Did You Buy a Print Copy of HOW THEY WERE FOUND? Then Let Me Give You the eBook for Free.

How They Were Found has been out for exactly six months, as of today. To celebrate—and to thank all the readers who've purchased the book since October—I'd like to give a copy of the eBook version (plus a couple bonus stories in eBook format) to anyone who bought the book directly from my publishers. Here's why:

One of the things that disappoints me as a reader is that you can't usually (ever?) buy a physical book and get the electronic one at the same time, and certainly not for the same price. I wish you could, and, as an author, I don't really understand why this hasn't become more common. (After all, this is something I do with music all the time, buying the vinyl and receiving an included code for the download of the MP3s.) For all the noise made—and worry voiced—about how eBooks are overtaking print sales, it seems obvious to me that one way to ensure that print sales continue is to include the eBook with the print. This seems a lot better than trying to overprice the eBooks to protect print sales, and it's much better than trying to force people into buying books twice, just because certain readers want it in both physical and electronic formats. I can't speak for everyone else, but I know I'd be much more likely to buy $25 hardcovers more often if they also included the eBook (which I've been trained by the market to think of as a $10-12 value on its own, making the combined package very attractive).

After thinking about these issues, I asked my publishers for their permission to offer a free eBook of How They Were Found to anyone who had bought a print copy already (or did so in the near future), and they very kindly agreed. So, to celebrate the book being out for six months, I've come up with a couple offers, all of which include ways for you to get free eBook of How They Were Found, plus a couple of bonus stories:

If you bought your copy of How They Were Found from Keyhole/Dzanc, forward me a copy of your receipt at mdbell79@gmail.com, and in return, I'll send you the eBook in three different DRM-free formats (Kindle, .epub, and PDF), plus eBook versions of two uncollected stories, A Long Walk With Only Chalk to Mark the Way and A Tree or a Person or a Wall.

If you bought the book at one of my readings, or brought a copy from home to have it signed, send me an email and tell me where (the city and venue). In return, I'll send you the same three eBooks as above.

If you bought the book from anywhere else, forward me a copy of your receipt, and I'll send you the eBooks of A Long Walk With Only Chalk to Mark the Way and A Tree or a Person or a Wall.

If you already own the eBook, forward me a copy of your receipt, and I'll also send you the eBooks of A Long Walk With Only Chalk to Mark the Way and A Tree or a Person or a Wall.

If you don't yet own How They Were Found in print, you can still get either of the deals above by buying it this week, and then forwarding me your receipt: Just be sure to buy it directly from Keyhole/Dzanc if you want to get the best possible reward.

A couple of quick notes: I realize it's been a little while since many of you bought the book, so if you can't find your receipt and still want to get one of the above deals, shoot me an email and we'll work it out. Also, please understand that it might take me a minute to get back to you with your eBooks, but I promise they'll be on their way as soon as possible.

Thanks again to everyone who purchased and read a copy of How They Were Found. I truly appreciate your support and readership, and I hope this offer can help make your reading experience as complete as possible.