Written on October 6th, 2008 at 12:10 am by Darren Rowse
How To Get Free Books To Give Away On Your Blog
One of the most successful ways to bring in new subscribers to your blog is to give away a bonus when people sign up.
In this post Brian Armstrong from StartBreakingFree.com shares some tips on getting free books to give away on your blog.
If you’re like most people, you haven’t had time to write a great book to give away as a sign-up bonus. Well, today I’m going to show you two very easy ways to get such a book:
- Create your own with an e-book template
- Use someone else’s book that is in the public domain (you’d be amazed how many great books are out there for free!)
Create Your Own eBook In 48 Hours With An E-book Template
About a year ago I stumbled across these excellent e-book templates which were being given away by Eben Pagan (he is a successful internet marketer and deserves all the credit for these, I didn’t create them!)
They have a professional design in nine different colors, come with instructions, and make it super easy to get a book done quickly.
Here are the steps which I’ve personally used to create an eBook in less than 48 hours:
- Use a “top 10″ formula. Writing a book from scratch sounds hard but anybody can come up with 10 tips in their niche. Even if it ends up being only 20 or 30 pages that’s ok for an eBook.
- Create a catchy title based on the top 10 theme, such as “10 Ways To Raise Your Grades By Studying Smarter, Not Harder” or “10 Secrets To Making Money Online”
- Come up with the 10 tips by brainstorming and looking at the best posts on your blog.
- Put the tips in a logical order and include several sub-points under each one.
- Now plug your tips and sub-points into the template and write a paragraph or two under each one (copy and paste text from blog posts you’ve already written when appropriate).
- Summarize your main points in an introduction and conclusion and you’ve got a book!
- Use Adobe Reader to convert it to a PDF for distrbution.
You should also familiarize yourself with Microsoft Word’s “styles” to keep your formatting consistent. If you want to change how a subheading looks, for example, you shouldn’t change it manually. Instead, you should edit the “subheading style” and it will apply your changes to all the subheadings. This will save you a lot of time down the road.
Finally, upload your PDF to your server and find a way to automatically send your eBook to new subscribers. In Feedburner you can include this link in the confirmation email (login to Feedburner and go to Publicize -> Email Subscriptions -> Communication Preferences). Similar options exist for Aweber and other newsletter providers. Some people also include the link in the bottom of every RSS post.
Second Option: Get Free Books To Give Away!
The second, and perhaps easier, method is to use a book that someone else has already written.
There are an amazing number of books in the public domain (and also under the creative commons license, more on this later) which you can give away on your site. For example, in my niche of entrepreneurship, I paid good money for three books years ago that I heard were excellent: Think and Grow Rich, The Richest Man In Babylon, and The Way To Wealth.
Imagine how surprised I was to discover that all three of these books were now available online for free! I found PDF copies using the method I describe below and started giving them away on my website. My subscribers started going up immediately!
So how do you find these books? Well, according to Wikipedia…
In the United States, all books and other works published before 1923 have expired copyrights and are in the public domain. In addition, works published before 1964 that did not have their copyrights renewed 28 years after first publication year also are in the public domain…
Many books which are not in the public domain can still be found under the creative commons license. The Creative Commons license is somewhere in between a full copyright and a public domain work. Many times, the work can still be given away for free, but you are not allowed to sell it and you must pay attribution to the original author. This still works fine for our sign-up bonus however.
I’ve had the most success finding public domain and creative commons works at a site called Scribd.com.
They have tons of PDF’s of various works. And it’s easy to see the the copyright at the bottom of each page. Many of them use the creative commons terms like “attribution” (meaning you must keep the original author’s name in there) or “non-commercial” (meaning you can’t sell it). It’s probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with these terms by visiting the creative commons definitions page.
Once you’d found a PDF you like, you can download it directly from Scribd.com and use it in the same way described above.
Conclusion
Now you have no excuse NOT to give away a great sign-up bonus for your new subscribers! Set aside some time this week to get this together, and start watching your subscriber numbers climb!
