seems to be expanding rapidly, perhaps because of the popularity of iPhone and iPod Touch e-book apps. The new novel is whizzing off the shelves.

I am much more confident that, in five or ten years’ time, this model of publication, relying on the integrity of readers, will offer authors a viable alternative to the traditional route. For myself, the control and independence it brings are an utter joy.