15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Give e-book Away for Free or CHARGE? Help!

by mguy
13 replies
I'm having a dilemma.

I have an ebook. I was going to charge for it, but my devil advocate is playing games with me and tell me to give it for free.

I want to give it for free to increase my loyal readers. I saw in one site that this gave his ebook for free for a period of six months then started charging for it. Is that a legit strategy?

I will need to make money from my product ebook.. but at the same time.. I do need to increase my loyal readership! HALP!

What do you think?
#charge #ebook #free #give
  • Profile picture of the author actionplanbiz
    its your product. do whatever yo uwant with it and it will be legit.

    but heres some options...

    1. give it way for free and create another product to sell in your front end funnel

    2. create a product to give for free on a squeeze page and present your ebook as an offer immediately after they opt in.

    increasing loyalty happens after they join your list. which requires an ability to create valuable content at will.

    if you try to make money now you will make less in the future. if you build loyalty now you can make money forever.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025696].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author stevenco
    Can't even hazard a guess without knowing anything about the ebook. Is there a demand for the topic? Is it an MRR or PLR product. Is it a completely original ebook written by you? How big is it? Does your website already have a lot of traffic?

    Give us a little something to work on............
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025705].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    As long as it adds value to the lives of people and isn't pushing scams, you should give it away for free. That way it will bless more people and the blessings will come back to you. By helping people get what they want, they help you get what you want. You establish credibility. Credibility leads to trust. People won't buy if they don't trust you. That, my friend, is the bottom line.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025715].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author davidmac00
      Or another option may be to sell it through affiliates where you give the affiliates 75% or even 100% so as to grow your list...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025802].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Earle
    Here's another option for you, means a bit more work but should be worth it.
    1. Give your ebook away for free with an opt-in
    2. Create a OTO (eg. videos, step by step, over the shoulder etc)
    3. Redirect the opt-in to your OTO page

    This will do 3 things
    1. Give good content to your subscribers
    2. Create more subscribers
    3. Create an income stream and funnel for the people wanting to upgrade.

    Hope this helps
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025846].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author 01123581321345589144
    I believe there's some programme with Kindle Publishing, where it can be free for like five days then you put the price. I've read people recommend doing that then 99 cents then upping the price once you have good reviews and stuff. Good luck. I think it's best to just experiment honestly, find what works. I think 6 months is too long for it to be free. Put a link to your book? Maybe I'll give it an honest review if it's free.
    Signature
    Become an affiliate for Depression Refuge
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025865].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kayfrank
    Sounds like you are trying to increase your readers - therefore give it away for free. You can always charge for it later.
    You could reduce the size of it and give away part of it.
    Or you could give it all away and ask for feedback and then produce something bigger and charge for it.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025872].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Nick Logan
    Really depends on what you want to achieve and of course, as said, what kind of book you have. If your goal is to build your list or promote other product(s) with this ebook, than you can give it away for free.

    But you must understand that giving away things is delicate too. Sometimes people don't value free things. They think there must be some dirty reason behind it.
    Signature

    *****
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9025882].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author galitsyn
    I assume you offer a voluble piece of content to your visitors. So, to gain some more loyalty but still have something in return, may be ask for a little favor from them, like a testimonial or feedback, and give it for free.

    You will see if your audience is really targeted in case you get sufficient feedback. You may also get some further ideas to develop your topic. And you will get the idea if your ebook has a market value so to offer it for the money in the future.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9026215].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author seonutshell
    If it is your first product, I would sell it at a cheap price, such as $7. This will build you up a list of people you know who are ok with buying from you, and you might make $1000 profit which you could use to put towards making a bigger, better product and promoting that at full whack to your subscribers.

    You could then reduce the cost of your first product to $1 and use your second, better priced product as the upsell.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9026223].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author PCH
      Like some of the others have said, put it on a squeeze page and offer it for free - provided it gives great value in the form of desirable information, solutions to problems and so on.

      Then, when peeps sign up to your list to download the freebie, you send them to an OTO sales page and offer your next product that offers a detailed solution to one of the issues touched upon in your freebie.

      Hope that helps. There are various ways to handle your dilemna, but this is certainly a good way
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9026317].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Szalok
    Create a much shorter (10-12 pages) and simpler version of your ebook, and give it for free. You can either build a list, or just add a couple of links to the text to advertise your main offer.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9026366].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ShawnHansen
    Hi mguy!

    Originally Posted by mguy View Post


    I have an ebook. I was going to charge for it, but my devil advocate is playing games with me and tell me to give it for free.
    I'm presuming that since you're having this dilemma, you don't have a clear marketing plan. That's where I suggest you start.
    1. What are your goals?
    2. What do you want the book to do for you and for readers?
    3. What do you plan to release next?
    4. Who is your target market, and where can you find them?

    These are just a few of the questions you want to ask and answer for yourself.

    Originally Posted by mguy View Post

    I want to give it for free to increase my loyal readers.
    From this, I presume you don't yet have a fan base or a responsive list. If so, that's got to be a priority as well.

    Don't use Amazon or other distributors if you want to use this eBook to create a list: They won;t share buyer/downloader details with you. Also, the free days/ $0.99 pricing that used to work is basically a dead end now that Amazon's Algorithms have changed.

    Take a look at what Mark Earle had to say ^^^, that's great advice.

    Best of luck to you!
    Signature

    "Words have weight." ~ Stephen King



    * * * THE SMARTER WRITER'S OPTION * * *
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9026537].message }}

Trending Topics