Operation Ebook Drop is an idea started up by an author called Ed Patterson. The idea grew from the concept that a lot of service personnel overseas have ebook readers, but can’t access the Kindle store on Amazon.com because they’re away from the Whispernet service provider (which wirelessly transmits Kindles). Patterson decided that it would be a good idea to offer troops free ebooks via a Smashwords coupon. That way the troops could download Kindle friendly versions or any other ebook edition from the Smashwords.com website. Whether they had a Kindle reader, Sony reader, iPhone or whatever, people serving overseas would suddenly have access to all kinds of new books for free.
Regardless of how you feel about certain theatres of war around the world, the people actually serving on the front line are following orders. There are all kinds of moral arguments for and against and I have to say that I’m largely against a lot of places that US, UK and Australian troops are currently deployed to. However, those troops are doing their job, risking their lives, and it doesn’t hurt to show a bit of human kindness and offer free books for them.
You can read all about it here on the Smashwords blog.
There are dozens of authors involved and so far over 800 books have been dropped. Not a bad way to share the love. Don’t you just love modern technology when it’s used for good instead of evil?
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