No such thing as a free E-Book?

I have been doing a series of posts at the DC blog, in honor of Read An E-Book Week. At the end of each blog post, you will find a link to where you can download one or more free E-Books. This has been going well, as there are indeed sites and specials where you can get a free E-Book, but I have noticed that some of those so-called "free" E-Books aren't so free after all.

And what you have to do to get your "free E-Book" from these particular sites really has my blood boiling.

I have nothing against signing up for a newsletter, subscribing to a blog or including the gifter's banner on my site all in the name of getting a free E-Book. I DO have certain issues with publishers, companies and writers asking for or requiring the following:

*Your mailing address. (You just KNOW they're going to mail you all of their junk mail if you give this to them. Or even sell your information!)

*Your PayPal info. (What the heck do they need THIS for?? I thought the E-Book was "free.")

*Paying for shipping. (What exactly are they shipping? I'm requesting a FREE ELECTRONIC FILE. Or, at least, I thought it was free?? I don't think so! Like hell I'll pay shipping for an E-Book that is SUPPOSED to be "free.")

These are the three things I encountered today when I tried to get my day's free E-Book.

But here is the icing on the cake, dear readers: I found out about this "free E-Book" offer via the "Read An E-Book Week" partners site. These offers SAY they're giving away free E-Books. But what they don't say is that there's strings attached. I think they should have mentioned there were requirements before letting the good people at the site know of their offers.

Sorry, not gonna do business with THOSE people. Apparently, they have no qualms about deceptive advertising. Outrageous.