Del Ray is using a free download to grab people’s attention for the release of the latest book in the Star Wars “Legacy of the Force” series. To drum up interest for the newest (and final) book, they are making book one, Betrayal, available fora free download as an audio book.

The free download of Book One, Betrayal, will be available all over the web. You can find it on the Legacy of the Force series site run by Del Ray. You can also find the audio book free on several online retailers such as Amazon, A1 Books, Barnes and Noble, Book Sense, Deep Discount, Overstock, Sony Online and more. Betrayal takes the story that left off with Han, Luke and Leia in Return of the Jedi and tells us what happened next.

The ninth book in the Legacy of the Force series is titled Invincible. The idea of generating interest through cross promotion in a series is not a new one. It has long been used in both the music industry (think old school style singles and the more current free downloads) and the movie industry (think gaming tie ins). Both tactics have found success, especially recently with bands like NIN and Radiohead.

The free audio download is a way to increase reading at a time when it is reported to be on the decline. It’s also a great way to pull in new readers to a series just before the series is over. This could keep it going in paperback and audio files long after it may have petered out if not marketed aggressively online.

The free download becomes available Tuesday April 29 at 9:00 AM.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 5:32 am under Technology.

Read more entries by Leslie Poston.
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