Dunno what the stink is about. We've had trailers and teasers and extracts and such for many years, though never in huge numbers. This is not likely to be the start of a torrent. Says who? There are more and more "free downloads" on the web that turn out to be trial versions, only good for a month or week or so. Fine! Anyone who doesn't want to pay need not burden himself with the product! Except that either there is no indication that it is trial only, or sometimes it is so carefully buried in other garbage that one does not want, that you need a bloodhound to be sure that you are clicking on the right button and not downloading something unwanted for sale. But it is free to download, right? No it is not! It takes huge bites out of your bandwidth and can stuff up your monthly surfing. Life-threatening? Not for some folks, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it or that everyone can afford it. We are not all first worlders, remember? As a matter of principle I would never buy crap from such crap-artists. If it has become a torrent on the web, who says it won't happen on gut? Have you noticed what has happened to advertising on the web? It's completely on-mission for us. There's no commercial intention, hidden or manifest. This was just a well-established writer who got in touch to make this offer. It happens sometimes, and I like it when it does. You are free to like it, but it is nothing like on-mission for PG. It is no product, but a free ride on the bandwidth of the visitor who then blames PG (rightly!) If it is such a hell of a favour, then he can damwell offer a dollar per hit on his teaser. THEN it could be on-mission because it would assist in supporting the real mission. There is every commercial intention. Who do you suppose you are kidding but yourself? If it isn't commercial, then why is it only a teaser? The meta-data for this are intended to be clear that it's an extract/teaser. Maybe we should edit the Title field to make it even clearer? A hell of a lot clearer. We need to have every teaser labelled "Teaser! The source hopes you will like it enough to buy the rest. PG pays him 80% of the take for every full copy you download!" THEN I'd say we were on mission! Perhaps this is a situation where many people (rightly) have different views of what PG is, and its strenghts, and where effort should be devoted. Recall that our mission is a single line: To encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks.
...and this is intended to be broad and inclusive. -- Greg Broad, yes. Inclusive to the point of fullness perhaps, but not to bursting. We don't accept current political party puffs, nor yet porn or booze ads just because they are free. Why book ads just because they are free?