Thursday, January 04, 2007

Monster Island - Free Online Zombie Novel

Monster Island is a very graphic, intense, violent, wild, action-packed zombie novel. I would not recommend it for very young readers. But it's fun. The author, David Wellington, has been offering it for free on his website. That's actually where I read it. I started off thinking it was just going to be a silly piece of free crap and then I was sucked in. I finished the darned thing! The author is offering his other novels for free this way. But the funny thing is that his books are showing up in bookstores. Now here's my question: if I'm reading the books for free online, why am I gravitating over to the print version in the store and picking it up and buying it? Here's my answer: it's just flat out cool and hip and neat to watch a thing go from digital bits on a screen to an actual, paperback hunk of real worldly thing. To hold it and own it. I think this means a lot for authors and publishers. Having read an author for free and enjoyed it, one develops a subtle affection for the writer and wants to pay him for his book in a store.

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