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By David Rothman

image Looking on Wowio for a PDF freebie of Alice’s Adventure Under Ground, the Lewis Carroll classic? Forget it.

The new and not-so-improved Wowio will charge you $1.99 for what the company earlier offered for free under an ad model.

And the same holds true for the novels of Mark Twain and probably most other fiction writers on the site—even the dead ones in the public domain.

I’m not happy. Wowio’s slogan is "Free books, free minds," and founder William Lidwell‘s just-posted reply makes me all the more frustrated with Wowio’s new incarnation as a property of Platinum Studios.

Point by point, matching those in the response Will kindly provided, here are my thoughts:

1. Yes, it’s laudable for Wowio to make books available internationally, and that might mean that free PDFs won’t be downloadable everywhere due to copyright agreements. But the Lewis Carroll book is a public domain classic published by Wowio. Why isn’t it free to me, even here in the U.S.? Furthermore, through IP addresses or cookies, isn’t there a way to distinguish American visitors from others—geographically, at least?

2. Will says Wowio still offers free downloads of items for which Wowio has found sponsors. But how hard did Wowio look in the case of text-oriented novels? Wowio’s freebies seem heavy on comics and articles. So far, though I’m probably missing something, I haven’t found any traditional novels with sponsors. Regardless of whatever exceptions may be out there, it’s as if Wowio has a grudge against textish fiction. Why? Even if the big publishers dislike ads, many small ones might be very open to them.

3. I was a bit sarcastic in suggesting that Wowio’s loud ads in online editions were a way to torture you into buying PDF files. But more seriously, it isn’t as if we’re casually surfing through online newspapers. Blinking ads are the enemy of immersive reading, especially of narratives. I want Wowio to offer free, ad-supported books. But let the ads be quieter, and stick them between chapters, rather than two on each page—so often the case with the current Wowio.

4. When companies place obnoxious ads in Wowio’s online books, yes, they should be ashamed. They are diminishing the pleasures of reading. Once again, it isn’t the ads per se that I object to—rather, Wowio’s brazen lack of restraint. I’m not an expert in John Stuart Mills and other proponents of utilitarianism. But I can say that my time and attention are worth something, and Wowio is imposing too high a price on me even in utilitarian terms. And speaking of Mills, isn’t he said to have been the inspiration for Gradgrind, the fact-fixated teacher in Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times? Gradgrind hated emotion before he was forced to deal with a daughter’s breakdown.

5. According to Will, I shouldn’t bemoan the barrage of ads because such similar distractions are in the face of visitors to "mainstream news and information" sites. Ugh, Will, is a novel just "news and information"? Same for heartfelt nonfiction narratives. No, we’re in the realm of emotion. Ads? Yes. But as I’ve said, let them be simply between chapters—and without those rude blinks and vexing animation.

6. Obviously I’m delighted that Will used the word "reasonable and constructive" to describe my suggestions for the online book reader, etc. If Wowio follows through, I’ll want to hear about that. There will be positive publicity here if/when Wowio deserves it.

7. I thank Will for sharing his thoughts on Platinum’s financial situation. I’m eager to hear both from those pleased and displeased with Platinum, just so they stick to the facts.

Winding down his reply, Will tells of an Iranian exchange student who, in his words, noted that "the level of visible advertising in cities she had visited around the world seemed proportional to the level of freedom in their societies."

So, if garish ads are so such life-enhancers, shouldn’t the rich put up billboards on their country estates? And shouldn’t Wowio charge extra for books with ads on almost every page?

Like you, Will, I’m a capitalist, and, certainly, I can appreciate the best advertising as an art form. In fact, that is why the present Wowio so disappoints me with such ugly pitches in online books. Just in those respects alone, the current site is a discredit both to capitalism and advertising.

Meanwhile, I’ll again thank Will for taking time to reply. May he be back soon with a progress report on the implementation of my suggestions, which I think will help Wowio’s profitability!

Related: Wowio designer Gerry Manacsa‘s comments defending his company.

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