How to offer eBook? Downloadable PDF? Kindle/Mac?

[Philip Marlowe]

Hey guys - I'm curious how some of you have offered your short ebooks through your website. I plan to charge for mine (likely $9.99-14.99) and for ease of access, I was hoping to offer it as a direct-download PDF. I'll also have a very short, free product that will be sent as a PDF I exchange for e-mails addresses.

I'm really learning as I go here and mostly doing it the hard way. I'm using MS Word instead of something like Scrivener, but will certainly hire-out the cover work and have a line-edit done and possibly format.

I realize this opens me up to the document to being shared or pirated, but it's not an major work like Unscripted and I doubt anyone coming to my site spends a lot of time pirating stuff (just a hunch based on my target audience).

Overtime, this particular ebook will be one that I mature into a larger work and eventually publish. I'd prefer not to give away too many details yet but it lends itself well to multiple editions and new content.

Any thoughts (maybe @Aaron T ?) This will be the first of 3-4 "cornerstone" ebooks on my website.

Thanks!

 

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[MattR82]

I read something the other day about some kind of watermark style thing that can be done, but it is more so to stop people from stealing your content an reselling it I believe.

Maybe a password protected pdf?

I'm currently writing an ebook at the moment as well. But as far as pirating goes, if they are going to pirate it, then they are not really the customers I'm looking for anyway.

 

[Philip Marlowe]

I like both of those ideas on the watermark and PW. And I agree - if you're searching the net to pirate my eBook, you're definitely not the long-term fan I was hoping to find.

 

[Aaron T]

Hey guys - I'm curious how some of you have offered your short ebooks through your website. I plan to charge for mine (likely $9.99-14.99) and for ease of access, I was hoping to offer it as a direct-download PDF. I'll also have a very short, free product that will be sent as a PDF I exchange for e-mails addresses.

I'm really learning as I go here and mostly doing it the hard way. I'm using MS Word instead of something like Scrivener, but will certainly hire-out the cover work and have a line-edit done and possibly format.

I realize this opens me up to the document to being shared or pirated, but it's not an major work like Unscripted and I doubt anyone coming to my site spends a lot of time pirating stuff (just a hunch based on my target audience).

Overtime, this particular ebook will be one that I mature into a larger work and eventually publish. I'd prefer not to give away too many details yet but it lends itself well to multiple editions and new content.

Any thoughts (maybe @Aaron T ?) This will be the first of 3-4 "cornerstone" ebooks on my website.

Thanks!

I really use just Google doc mostly for my ebooks. I will often record what I want to type up. Then send to one of my offshore assistants to do the typing and editing of it. I will then go over it again, insert the pics I need if it requires and finalize it. I have several formats depending on what I am trying to write.

Oh I use Fivver and search ecover for a ebook cover I can get made quickly for cheap.

Now I don't bother protecting it because people steal all the time and will take this content regardless. Now if you can trademark it and if you are writing a novel or something that makes sense. For what I do (I have never written a novel) I don't bother. Not worth it.

 

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[Philip Marlowe]

Thanks, Aaron. I'll probably do the basics like a PW on the PDF and really light watermark, but that's it. At least on this first go-round.

 

[AndrewNC]

I realize this opens me up to the document to being shared or pirated, but it's not an major work like Unscripted and I doubt anyone coming to my site spends a lot of time pirating stuff (just a hunch based on my target audience)

All my books are on Amazon and then I use smashwords to push out to other platforms.

The books all have multiple CTAs that link to my supplemental video course (free) - which is through an email opt in.

On the back end is my premium programs and consulting - this way I don't care if my book is pirated since it's just more awareness for my brand.

 

[Aaron T]

All my books are on Amazon and then I use smashwords to push out to other platforms.

The books all have multiple CTAs that link to my supplemental video course (free) - which is through an email opt in.

On the back end is my premium programs and consulting - this way I don't care if my book is pirated since it's just more awareness for my brand.

I love that. It is a super smart way to do it. I have links in mine all the same as well. I never once thought about pirating the books, but the content gets rewritten and links changed on certain ones which is where the problems come in. It is minor and those particular products are not all the special. But I have some that are and I would take some care with them. They are also not ebooks.

 

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[MattR82]

@Aaron T have you ever looked at Designrr for formatting your ebooks? It's a program that takes web pages/blogs (and word docs) and automatically converts it into an ebook.

I'm also just using Google Docs and it's working fine. Although the biggest breakthrough I had with writing was breaking everything down into the tiniest sections possible, pretty much every topic that is half a page to a page at least, and setting it up like that in Trello. So Scrivener is actually looking pretty handy now to be honest. If it's what I think it is, being able to move cards around similar to Trello but with word docs essentially. Can get a bit messy doing it like this in Google Docs, but not impossible.

 

[Aaron T]

@Aaron T have you ever looked at Designrr for formatting your ebooks? It's a program that takes web pages/blogs (and word docs) and automatically converts it into an ebook.

I'm also just using Google Docs and it's working fine. Although the biggest breakthrough I had with writing was breaking everything down into the tiniest sections possible, pretty much every topic that is half a page to a page at least, and setting it up like that in Trello. So Scrivener is actually looking pretty handy now to be honest. If it's what I think it is, being able to move cards around similar to Trello but with word docs essentially. Can get a bit messy doing it like this in Google Docs, but not impossible.

I really haven't seen that program. Most of my eBooks are very simple and I have a strong pattern I follow for them. I did try to put templates and use iBooks Creator in the Mac but it didn't really do what I wanted. Right now the way I have myself setup is I dictate everything I want for an eBook product. I then send to my Writer/Editor offshore and she makes it a fully fleshed out thing. I think take that back and add in the proper pictures/formatting. I resend to her for a final run through and then that is it. It is a simple process and I like process. I want stuff to be regular and easy hence the cheap/free tools and actually paying someone that has time to do this.

Again I want to make sure that everyone knows though that I don't right novels This is simple marketing product and sales product. Nothing fantastic by a long shot. If I were writing a novel or a full book then I might do something different. My most recent use of this was for a simple quick start guide and then a full course for a month long project I was testing. Simple and fast and it worked.