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I would give some free excerpts. Maybe even a free chapter. If the content is really good, this process will happen in the customer's mind: 1. Wow! 2. My mind

I would give some free excerpts. Maybe even a free chapter. If the content is really good, this process will happen in the customer's mind: 1. Wow! 2. My mind is blown! 3. This content is top notch, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of it.

ahoyhere 17y ago
Yeah, I didn't want to do that for the beta. I didn't actually think anyone would buy it during the beta, that was a surprise. And then I wanted to spend all the time working on the book, not optimizing for sales... prematurely. ;) There will be a sample chapter up next week. Believe it or not, I wrote this post more to A) keep in touch with my readers, and B) turn (smart, non-sleazy, geeky) people's minds towards creating their own informational products than to C) promote the book. :)
- kalid 17y ago
  Hi Amy, thanks for posting! You're helping me with B) -- I'm working on an ebook for my website (http://betterexplained.com http://betterexplained.com) and your first-hand experience is really useful. Unfortunately many of the ebook tutorials seem to be of the "get rich quick" variety, it's nice to hear from someone interested in communicating with the community and helping people learn.
thesethings 17y ago
That's a great idea, and bridges some of the gap between an ebook and a paper book that one could leaf through prior to purchase, or even the ol' Amazon excerpts.
acangiano 17y ago
Agreed, and it's not limited to books either. My startup's (http://ThinkCode.TV http://ThinkCode.TV) aim will be selling high-quality programming screencasts. We immediately decided that the first episode of each course should be free.
- deleted 17y ago
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bprater 17y ago
In theory, excerpts are great. I've been sold on products with them. But they can be dangerous, too. It's like software demos -- you put pressure on the end-user to download, install and then figure out your software. I know I don't have 2 hours to figure out if your software will do what I need it to! Whereas -- if you create a screencast demonstrating the power of your software or products, infomercial style, it has much more power to convert folks to buyers. So if Amy really wanted to wow the masses, she could give some visual demonstrations (possibly in the form of a screencast) of the power of her ebook. Few people do this and it could be a real winner for her!

ahoyhere 17y ago

Yeah, I didn't want to do that for the beta. I didn't actually think anyone would buy it during the beta, that was a surprise. And then I wanted to spend all the time working on the book, not optimizing for sales... prematurely. ;) There will be a sample chapter up next week. Believe it or not, I wrote this post more to A) keep in touch with my readers, and B) turn (smart, non-sleazy, geeky) people's minds towards creating their own informational products than to C) promote the book. :)

kalid 17y ago
Hi Amy, thanks for posting! You're helping me with B) -- I'm working on an ebook for my website (http://betterexplained.com http://betterexplained.com) and your first-hand experience is really useful. Unfortunately many of the ebook tutorials seem to be of the "get rich quick" variety, it's nice to hear from someone interested in communicating with the community and helping people learn.

thesethings 17y ago

That's a great idea, and bridges some of the gap between an ebook and a paper book that one could leaf through prior to purchase, or even the ol' Amazon excerpts.

acangiano 17y ago

Agreed, and it's not limited to books either. My startup's (http://ThinkCode.TV http://ThinkCode.TV) aim will be selling high-quality programming screencasts. We immediately decided that the first episode of each course should be free.

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

bprater 17y ago

In theory, excerpts are great. I've been sold on products with them. But they can be dangerous, too. It's like software demos -- you put pressure on the end-user to download, install and then figure out your software. I know I don't have 2 hours to figure out if your software will do what I need it to! Whereas -- if you create a screencast demonstrating the power of your software or products, infomercial style, it has much more power to convert folks to buyers. So if Amy really wanted to wow the masses, she could give some visual demonstrations (possibly in the form of a screencast) of the power of her ebook. Few people do this and it could be a real winner for her!