I’m going to get a lot of grief about this blog post. I’m ready for it. Ready to not ignore the spit and hellfire I get from it, because haters might have a valid point. I am ready for people to fundamentally tell me I’m wrong. Which if that’s the case I’m good with that. I’m an agnostic raised by a mom who is a firm believer in the Catholic church and Brujeria, but that’s another long story. Let’s just say she tells me I’m wrong all the time.

Also, fair warning I’m going to talk about pornography. I am not talking erotica, where everyone is spilling over with lust while wearing incredibly tight pants. I’m talking porn; 16-year-old boy sneaky watching 2 girls kissing on his phone porn.

No worries my porn topic won’t last long as always it’ll go into my favorite point of worry, being an indie author.

I’m a documentary watcher. I will watch any documentary (if it’s done well) on just about anything.  Documentaries on sex, sexuality, etc are on the top of my list. I find animalistic urge to hump that drives some humans fascinating. With that said, let’s dive in. I was watching a documentary on the latest state of the porn industry in Life after porn 2. Life after porn 1 is good, but I liked 2 better. It was better because I’m an 80’s young adult. In the 80’s porn stars where the wives to my favorite musicians, on CD covers and stars of music videos this documentary was a where are they now type of thing, but let me get on with my point.

The porn industry is dying and flourishing all at once. Here’s the problem, there is so much free porn out that there is no longer a need to buy porn. Because of this the people who create porn are having a really hard time making a living creating porn.

What’s happening now is there are “modeling” companies that bring out new girls to haphazardly film something in someone’s basement slap it on the web for free and move on. The age of the porn star has died because the market is flooded with free material (it gets very sinister and upsetting. Watch Hot Girls Wanted it'll make you want to scream and vomit at the same time).

As I’m watching Life after porn 2  the “mmmm” bubble starts to pop above my head. It sounds like the book industry. The market is flooded with free books, so why bother paying for a book to read.

Funny isn’t it that the writers of the world are in the same dilemma as porn producers. I would like all of us struggling indie authors to chew on that for a minute.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I’m against free books. Let’s be a hundred percent real on how I feel about free books searchers. Some of the freebie hunters (not all, stop hissing) just want something for free, might read or not read the book, really doesn’t care how much time and cost that author has put in their book and lastly have a reputation for not bothering to leave reviews.

As an indie author it’s believed that you must give away your first book in order to hook the reader into buying the second book. Maybe that’s correct. Who am I to say “nay” to that concept. My sales couldn’t buy a milkshake so apparently I am not savvy at marketing. 

It is preached that if you give away the first book in the series that would lead readers into buying book 2. Here’s the thing I have given away hundreds of copies of book one and that never lead to sales of book 2. Okay I can’t say never, but I’d put money on  it.

Now, I can see that the line is already starting of authors who want to tell me; that my perhaps my writing sucks, my blurb isn’t just righty, the cover is all wrong, I need a marketing plan. That if book 1 rocked, then people would run to buy book 2. Which isn’t true because people now a day’s don’t run to buy anything there is Prime after all, don’t be a heathen.

I believe it’s something different not the main cause but a large part of the problem. There is too much free material out there.

I understand the concept of giving away a free sample to entice the buyer. However it’s a sample, not the product. Nobody ever gave me a whole box of laundry detergent to entice me to buy another box of the same detergent.

I would like to preach samples to fellow indie authors.  Sample chapters, sample short stories, and so forth. Stop giving away the milk, nobody will want to buy that cow.

I wish there was a universal indie author headquarters, something similar to the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter or Shield headquarters. I would stand on a soap box in the lobby tell the free book people to "stop it" you are screwing everyone else over.

Yes, screwing other writers over. I said it.  I can hear the gaggle of laughter now. Some out there think I’m dead wrong, others believe me dead right and then there are those that don’t care. Either way, that’s cool. Again, agnostic with a  mother who believes I should spend my time lighting candles to some mythical virgin. I’m used to being scoffed at.

“Cool” because I had to vent. I had to once again tell everyone in the writing community how I felt. I also had to let the readers of the world know what goes on behind the curtains. Maybe it’ll paint a different picture in their minds next time they see free books and want to dive in.

I’m fundamentally against giving away my books. Doesn’t matter that book marketers out there believe it will help elevate me to the Grand Pooba of indie authors or not. I just can’t do it.

I can’t do it in the way some people just can’t eat a spider even if you're twirling a couple thousand dollars under their nose. That leaves me where? Well, "Keep on trucking" comes to mind. Perhaps “just keep swimming?” I’ll keep on doing what I’m doing, swimming through the refuge in hopes of one day having enough sales to buy a burger and a milkshake.

p.s this blog post will appear on my website later this week. caroljamesmarshall.com

follow me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/caroljamesma...