Yes, about the free ebook downloads of the Hank Thompson trilogy.  A few things.

First, I’m aware that none of them has been ideal.  The Monsters and Critics downloads are tidy pdf formats that require a single click and no account setups or hardware purchases.  But each book has only been available for a brief period of time and we’re down to A DANGEROUS MAN.  (just checked that M&C download and the page has disappeared.  So…)

The Stanza offer is apparently pretty slick, if you have an iPhone or an iTouch.  You download Stanza from the app store, and the trilogy, along with several other titles, comes preinstalled in your library.  But you have to have a pretty expensive piece of hardware and, in the case of the iPhone, a steep service contract.

The Kindle offer expands the reach for digital reader enthusiasts, but it also requires an expensive piece of hardware, and it will also expire after several weeks. (For the sake of clarity, it’s the download offer that expires, not the downloads themselves.  Once you have the book, you have the book.)

Still, free books.  Which is no small thing these days.

And there is more to come.

The free downloads for ereaders will expand to at least one more device.  I will post details when I have them.

And I should be clear about something.

Random House has taken the lead on making these offers.  Which, when you think about it, is kind of remarkable.  One does not expect a large publishing house to call one day and ask, “Hey, what do you think about giving away your books?”  Indeed, some writers would take such a thing amiss.  I just thought it was cool.  But seeing as this is a commercial enterprise, it shouldn’t come as any shock that the act of giving things away has a few kinks in it.

When I give things away I like to do it with an open hand.  Take it, it’s yours, no strings.   RH hasn’t attached too many strings, but one can feel them still getting comfortable with the idea.

Truth be told, I’m one of a small batch of guinea pigs upon whom experiments are being conducted.  We are all volunteers, of varying levels of enthusiasm, who are having our copyright DNA tinkered with so someone can find out if there are better ways to generate cash from a backlist.  Particularly from the backlist of a midlist writer.

And I don’t mind.

Which doesn’t mean that I don’t make any money off these books when they are sold in the old fashioned way.  Royalties don’t play a large part in our household finances, but those twice-a-year checks certainly loosen the belt a little when they comes around.  And there is a part of me that wonders if offering these titles for free will shave a digit off next year’s checks.

But it’s worth finding out.  And I believe it will also be worth losing that digit.

Times are toughl.

In case you missed the headlines.

We don’t live high, but we have enough.  A few free downloads is little to offer as appreciation to the people who keep me in business.

But I wish it came with fewer limitations.

I’d like free digital versions of the Hank Thompson trilogy that could be read online by anyone, or downloaded as DRM free PDFs.  There might be a legal hurdle with the downloads that would require readers to set up a free account, but otherwise they would be open-hand free.

And that might just happen.

Very soon.