Greg Leaping asked Jacob M. Appel:

Dr Appel, as an author such as yourself or for publishing companies, why are books given away for free on giveaways or read and reviews, when it's probably guessed or known there will probably be very little in return in the way of honest reviews?

Jacob M. Appel I can't really speak to why others give away books -- I imagine many are hoping to create a "buzz" that leads to revenue, but my hope is that people will enjoy my book. Needless to say, it would be great if they shared this with friends and family, as then I'd reach more readers, which is my primary goal.

As a physician, I have the advantage of not having to earn a living off my fiction or use literary awards to gain tenure/promotion in the academy. So I give away as many books as I feasibly can, hoping to share my writing with others who are interested. (I ask for reviewed primarily because that is a good litmus test to divide those who really want the book from those who might resell it on ebay without reading it.)

Most important, at least for the time being, I'm glad to give away complimentary PDFs of my works to any goodreads members who email me at jacobmappel@gmail.com and request copies.

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