I use a Creative Commons share alike license and my eBooks can be read free online. Occasionally some readers purchase my eBooks, and I use sales as a signal for what readers enjoy and that is a guide for deciding where to put my energy. I only allocate three hours a day to writing and sales also guide what books I update.
I used to keep statistics: about 1 in 60 people who read online buy a book, except for my Common Lisp book that had a 1 in 20 purchase ratio. As you might imagine, I put more effort into the Common Lisp book.
For 30 years writing tech books was an economic driver for my career as a computer scientist. Now that I am retired I still write because I enjoy writing and interacting with my readers.
I used to keep statistics: about 1 in 60 people who read online buy a book, except for my Common Lisp book that had a 1 in 20 purchase ratio. As you might imagine, I put more effort into the Common Lisp book.
For 30 years writing tech books was an economic driver for my career as a computer scientist. Now that I am retired I still write because I enjoy writing and interacting with my readers.