Book Review: Free: The Future of a Radical Price

I love Wired Magazine so when I saw that editor-in-chief Chris Anderson wrote a book called “Free: The Future of a Radical Price”, I immediately ordered it because I wanted to learn more about that free economy.

The Good
Anderson describes various business models that involve something that has to do with giving away stuff.  It is quite interesting to see how a company can generate profits by giving away stuff.  If you’re involved in an Internet startup, this is a must read.

The Bad
Even at 275 pages, the book is way too long and I was bored to death for half of the reading because Anderson repeats himself continually.  I kept reading the same concepts and ideas over and over.  At around 100-125 pages, it would have been a fantastic book.  Also, some of Anderson ideas are also quite extreme so you take whatever feels right for you and leave the other stuff.

In summary, this is a great book for anyone involved in an Internet startup to help you understand how you can make money even if you give your app away.  Just be prepared to be bored by reading the same stuff over and over.