Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Reached an interesting milestone on Smashwords


I have mentioned the propensity for visitors on Smashwords to relish free stuff. Well today ‘To Serve Intact’ was downloaded for the 700th time!

I will not however be celebrating this achievement with a dram of rare Scotch. To date, only 14 people have chosen to download the ending (cost $4).

That is a 2% response rate.

So what to conclude? Visitors to Smashwords are impecunious? My stuff is feasted upon when free, found to be inedible when cash is required?

It amazes me that so many can read some 24,000 words (presumably they finish the main body of the story, after all it’s free) and not want to know the ending.

Yes, a curious bunch on Smashwords. I posted ‘The Power Series’ and it has been downloaded more often (735 times at this writing). One woman took the time to pan the story as ‘Not BDSM but sadism and Pathology’ (begs the question as to what she thinks the ‘S’ is in BDSM). 

I have fun thinking about her internet surfing habits, searching the net for free stories she won’t like and can find repulsive. ‘I am shocked to find there is gambling in Rick’s Café.’or ‘Please stop me before I read more!’

Anyway, hopefully some of these readers purchase something at some point, perhaps even visit this blog. I give away stuff first to entertain, second to build a brand name and make people comfortable that if and when they choose to buy something, it will be quality smut.

But then ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is now a best seller... so what does that say about quality and the potential pool of D/s readers?   

2 comments:

Victoria Vista said...

It is sad CB. Not trying to 'toot my horn' but I was one of the 14 that paid for the ending. One, because I was already hooked and needed to know the end, 2nd because of my desire to support fellow writers. It's tough to break in and I appreciate all you do to provide us with great, evil, sadist,deviant and ball busting kink!

And yeah... 50 Shades... You know how I feel about that! LOL

Chris Bellows said...

Victoria,

Thank you as always for your comments and support.

CB