To get more tips like these, check out Brian Armstrong’s blog at StartBreakingFree.com. It’s full of great advice on how to quit your 9-to-5, start your own business, and achieve financial freedom. He’ll even send you 3 of the top 10 books ever written on building wealth for FREE when you subscribe, instantly delivered to your inbox!
Tags: Blog Promotion, ebooks
68 Responses to “How To Get Free Books To Give Away On Your Blog” - Add Yours
Eric Hamm
October 6th, 2008 12:49 am
I actually took the time to write a 50 page e-book on sleep and have been offering it for free on my motivational blog. I never thought to make subscribing a requirement to download the book. It’s too late for that now, but I will certainly consider this in the future. I’m looking into contests as another great way to encourage visitors to subscribe.
Thanks for the great resources to look into. Eric.
Saurabh
October 6th, 2008 12:54 am
Nice Tips. But how would I know that people have subscribed to my blog? I give an RSS feed in my blog not an e-mail feed.
So this method is nothing for me because I can’t know about my visitors!
Jason Crouch
October 6th, 2008 12:55 am
Thanks for your insight on this topic. I have been considering writing Ebooks for awhile now, and your tips are invaluable. I am going to hang on to this post for future reference. It seems like such an easy way to promote my business and blog. Good stuff!
Kate Saltfleet
October 6th, 2008 12:59 am
Thanks for the tips, I’m looking at ways to improve my RSS numbers at the moment. I have been using creative commons attributions as a way of finding interesting photos for my blog, posts, so I will have a look at these too.
Kate
Dilip Shaw
October 6th, 2008 12:59 am
>> Create your own
Not everyone can write an ebook
>>Use someone else’s book
Many others are using the same book – so the problem is my subscribers may not like it. Moreover books written by someone else may have links to their site – so my subscribers may move out.
And what about my credentials?
I may have to say
“Please subscribe – I will give a book written by Mr. x (read not me)”
While I agree that I subscribe because I get something in return, but I must admit most of them were written by the owner of the site themselves.
Darren you forget to write another idea – get it outsourced!!!
If you have money somebody can write a book for you.
Dilip Shaw
http://www.DilipShaw.com/
Steven Wilson
October 6th, 2008 1:01 am
Some very good information on giving free ebooks for subscribers.I have been tossing this idea around,and really could use this info.
Thanks
sean
October 6th, 2008 1:06 am
I haven’t seen templates for this before. thanks for pointing them out. If it is free and isn’t original then what sort of quality will it be?
I certainly wouldn’t want to distribute something that wasn’t a good reflection on my blog.
Sean
Richard Farrar
October 6th, 2008 1:08 am
I’ve been thinking of doing an e-book myself for a while, but wasn’t really sure how to link it to the website. The feedburner tip is just what I’ve been looking for thanks.
Adam Singer
October 6th, 2008 1:08 am
the breaking free blog was pretty cool – thanks for linking…
this is an interesting strategy however i think if you’re going to do this you should be careful in the language/graphics you use and really think it through
you definitely don’t want to come off looking like a spam site, which is always possible when you scream ’sign up and get this free’
Nathan
October 6th, 2008 1:08 am
Great article and resources, some of the best tips I’ve read in a while. My only concern is what to do with the list once I’ve developed it.
Building a list is great, but monetizing it is the hard part.
SparkD
October 6th, 2008 1:18 am
I’ll add this as on my to-do later list. For some reason, this topic keeps popping up. I’ll find a way to used it.
Andy Merrett
October 6th, 2008 1:38 am
one thing you may have to be careful of is books that are free only for non commercial use. If your blog is even slightly commercial in nature (runs ads for example) then you may technically not be allowed to distribute the work, even for free. I might be wrong on that of course but it’s worth checking.
I still think a personally-written, unique book is more of a draw than someone roses if you have the time to write it.
