You are right. Have you asked them about that? You should. If they offered it free, they should have kept their world.anomalocaris wrote:Normally I don't mind it. Nothing wrong with an author giving you a free sample to get you to buy the series, just like there's nothing wrong with getting a free sample of laundry detergent in the mail. Obviously the detergent company isn't sending that sample just because they like you. Why should an author (who is, after all marketing a product) be any different? I don't know why anyone would feel "tricked" by that.
However, Amazon offers something they call serials, which are novels broken into small sections. In the description of the first section, they clearly state that once you've purchased the first part, you will not have to pay to get the other parts. It's a single book that you'll just get in installments. Sounds fair enough, but after purchasing one, when I tried to get the rest of it, I learned that I was going to be charged for it. Went back and reread the info on the first one, just to make sure I hadn't misunderstood, but it was there in very clear and simple language, saying the other parts would be delivered automatically with no further charge. There's a difference between honestly offering a free sample, and outright lying about what's being purchased.
-- May 11th, 2014, 7:43 pm --
I see nothing wrong with free books as long as they are well written and free of typos.