In which I get my comeuppance

That was fast.

In my last post, I suggested that by making books free and offering to store them for me forever, Amazon was creating weird incentives that almost require me to "buy" every temporarily free book.

It took all of a week for me to learn how wrong I was.

Here is the description of this week's free book:

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell’s deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed’s formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .

Well done Amazon! I never considered the social aspect of free books.

Before the Kindle when I wanted to read trash, I would simply make sure not to leave the book lying around, and quickly dispose of it when I was finished. Basically, treat it like porn.

Now, if I ever give in to your free offer for "the darkest pleasures of all" I will never be able to hide it. They will be my dark pleasures forever. Forever lurking in my kindle's content manager. Forever noted whenever I visit Amazon.com.

Oh sure you can explain that "it was free" and that "I got it as a joke", just like porn, but people will still look at you funny. Don't even think of adding "some blogger suggested I try it", you'll only make things worse for yourself.

Tying people to their porn forever, and offering a gateway book for free - kindle fail!

PS: I was being theatrical about amazon.com, you can tell the website to forget all about books you've bought...just like porn.