100 sites for fiction writers: #72 - Operation E-book Drop

This is an ongoing series looking at websites that can be of help to fiction writers with their craft and career.

Operation E-Book Drop

During this series, I have looked upon sites that hopefully can be helpful to fiction writers. Here, I would like to shift focus a little, and take a glance at a site which allows authors to be helpful to others, specifically to our men and women in uniform.

I'm talking about Operation E-Book Drop.

Operation E-Book Drop is really more of a program than it is an active website, though one can access the site to find out more. What this program does is provide e-book authors with a rather lengthy list of e-mail addresses for those who are serving in the military and would appreciate access to free e-books. The author can then create a coupon for a free e-book at the Smashwords publishing and distribution site, then e-mail the coupon code. Those who receive the code can then use it for a free e-book.

All members of the coalition forces are eligible, so this isn't something only for U.S. troops.

The brain behind Operation E-Book Drop is author Edward C. Patterson, along with the cooperation of Smashwords founder Mark Coker.

As an e-book author myself, I like that I can give back in some small way. A few free e-books is next to nothing for me, but can provide entertainment and perhaps even some solace to those who are on the other side of the world and often facing grave danger.

And you never know. When the troops come home, maybe you'll have a new group of fans.