Codrut Turcanu I Start a Blog
October 6th, 2008 1:51 am
you should have said eBooks – I guess books is more for the general market who has no clue what digital books are, right?
markowe - WordBay
October 6th, 2008 2:07 am
I’m not sure what you were getting at, but I’d just point out that you can’t use Adobe Reader to convert a document to PDF (am I missing something here?).
Assuming this is done in Word (I haven’t had time to look at the templates), you might have meant Adobe ACROBAT, but actually that’s an unnecessary and expensive option. You could do it with a free, open source PDF creator like… PDF Creator – http://www.pdfforge.org/
Anyway, not sure I’ll be writing an eBook any time soon…. And if I ever write anything decent enough, I’d rather publish it as a real book..!
Shafar
October 6th, 2008 2:13 am
I think this is gonna be one of your popular post Darren. Great post. Thanks a lot.
izzat
October 6th, 2008 2:36 am
nice one.. :D i currently looking for something to giveaway, to increase my subscriber.. thank you very much. but though, how we do it.. how when people sign up, the will be redirect to download url.. or i just give the url by manual? hope someone can help me.. :)
Greg Ellison
October 6th, 2008 2:51 am
I should have done this before to put a link to my ebook in the confirmation email. I have already added it to my confirmation email. Thanks for the tip.
Greg Ellison
Vintage Mommy
October 6th, 2008 3:06 am
Thank you for the book template – what a great resource!
I’m planning an ebook about how to write an Adoption Story Book and this will be so useful – otherwise I’ll overthink the design and layout and never get it done.
Geek-News.Net
October 6th, 2008 3:51 am
@Dilip Shaw
I couldn’t agree more. I’m not the best writer in the world and probably wouldn’t be able to create an entire book on my own. I’m sure there are people and place you could enlist help from but even then it could be an overwhelming task.
Giving away someone else’s books might sound good and all and would be easy enough but again how does that lend to any credibility on my behalf. If anything said subscriber is likely to then go search out the author. Should that person have a competing site then I could potentially be driving my traffic his way.
Outsourcing could be a viable alternative, I might have to look around and see if I can find a couple sites, or people, that offer their service and see how cost effective it might be.
Windows Guides
October 6th, 2008 3:54 am
I wrote two books (100+ pages) on Windows Vista and my readership went through the roof.
I get feedback all the time; I can definitely vouch for the good effect sharing an eBook brings!
Steve
October 6th, 2008 4:12 am
Excellent tip! I plan on using your advice starting this week and giving away something 2 to 3 times a month. Your blog has the best advice out there.
Steve
United Voices
October 6th, 2008 4:13 am
Certainly, now a days almost all of the top bloggers seem to be using this mantra to attract more and more readers, so should i say quality readers to their website.
Its almost a sure shot to attract more and more customers to their website. I’d also want quite a handful of viewers who’d subscribe as well. ;)
Jessica Bond
October 6th, 2008 4:54 am
Thank you for the e-book template and great idea! You are a wealth of information!
Jani
October 6th, 2008 4:55 am
Well, to be honest, I’m not really comfortable with it. Giving away such “10 tips stuff” doesn’t add real value in my opinion and it always seems to me like some kind of online marketing scam whenever I see those things on a blog…
Double
October 6th, 2008 5:19 am
I like the tip. I envision more readers at my site.
Bad Credit
October 6th, 2008 5:56 am
You never cease to amaze me with these posts. Giving away free books is the way to go and make the subscriber want more.
Debo Hobo
October 6th, 2008 6:12 am
Great idea, I checked out the site but for my niche there were only 2-3 page articles. I’m looking for something a bit bigger.
But I really do intend to start offering the ebook with RSS subscriptions
Jay | Wealthy Affiliate Insider
October 6th, 2008 6:48 am
Wow. I love option one. Creating your own ebooks has so many benefits but its always the part where you have to do the actual creation that gets me stuck to the point where I just put it off and never get to it.
I usually use other people’s stuff but its hard to get quality content that doesn’t build someone elses business than yours. PLR are usually very substandard so I try not to use those.
Thanks for the tips.
