July 21, 2009 http://chronicle.com/blogPost/David-Wiley-Giving-Away/7278
In this article, Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology & Technology at Brigham Young University David Wiley and his doctoral student John Hilton present some of their findings on the impact of free, digital, academic book distribution versus print sales. What they’ve found is that, for the most part, print sales actually increase when copies are freely accessible online. What accounts for this apparent reversal of market economics is that, specifically for texts with a much narrower market, such as academic texts, increased access equals a broader distribution and therefore a greater chance for sales. He also points out the case that people may not read the book on their computer, but through online access decide whether or not it is worth buying.
As a student who pays for books, I wholeheartedly support this idea. Especially for academic texts, i.e. classes that I’m taking but do not necessarily need the book or want to buy it for my library, a free online copy would be an (eagerly) accepted solution. I also feel that if I were allowed access to free books, I would be more open to looking and purchasing them. For example, if I was in a screenwriting class and the book was offered free online, I would be more likely to look for other screenwriting books as well, and I might buy one of them. I did in fact buy a screenwriting textbook for a class I was not registered for because I thought it was a better book than the one I originally had. I found the new book a semester later, and if I had never found it on the off chance, sitting on a shelf in the bookstore, I wouldn’t have the book now. To clarify, I am willing to buy books that apply to my major and my interests beyond my class book list, and free copies of books would be a great way to open up the market for these books. I am pleasantly surprised that this works, and understand how it could. I hope it catches on.
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