Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine

24 Jun 2010

Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine

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Nothing says value like the words “FREE.”

Free costs everything to produce, but nothing to consume, and so, it helps feed the consumption engine that each of us relies on.

If people aren’t consuming, then they aren’t buying, so it is your job to fuel the consumption.

Freemium is everything.

It allows you to place faith in the powerful process of “if you build it, they will come.”

It allows you to give your ideas away.

It allows you to put your foot in the door, the door which bars you from an overcrowded room.

You might place value on your words, but your audience does not, therefore it is your job to prove them wrong.

This is what free ebooks accomplish, and this is why you must create one for your readers.

Don’t get me wrong. The goal with a free ebook is not to provide value, but to find a hook with which you can bait potential customers. To get them in the program.

And once you have them on your list, you are free to do with them what you wish.

The ebook is just a distraction. The list is where it’s at. Think not of the value you provide in that book, but of what you can get them to buy in the future.

Since value is unimportant, feel free to throw something together at random. Use a blank document if you must…design is also unimportant.

I would, however, craft a fancy title so that the hook is shiny and bright.

“But freebooks are a dime a dozen” you say…

It does not matter. No one will read it. They’ll download it, RT the link, and plan to read it, but they never will.

Everyone plays the part to perfection…in the same manner that they share links of posts they haven’t read, comment on posts only having read the headings, and fuel the fires of the consumption engine.

Your way of life…your value as a blogger…relies on the existence of this very machine. It is essential that you understand this.

It is the machine that feeds you.

In a perfect blogging world, every single blogger on the planet would offer a free ebook to their readers. It’s not your ebook that matters, but that of the greater good.

Don’t worry about art, leave that to someone else. Someone that enjoys taking risks.

You might never make a single dime as a blogger, but at least you’ll have something to give away.

At least you’ll feed the machine.

So come up with an idea, at random. The topic doesn’t matter. Write in large, double spaced fonts so that you take up more room, and put it front and center on your blog.

Free ebook for sale!

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http://twitter.com/shannonrss/status/16954740809 Shannon Albert’s RSS

Nathan Hangen – Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine:

Nothing says value like the words “FREE.”
… http://bit.ly/cFrQgf
http://twitter.com/kbloemendaal/status/16954742226 Keith

RT @nhangen Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine:

Nothing says value like the words “FREE.”
Free… http://bit.ly/cFrQgf
http://twitter.com/nhangen/status/16954812034 Nathan Hangen

Your job is to use free ebooks to fuel the consumption engine #bloginc http://ow.ly/22Sha
http://twitter.com/vintagekrug/status/16955739705 Dave Krug

Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine http://nathanhangen.com/blog/free-ebooks-fuel-consumption/
http://twitter.com/iannuttall/status/16958295398 Ian Nuttall

Didn't you start out with free ebooks? RT @nhangen Your job is to use free ebooks to fuel the consumption engine #bloginc http://ow.ly/22Sha
http://twitter.com/highlyinspired/status/16959770266 Shawn Christenson

"Free Ebook For Sale!" RT @nhangen: Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine #bloginc http://is.gd/d2r5T
http://www.totallyreflexology.com elyse

Free is a lovely word, a golden trap and somewhere I like to be too. Free works for me. Just so you know, one of the BEST free ebooks I've downloaded and reread a number of times is Claiming Your Destiny. Thanks for the inspiration and wisdom.
http://tylertervooren.com/advancedriskology Tyler Tervooren

I've got it! How to create a free ebook! It will be completely blank.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

Now you're talking my friend
http://twitter.com/drdanymorin Dr Dany Morin

This post disturbs me. At first I thought that it came from a guest blogger, but no.
I agree that the e-book is a marketing tool but please, don't tell me it's just that. What is point of writing a blog then? For people to only read the headlines? If I'm bullshitting my e-book (I haven't written one BTW), why don't I also spend only a couple of minutes on half baked posts on my blog?
Selling and making money is good but do we want to sell (or give away for free) shit? Where are we supposed to show our credibility and niche authority with attitudes like that?
Anyway, I still like the blog, it's just this post that is WTF to me.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

You're thinking…and that's good.
http://twitter.com/drdanymorin Dr Dany Morin

LOL Is this a sorta sarcastic post then?
Obviously you produce good value with your products (free and paying)… Maybe it's the unsuccessful bloggers with the attitude described above that create very pretty yet generic/pointless products.
http://www.financiallypoor.com Kevin

I feel like there'e sarcasm in this post. Is that correct? So the point is to change the game and offer something different? Sounds like a good plan.
http://www.eleanoredwards.co.uk Eleanor Edwards

*giggling*

Did you and Mike CJ plan this? You guys are making me giggling. I'm sitting here listening to that interview you and Kelly did on BloggerFM and then I head over here. lol
http://www.bloggingteacher.com Paul Cunningham

Nathan “The Hangman” Hangen strikes again.
http://twitter.com/petershallard/status/16975112318 Peter Shallard

What do *you* think @nhangen is talking about in this post? http://ow.ly/22Sha
http://www.petershallard.com Peter Shallard

As a relative outsider, coming online, the big thing I don't get about ebooks is that it's just… more content.

