Scott Adams is making the PDF version of his book God's Debris available as a free download. I haven't read it, so this doesn't quite count as a recommendation from me, but I did enjoy reading some of his other books, so free is a pretty good price, I think.
Posted by Nicholas at November 18, 2005 10:01 AMWhy is it Free?
Frankly, this is the hardest book in the world to market. When it first came out in hardcover, booksellers couldn’t decide if it was fiction or nonfiction. Was it philosophy or religion? It’s a religion/science book written by a cartoonist, using hypnosis techniques in the writing. It's a thought experiment. It's unlike anything you've ever read. How do you sell something that can't be explained?
Nonetheless, the hardcover version of God's Debris was a solid success. I lost count of how many people e-mailed me to say it was the best book they've ever read. By way of comparison, I've published over thirty Dilbert™ books, two of them number-one New York Times best-sellers, but I've never gotten the kind of excited responses that I did from readers of God's Debris.
Still, God's Debris is emphatically not for everyone. Although there’s no sex or violence, I don’t recommend it for readers under fourteen unless a parent has screened it. And if you don't like to have your perceptions challenged, this book isn't for you. However, if you like a good book-induced buzz now and then, I think you'll agree that the price was right.
It's free because it's designed to be discussed with people who have also read it. I'm confident that some percentage of the free e-book readers will be inspired to buy a physical book for friends or for their own collection. And if you like it, you might want to try the sequel, The Religion War, available only in hardcover. At the end of the e-book you'll find some links to Amazon.com for your impulse-buying pleasure.
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