I've been thinking about offering free upgrades to an ebook I'm writing for sale.
Would this be both workable and a good selling point?
On the one hand, ebooks are a bit like software - you'll always find something to update or add.
On the other, will it make potential customers think that they're paying for something that's unfinished?
I can't make my mind up! Also, what would the technical problems be?
Posted on: 7:36 pm on March 27, 2002
EbookHeaven
Dreuby,
That idea sounds a little like what freetosell.com does. They sell you an ebook that links to all the others--kind of an index. All you do is download the index ebook and read it. When you find one of the book links inside that you like the sound of, you click and download the book.
What's good about that is the index costs something on the order of $49 but new books are being added all the time at no cost. The index is therefore always updating itself (I think it calls web pages) or maybe it's a script kind of thing--anyway, the books may be sold on to your customers individually or all together (by reselling the index book)
I think the updating ebook idea is a good one for non-fiction. Auto updates, or notification of updates by email are a good selling point. I wouldn't consider the book unfinished if offered this unless the book was fiction--in the case of fiction, an updating ebook WOULD be unfinished in my opinion and not a good thing. I mean, I could read the story half way, download the update and find the plot has changed! An extreme example I'll admit, but you get the idea.
Posted on: 7:56 pm on April 15, 2002
Radhika
Offering free upgrades is always a good idea for two reasons.
1.The internet is a fast growing and changing medium.What is new today is old for tomorrow.So if you offer upgrades for your ebook, that keeps you and your readers with good content.
2.You can get your prospects emails to follow up in future and offer other products.
Posted on: 2:08 pm on April 21, 2002
maktrix
I agree that sending out upgrades to your ebook is good marketing. Rather than sending the entire ebook though, consider creating an email newsletter that purchases can enroll for at the time of their initial purchase. An email newsletter will be easier on you for creation and delivery and you will have the added capacity to promote new services or products that might not be appropriate for including in the ebook.
Posted on: 12:51 am on April 25, 2002
dreuby
How would tyhis work from the users point of view? If they have an ebook on their PC, how would an ezine or email update work? Wouldn't this mean that they would have to read all my emails every time they wanted to use the ebook? (I'm thinking of "how-to" type books, where you are using them for reference.)
Posted on: 10:38 pm on April 26, 2002
EbookHeaven
The Free To Sell package has a button within the ebook that when clicked upon takes the reader to the download page. The reader is not informed by the ebook that there is an update available, he simply clicks the button whenever the mood takes him.
Free to sell do send update notifications via email however. Whenever I receive one, I open the ebook and click the button to see what the new offerings are.
You could make an ebook that called pages from your server. The book would then be constantly updated without need to download a new book--might work.
Posted on: 3:10 am on April 27, 2002
dreuby
I think that's going to be a bit beyond my abilities - I thought I was Brain of Britain when I managed to understand the re-branding tutorial!
Posted on: 2:00 pm on April 29, 2002
EBookCompiler
Try this
1. Make a page for your web site containing info about updates, say latestnews.html
(change the URL in ACTION= to match the page's URL)
Posted on: 3:50 pm on April 29, 2002
dreuby
Thanks for all the help - I'm starting to give it serious thought!
Posted on: 9:46 pm on May 5, 2002
mysmys
One of my eBook's main "sell points' is the fact that it's updated on a monthly basis.
It works well for the way my eBook -- The Writer's Online Survival Guide -- works, because it is a directory of websites that list writing jobs. So many dot-coms keep dying off and new websites launch that the updates add great value!
Posted on: 8:17 pm on May 7, 2002
dreuby
Thanks Melissa - do you use a similar method to the one Sunil outlined above?
With any business, it is up to the individual owner of said business to ensure the success of the business. You may make more or less than any sample figures or results that might be quoted on our web sites or other publications. All business involves risk, and many businesses do not succeed. Further, Answers 2000 Limited does NOT represent that any particular individual or business is typical, or that any results or experiences achieved by any particular individual/business is necessarily typical.
Disclosure:
Our company's websites' content (including this website's content) includes advertisements for
our own company's websites, products, and services,
and for other organization's websites, products, and services.
In the case of links to other organization's websites,
our company may receive a payment, (1) if you purchase products or services,
or (2) if you sign-up for third party offers, after following links from this website.
Unless specifically otherwise stated, information about other organization's products and services,
is based on information provided by that organization,
the product/service vendor, and/or publicly available information - and should
not be taken to mean that we have used the product/service in question.
Additionally, our company's websites contain some adverts which we are paid
to display, but whose content is not selected by us, such as Google AdSense ads. For more
detailed information, please see Advertising/Endorsements Disclosures
Our sites use cookies, some of which may already be set on your computer. Use of our site
constitutes consent for this. For details, please see Privacy.
Click privacy for information about our company's privacy, data collection and data retention policies, and your rights.
An extreme example I'll admit, but you get the idea.