People write e-books for several reasons. One of those reasons is to make money. So why would any e-book author be willing to give their e-book away for free?

If you’re planning to write an e-book, how should you decide whether to charge for it or give it away?

It really comes down to why you’re writing your e-book in the first place. If your primary goal is to make money through the e-book sales, free e-books obviously aren’t for you. However, if your goal is to use the e-book to market something else (your blog, website, a larger e-book, another product, or your services), or just to help build your reputation more as an expert in the niche, writing a free e-book could be a good idea. Here’s why:

1. Free e-books naturally can give you more exposure, because anyone can get their hands on a copy.
2. If you haven’t already built a reputation in your niche, people may not be willing to pay you for what you have to say yet anyway.
3. Free e-books have a better chance of spreading virally. Most paid e-books don’t grant the buyer the right to distribute the e-book to others, while free e-books often do. Using a free e-book as a viral marketing tool simply means that your e-books will get passed around via word of mouth (or the Web’s equivalents).

Even if your primary goal is to make money from your e-book, don’t necessarily snub free e-books. You may find that offering a free shorter version or excerpt actually promotes the sales of your primary e-book.

Have you written and distributed a free e-book in the past? Why did you do it, and how did it work out for you?

About the Author: Jennifer Mattern

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Jenn is a professional blogger and freelance business writer. She has worked as a freelance writer since 1999, and has been an active business and niche blogger since 2004. She owns All Freelance Writing as well as several other sites and blogs covering PR, small business, and related topic areas. She is also currently writing a nonfiction book for freelance writers called The Query-Free Freelancer, and is the author of the Web Writer's Guide e-book series. Subscribe to my posts (only posts from this author).

1. Kristi Holl says:

   January 3, 2008 at 11:21 am

   I haven’t given away free e-books, but on my website http://www.KristiHoll.com I have “given away” free sample chapters of my book for writers called Writer’s First Aid. Browsers have a chance to read a sample chapter from each of the four sections of the book before choosing whether or not to buy. It seems to be working as a selling tool. Other webmasters have also used the free chapters as articles on their websites, with the buying information at the end of the article.

   http://www.Writers-First-Aid.blogspot.com

   Reply
2. Lisa Gates says:

   January 3, 2008 at 6:58 pm

   Jennifer, so nice to find your blog and the wealth of information here.

   In addition to the wonderful reasons you cite above, I do offer a free e-book on my site because, quite honestly, if people do the work in the “workbook” it makes working with clients flow so much more smoothly. In a very real sense, it’s a credibility builder, as well as a training tool.

   Thanks for the service you provide here to your readers!

   Reply
3. Advice Network Founders Blog» Blog archives » Ever Consider Writing an eBook? says:

   January 7, 2008 at 1:50 am

   [...] first two are generally the easier, writing an eBook can take you to a whole new level of success. All Freelance Writing posted an excellent article on your options when putting together an [...]

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4. Bill in Detroit says:

   December 31, 2009 at 1:54 pm

   Not yet … but I’m planning on one to establish credibility for a series of related titles under the heading of “If the free one was that good, then the $$ ones are probably worth paying for.” Of course, I intend that the pay titles actually BE worth their cost.

   Reply