There are a number of benefits to writing an ebook that an author or webmaster can take advantage of. Many ebooks are filled with hard to find information and can cost any where from a few dollars to more than $100. While electronic books are a valid way for an author to earn money, there are also a number of benefits that can come from writing an ebook and giving it away for free. Some of the best benefits include getting the author’s name out in the public eye and directing traffic from the ebook back to the author’s or webmaster’s website or blog.
Here is a look at five things that you must be included when writing a freely distributed ebook.
Author’s URL Placement
Once the content of the ebook is completed, the most important thing an author needs to do is determine how often, where, and in what way the URL to their website should be displayed. Many ebooks place a link to the author’s homepage in the header and also the footer at the end of the content.
Some place a link or a copyright that is linked to the author’s homepage at the bottom of every page. Other authors prefer to link various lines of text in the content of the ebook back to their site. There are a number of different ways to include these types of links, as well as affiliate links and links to third party sites, within the standard ebook. It is important that the author analyzes this part of the process and decides what will work best for them and their project.
Pack It Full Of Information
There is a lot of knowledge available online in a number of different locations, and a lot of it is free. When writing an ebook, even one that is free, an author needs to pack it full of all kinds of information that is pertinent to the reader and the topic they are seeking information on. An ebook should contain a great deal more information than a normal article or blog post would, it needs to be much more comprehensive. That being said, as you’ll see in the next tip…
Don’t Give It All Away
While it is tempting write a fully explored ebook, when the contents of the book are being provided to the reader for free, it is a good idea to keep a few details or tips out of it. The idea behind writing a free ebook is either for the author to enhance their reputation or a webmaster to benefit from traffic coming from the links within the book’s text.
While the content should be high quality and of value, there should also be a way the author can push some of the readers back to the main website to find out further details, examples, or other content that is also of value. Keeping some of the tips or ideas back as bait to bring readers back to the author’s site is a good way to possibly convert them into regular readers or even customers.
Copyright Notice and Distribution Statement
One of the goals a writer or developer should be trying to go for when putting out a free ebook is to get it distributed as widely as possible. To do this, it is important that they state upfront that the information is copyrighted to the author, but those who download it can freely distribute it to who and where they like. If the author has taken advantage of the opportunity to place links back to their own sites or affiliate sites in their ebook, they then will be able to reap huge rewards when others distribute their ebook for them.
Don’t Keep It A Secret
It is a no-brainer that when an author writes an ebook they should host it on their website or blog so that it can be downloaded by their readers and those who come looking for the information that the author is providing. Authors should make sure though that their ebook is available to download from other sites as well. There are a number of free ebook distribution sites that can be found by simply doing a Google search. These sites allow the ebooks found there to be downloaded by people who may have never come across the author’s site on their own. Another way to not keep it a secret is to write a few articles targeting the same audience that the ebook is geared towards and then submitting those articles to various article directories and making sure they link to the download page for the ebook.
Writing a free ebook is a great way for an author or webmaster to establish their name in a certain field. It is also quite effective, if the information within it is compelling or unique, to use a linking strategy within the content of the book to guide the reader either back to the author’s website or to affiliate links that can lead to purchases being made that benefit the author of the ebook. Through proper link placement, inclusion of quality content, leaving the reader wanting to know more, announcing to the reader that they are free to pass the information on, and a marketing strategy that allows the ebook to be downloaded from a number of sources, writing a free ebook may be exactly what it takes to raise an author or website to the next level of development.
