Accessibility and discovery The phrase foregrounds accessibility. Free, online reading lowers barriers: readers without disposable income, those in regions with limited retail distribution, and newcomers curious about a new title all benefit. For niche works or indie creators, being discoverable via free access can build an audience more quickly than traditional gatekeepers allow. But “free” can also mean fragmented discovery—search results, aggregators, and social links scatter a work’s presence across the web, making serendipity both richer and more chaotic.