Did You Know this About FREE eBooks?

© Copyright March 2005 Kris Williams

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FREE eBooks can attract new and future customers to your business, but did you know some important key aspects to creating a fantastic FREE eBook versus a boring company pushy sales eBook?

What customers want is a key component to writing and creating popular FREE eBooks that can place your business presence, business products, and business information in the eyes of many viewers. But what are some of the key components exactly?

Here is a list of some of those key components:

1. Quality not Quantity.

2. Valuable insight or information not readily available on the web.

3. Exceptional Content.

4. Useful and practical application or information that will remind readers of your business subtly.

5. Great eBook design.

6. eBook format of PDF or EXE mainly due to the huge popularity of these types on the net.

7. Ease of use, generally the EXE can be the easiest to open for readers since it doesn’t require additional software or programs to run it.

There are various eBooks you can create as well. FREE eBooks can be mini-trial versions of a product, sample story chapters of a book you are writing, comic eBooks, music eBooks, interactive eBooks, workbooks with worksheets your readers can print out, coloring eBooks, eBooks that allow content to be added to it for a continuing eBook, art portfolio’s, graphic portfolio’s, photography portfolio’s, maps, vacations, travel spots, brochures, company history, class assignments, white papers, agreements and terms, documents, newsletters, and even blank forms.

In some cases you can have an eBook that will open dynamically on your desktop when it is updated with a Dynamic Desktop Icon. This can be excellent for magazines and sites that carry continuously updated content. This feature can be used with a payment plan too, so that if a customer stops paying, they will not be allowed instant access to the updated content. Wise idea for the most intuitive webmaster! 

When writing or creating FREE eBooks there are some other important features you should keep in mind. Encryption, lock down of features such as printing capabilities or changing the eBook, expiration and/or trial periods for the eBook if needed, visual usage of graphics to help display what is being discussed, proper working/tested links to websites and/or products, and copyright information displayed.

I mention copyright information displayed within the eBook primarily for this reason. There are people on the net that feel that anything in the public domain is content they can also use. Not so in most cases. There are copyright protection laws and registration that can help protect you and your eBook(s). Getting an ISBN number is also a great idea as well. If you allow copying of your eBook you can state it in the eBook for reference by your readers.

Many people are not aware about bundling and distribution of their FREE eBooks and this can mean the difference with you being the primary distributor or someone taking your eBook and placing it in their bundle of goods for sale or for FREE!  If anyone else can distribute your FREE eBook, consider this: “Your FREE eBook will be readily available on the internet from anywhere!” This can be detrimental to your company possibly if you want to control or keep the content on your website above and beyond what everyone else has to offer. However, this can also benefit you as well if you want your business name to become more identified or recognized by reaching more possible future clients. If you do not have the proper copyright and instructions/rules in your eBook for your readers, sometimes many things can be assumed. I have seen people take content and copy content from FREE eBooks and sell themselves. This is very unwise and can be subject to federal/state prosecution for theft and plagiarism. Be original and be creative by generating your own content and make it special so that readers enjoy reading your materials and will want to return to your company for more, more, more!

When you write a FREE eBook, try to think of all aspects before offering it for download on your website or in a newsletter. Make sure every aspect is clear, concise, and defined to include the copyright, rules, and instructions of the eBook(s). Make sure your company contact(s), email, addresses, and authors are listed with any links that properly work. Keep in mind those links may need to be updated as changes to websites and email addresses can change, so have a snail mail or phone number for direct contact in case those do not work in the future.

Offering a FREE eBook can be considered one of the best tools to attract new customers and readers from across the world. Once you have this idea defined a bit more and have created an eBook, I want you to think about reaching the world in other languages throughout the use of FREE eBooks. Do I have you thinking on additional eBooks yet? Now, you have the idea! J

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