The Magic of Ebook Reprint Rights
I wrote my latest e-book "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Almost
Every Business Owner Makes on Their Web Site" as a
lead-generation tool to get new subscribers to my e-zine.
I decided to promote it a different way. It's different from
anything I've ever done before, and it brought spectacular
results after just three weeks, and continues to bring in new
subscribers daily.
First, as I've mentioned already, I'm using the e-book as an
incentive for people to join my mailing list. An e-book or
special report is an excellent incentive, because it's low cost
but high value.
If you read the e-book, you'll also see that it promotes the
products and services that I offer. It's not ONLY about
self-promotion (I use the 80/20 guideline: Give 80% value, and
20% self-promotion), but it does promote me.
But here's the kicker ...
The most important thing I've done differently with this e-book
is this: The e-book is not just free - it's BETTER than free.
Huh? How can that be (I hear you cry)?
Because it also comes with reprint rights.
This means that you can copy the e-book yourself and give it
away, or even sell it. Yep, that's right - I'm giving it away,
AND I'm giving you the right to copy it and use it yourself.
This might seem a bit odd at first - after all, aren't I giving
away my intellectual property?
Yes and no.
I see it as a win-win proposition.
You win because you get a high-value product that you can use
yourself. For example, there's nothing stopping you from
offering my e-book as an incentive for people to sign up to your
newsletter. Or you could offer it as a bonus for people who
order something else by a certain date. Or you could even sell
it yourself and make money from it.
On the other hand, I still own the copyright on it, and one of
the conditions of giving it away is that you have to give it
away in its current form. So whoever gets a copy still sees all
the links to my products and my Web site.
That's exactly why it's a win for me as well. By allowing YOU to
distribute it freely, I can reach markets that would otherwise
be outside my own circle.
In fact, in the first three weeks after giving it away, my
newsletter subscription rate trebled!
Giving away your material can be a powerful marketing strategy.
Most people hold on tight to their intellectual property, scared
that it might be stolen by others, especially in a digital world
where copying is so easy to do. But there are real advantages to
taking the opposite approach and giving your stuff away. As long
as you do it with a clear purpose in mind, and you make it a
win-win proposition for both you and the other person, it can
really work to your advantage.