Why free isn't easy: 1,127 downloads & lessons learnt
free marketing
book promotion
author marketing
digital marketing
customer attention
product launch
indie author
marketing strategy

Why free isn't easy: 1,127 downloads & lessons learnt

Insights from giving away 1,127 free novel downloads. Discover why free products still need marketing and attention isn't free.

Nigel Jay Cooper

Nigel Jay Cooper

Co-Founder & Chief Storyteller. Literary fiction author and product builder.

28 December 2025
LinkedIn Profile
I put my debut novel (Beat The Rain) on free promo over the weekend and forgot about it. Just checked 1,127 people downloaded it in two days.
Not bad for a book that's been out since 2016, so I'm pretty chuffed.
But here's your semi-regular reminder that giving stuff away for free isn't actually easy.
The mechanics are simple but getting attention is harder.
I found the same when we were looking for alpha/beta testers for Ghostart back in September. Free doesn't mean people will show up.
Price isn't always the barrier you think it is.
Need is. Attention is.
Free still requires a decision. Free still takes up space in someone's day, their Kindle, their mental bandwidth.
It's a small vote of attention.
And attention is never free.

Connect with me on LinkedIn | Ghostart Platform

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