The Register carries a story on the success of UK Newspapers and their online editions … readers stay faithful to their paper. And online content attracts up to 20 % extra audience … who are, however, not buying the paper (or any paper, for that matter).
Read the whole story here: Newspapers not killed by net - shock!
Two things:
(1) could we assume that putting (quality) books online (for free) would attract another 20 % readers?
(2) Is 20 % Freeloaders bad? Never forget that the newspaper business is basically as much a content business as it is an advertisment business. About 75 % of the revenue of an average broadsheet comes from advertising.