Michael
October 6th, 2008 8:26 am
I wrote an eBook and totally was unable to move it. Never even thought of this approach. Great stuff. Thanks Darren.
Steven-Sanders
October 6th, 2008 8:28 am
Absolutely outstanding information! Thanks alot.
Mark Dykeman
October 6th, 2008 8:35 am
These two suggestions are quite pertinent to some things that I’m thinking of doing for my own blog, so thanks.
I notice some concerns in the comments about “giving away” someone else’s work instead of your own – correct attribution is a must, after all. It’s also worth considering the fact that you might ultimately drive someone away from your own blog if the material you give away is that good (i.e. why bother staying at your blog when they might get better material at someone else’s location?)
Still, I’m going to check out Scribd and see what’s there.
X-Factor Blog
October 6th, 2008 9:43 am
Thanks for the link to the ebook template, great resource & I’m sure it can be applied to many niches.
May not suit those who are not running MMO blogs but a great resource all the same.
Daniel
October 6th, 2008 10:45 am
I love this idea!
Just wondering, how can I give away the book if I have feedburner?
I’ll find out, but anyway, very clever idea!
Davina
October 6th, 2008 11:46 am
I’m loving the template — thanks! But one thing… although people may subscribe to receive the free ebook, that doesn’t stop them from unsubscribing after receiving it. I’d be tempted to just offer the book without making subscribing an issue. It may draw more loyal subscribers that way. Just a feeling…
Daniel
October 6th, 2008 11:54 am
I found it out. Sorry, that was stupid question I asked.
I was just really tired when I read this.
Cath Lawson
October 6th, 2008 12:27 pm
Thanks Darren – This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I just downloaded the free templates and they are brilliant. They’ll save a heap of time.
Vizio LCD Guy
October 6th, 2008 12:53 pm
John Chow does a great job with his “Free eBook for signing up”. He and Darren are definitely the experts.
Kok Choon
October 6th, 2008 2:40 pm
Thanks for the template, still in the process to create an ebook for my subscriber…
se7en
October 6th, 2008 2:50 pm
This is fantastic… I never thought I could get started, you know the first step is the hardest one! But with a template – yay…. You are such a great resource, Thank you.
chuan
October 6th, 2008 3:49 pm
lol, it’s ebook..i thought a “analog” book.hehe XD
jhay
October 6th, 2008 4:06 pm
The idea is wonderful and if it really works, it’s a step closer to seriously writing a good book.
Matt | Small Business Entrepreneur
October 6th, 2008 4:32 pm
Great tips, and thanks for sharing! Will definitely check out those sources for free books, but something tells me I am going to have to write my own in order to be perfectly happy with it!
Matt
amirulcyber
October 6th, 2008 4:42 pm
darren it has been so long i did not come to your blog.You quality still maintain.
Matt
October 6th, 2008 7:31 pm
I wrote an ebook as well about Magento ecommerce, how to customize the css, I am writing a new one now for promotional use only, it’s a great way to get a mailing list
music. marketing. management.
October 6th, 2008 8:05 pm
Still solid as stuff coming here Dawwen! Dynamite! Cheers!
Dominique
October 6th, 2008 10:49 pm
I do have a free e-book on my site written by myself. I use Aweber to distribute it..they have to sign up before they are given the download link. I find Aweber distribution more trustworthy and it gives me more information like where they are from, which page they downloaded it from etc. And if they do unsubscribe when they do it. :)
CoolProducts
October 7th, 2008 1:22 am
I like this idea. Is this something that’s being seen more frequently with bloggers?
DadTopics
October 7th, 2008 1:37 am
Great idea. Especially when giving away an non-copyrighted book. Not much work involved there.
Christian Cabuay
October 7th, 2008 7:20 am
I use a free ebook as a “Free Prize” to my products and services.
Stu McLaren
October 7th, 2008 9:08 pm
This article was a great reminder that we’ve all got to do something in order to make our blog stand out – especially if we want people to sign up for our mailing list.
