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Ask Slashdot: Funding Models For a Free E-book?

Posted by samzenpus on from the free-is-not-free dept.

danspalding writes "I'm an adult education teacher in SF who wrote an e-book about how to teach adults. It will be available to download for free in January 2013. I Kickstarted enough money for editing, design and publicity, but not enough to pay me anything up front. I'm considering making a $1, $10 and $25 version available from Amazon as a way for folks to donate money to me, as well as a straight up PayPal link on my site. Is it possible to produce quality material for teachers to download for free in a way that's economically sustainable? Might readers accidentally pay for a copy without realizing there's a free download and get angry? And where should I host the free-to-download version?"

7 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Make up your mind.... by ath1901 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, it can be both. He's giving it away for free and asking for voluntary donations. I.e. it will be free and if people donate, he will make a profit.

    The last sentence also shows he is concerned about readers misunderstanding this model of free+donations and accidentally paying when they actually wanted it for free. It is a valid concern and it shows his heart is in the right place.

    I'm sorry I don't have any good advice but I hope someone else does. This type of initiative is what the world needs.

  2. Check Pro-Git by Pastis · · Score: 4, Informative

    Free ebook, paying print version. http://git-scm.com/book

    --
    Sneak teach kids Algebra using a game
  3. Re:Make up your mind.... by Yvanhoe · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actually, if the kickstarter had been made factoring in a salary, it could have been both free AND for profit.

    Otherwise, look into a roleplaying game that was known to be commercial but also released under creative commons : Eclipse Phase. They sell the hardcover book, they sell the PDF, but you can distribute it freely. It is not hard to find, yet they manage to make a living this way.

    CC-nc may be the thing you are looking for...

    --
    The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
  4. 10 ways to monetize ebooks by All_One_Mind · · Score: 5, Informative
    I've made some spare money writing and marketing ebooks, but I moved onto greener pastures long ago. Some of the business strategies or ideas I have had monetizing ebooks:
    • 1. Embed affiliate links to other books within the ebook
    • 2. Offer additional content that supplements the ebook for a small donation
    • 3. Require an email address/newsletter subscription before sending the free ebook, and then try and monetize through the newsletters
    • 4. Offer physical copies of the book for a fee
    • 5. Break the ebook up into smaller parts for an email newsletter series, and monetize in the newsletter
    • 6. Pledge to write additional material as certain fundraising goals are met
    • 7 .Turn the ebook into a mutipage website and populate with Google Ads
    • 8. Sell resale rights, PLR, etc.
    • 9. Initially sell the ebook only, and then unlock it for free for all people after $xxxx has been raised
    • 10. Write additional non-free books/ebooks and then use your free ebooks to advertise the pay books

    Now I know many of these are not applicable to OP, but it's what worked for me before I moved onto writing GPL software instead of ebooks.

  5. The Kickstarter listing by Neil_Brown · · Score: 3, Informative

    In case seeing Dan's Kickstarter listing might help inform the debate.

  6. offer a printed version by davecb · · Score: 4, Informative

    O'Reilly discovered that people will pay real money for a printed copy even when they get an electronic copy of the book free. "Using Samba" was and is distributed free with the "Samba" SMB server program, through the initiative of my editor, Andy Oram, and the book went from a distant third on the subject to one of the company's top sellers of the year.

    --dave

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    davecb@spamcop.net
  7. Re:I'm an author who posts their books for free by danspalding · · Score: 3, Informative

    The freedom was a huge incentive. If nothing else, I get to make my book beautiful, while other educational publishers are putting some of the fugliest covers on god's green earth on their author's books. (Think I exaggerate? Look at this. Just look at it.) With this project no one made me change the focus, or put in language I didn't like, or otherwise force a change for no good reason. If nothing else I'll have more leverage going into a traditional publishing situation next time, because I won't be a first-time author anymore.

    --
    Teaching, coding, coffee, revolution.