In an unusual move for an Australian publisher Fremantle Press has announced it will make e-book copies of Hal Spacejock 1 available free online from June.

The e-book giveaway coincides with the release of the fourth book in the series by Simon Haynes, who believes the move will help to build his audience. ‘Science fiction readers are typically technologically savvy and familiar with e-books,' he said. 'They are often bloggers with many online connections and the spread of information across the online community is incredibly fast.'

Fremantle Press sales and marketing manager Clive Newman said that while giving away a book for free--‘especially one that is on its third reprint'--was not something the Press would ‘normally contemplate' he believed the giveaway would attract overseas readers who ‘aren't going to buy the fourth novel ... if they haven't read the first.'

Overseas, publishers including HarperCollins have experimented with free online books recently and Fremantle Press says there are signs these can ‘lead to increased book sales.'

The free book can be found at http://www.spacejock.com.au/.

Tags: ebooks, fremantle press