The times have come and gone when people will give you their email address for nothing. This is even more true if they aren’t familiar with you or your content.
BTW – thanks for sharing the link from Eben. That will definitely come in handy.
All the best.
Tumblemoose
October 8th, 2008 12:09 am
Thanks for pointing out what should have been painfully obvious. I’ve been wanting to give away an e-book on tumblemoose but thought that an e-book project would just be too cumbersome at this time.
Cheers.
George
iqbal
October 8th, 2008 2:07 am
Thanks for such beautiful tips. Really enjoyed all this info.
Rodney Smith
October 8th, 2008 3:32 pm
Thanks for the tip. Scribd is a great resource – just did a search and found titles like “PHP and MySQL for Dummies” and “PHP5 and MySQL Bible”. Quite how these have been release under a CC licence I’m not sure, but they do seem to be (at least according to scribd).
Sherman Haywood Cox II
October 9th, 2008 12:18 am
Thanks for the templates. I have created about 4 ebooks and have been looking for a template.
John Hoff - eVentureBiz
October 9th, 2008 9:50 am
Love the post and some great comments here.
However, I’m still waiting to see if anyone can answer the person above who asked how they can give away an eBook to the people who subscribe by RSS?
Kate
October 9th, 2008 11:32 am
A very interesting concept. I agree that it has many possible positives and negatives. Something to think about, though!
pilidyemy
October 10th, 2008 3:57 am
Thanks for the pillar, i dont unusually do much christmas shopping but hesitation underneath, also i be dressed added you to RSS want survive proclaiming :)
http://xmasgifts.freebloghosting.co.uk/2008/10/09/welcome-to-my-christmas-gift-blog/
Karen Putz / DeafMom
October 10th, 2008 11:41 am
Thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I needed!
Blogger Tips
October 10th, 2008 11:31 pm
This is a great idea to gain new readers. Thanks
Rick
October 11th, 2008 3:20 am
I like this idea and plan to add it to my sites but like a couple of the people above I can’t for the life of me see how you can allow the download once they are registered? Any suggestions would be a help.
Yu Ming Lui
October 11th, 2008 11:45 am
Thanks Darren for sharing this great resource. This would definitely help fledgling blogs like my own.
StartBreakingFree.com
October 12th, 2008 4:55 am
@Saurabh – some people still do this with a feed only, by including a link at the bottom of each post, check out http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com for an example
@Nathan – have you tried adsense for feeds? private ad sales work well here too
@Andy Merrett – you have can have a commercial site, as long as you don’t sell the book
@markowe – WordBay – you’re right that might not have been clear, as I recall from using a PC (it’s been a while) when you install adobe reader it installs a “print to pdf” option that is available in any print menu. this comes by default on Mac’s. You can use any PDF creator tho.
Regarding several comments about driving traffic away from your site: most of these books that are now available were written a while back. The authors have often passed away (Ben Franklin?) and even if they are still alive they aren’t likely to have blogs. Just a thought :)
Thanks everyone for the comments and glad you enjoyed the post!
-Brian Armstrong
venkat
October 13th, 2008 11:09 pm
Its nice way to get more subscribers every blogger should consider this in my opinion.
DirectMarketingRx
October 24th, 2008 4:32 pm
Using the ebook templates. Also checking out Sribd and public domain books. Some really good Dale Carnegie books available. Thanks for the continued good resources and info.
ATLANTA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
October 31st, 2008 5:21 am
I took the ebook template and am using it for mine. I thought that I was going to have to pay someone for it thanks. I really liked the idea of getting a book that doesn’t have a copywrite to it. thanks
Nick
January 29th, 2009 12:13 pm
Thank you very much for this post. This is exactly what I was looking for. I guess it’s time to write a book.
Mohammad Afaq
February 11th, 2009 1:07 pm
Nice tips, I really like them and I am looking forward to use them to get some ebooks on my website. I have already downloaded the ebook templates.
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afaqtrafficblog.blogspot.com.
Joel
February 28th, 2009 2:11 pm
Thank you so much darren! :)
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