Just because you put it in a pdf with some slick graphics (or not) what make it different from a blog post… or a series of posts?

It's all just content. The only line in the sand that matters is “free” or “not free”… and I have no idea how most bloggers decide where they draw that line.

I think that we're living in the post-ebook boom… where ebooks used to be a surefire way to get big attention, simply because they were a novelty. The world's first ebook didn't have to include good ideas… it just had to be a pdf.

Now, the market is saturated. Nothing other than ideas worth reading will get read.

Still no substitute for having something useful to say.
menwithpens

Dude. You had me up to “free is part of the greater good.”

WHAT?! Oh god, Nathan's lost it. Someone call 911, will you? Greater good. *snort* Like I'm going to get into THAT kind of fu-fu… oh, wait. He's kidding.

*Mutters.*
http://olegmokhov.com Oleg Mokhov

Your value is in your art, indeed. *claps*

Well put, Nathan, well put.

You know I loved these posts
http://olegmokhov.com Oleg Mokhov

And also how Nathan “offers something different” by presenting the real message of this post in a different way. Love it.
http://twitter.com/notaproblog/status/16979807854 Jordan Cooper

"If people aren’t consuming, then they aren’t buying, so it is your job to fuel the consumption." @nhangen http://bit.ly/9x3P0U
cameronplommer

What do you recommend for a blogger that wants to take his content to a new level. For me that wants to get my entrepreneurial feet wet, creating informational producst like ebooks is a good start. If you disagree what do you recommend for somebody like me?
http://agilnetwork.blogspot.com/ Samuel Rodriguez

Great post Nathan!
You know i'm a consultant. After reading your posts and another great blogers (after this year i haven't read any) I'm serously thinking on becoming a bloger.
While developing my new business model the idea comes to my head: Selecting the niche, the language (english/spanish), etc.
One of the things that come very often to my mind is the idea of writing a book.
To many thinking to choose from. But, let me tell you, that makes me dream a lot too, and every good project starts this way: as a dream.
Thank you Nathan
http://keithbloemendaal.com Keith Bloemendaal

Is Dave Doolin writing these posts in your name?
http://josephratliff.com JosephRatliff

LOL, ahh Nate, nice flavor to the post dude

Falling in line, with the supposed “rules” etc…etc… If it's what everyone else is doing, that MUST be the right way . LOVE IT!

Give them freemiums out! It HAS to be the way business is done, because that's what everyone else is doing bwa hahhaahahahah.

LOL…
http://www.intuitivedesigns.net Naomi Niles

Tell you what, everyone can put out stuff for free and then pay me for the time I wasted reading it. Sounds good to me!
Jonny

What? No list of free ebooks? Boo.
http://twitter.com/ryanhanzel/status/17033901268 Ryan Hanzel

RT @nhangen Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine http://bit.ly/8ZSMDj
http://www.Michelle-Adams.com Michelle Adams

Clever!

Nathan I'm getting with the program and realising (thanks to you) that yes indeed, we are all free to do as we bloody wish! Our value is in our art!

Lately I've been dry reaching on the engine. I'm sick to the back teeth of it…. glad you talked recently about teaching more and less ranting as it stopped me in my tracks of a planned onslaught of calling out the engine/s.

Value in our art, value in our art…it's a brilliant mantra.

Thanks for keeping it real!
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

I'm working on something now. I think you will.

If in the end you don't like it…I'll do just that.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

This is where we're going. There's no other place to go.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

*bow*
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

Don't mutter my friend…scream it.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

I draw the line at art. Art should be paid for. Anything less deserves to be free.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

Great to see you here my man. You're working hard…KUTGW
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

I'm smiling ear to ear…thank you…I didn't think anyone actually read it.
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

There's one right here: http://nathanhangen.com/blog/claiming-your-destiny
http://twitter.com/sidsavara/status/17114388219 Sid Savara

RT @nhangen Use Free eBooks to Fuel the Consumption Engine http://bit.ly/8ZSMDj
http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

haha, I'm still not sure what this is all about. Is this some kind of psychological experiment to test how readers react to your change of style ?
http://nathanhangen.com/blog Nathan Hangen

Much more than that…stay tuned
http://obeybloginc.com BlogInc

There's no need for new levels. We're all equal in the blogosphere.
Shawna Newton

There's a lot to be said for free ebooks as well as premium content. There's no doubt about that. There are definitely two sides of the coin when considering if it's worth the time and effort to produce ebooks to help boost a business or number of visitors to a site or blog. I just finished writing on this very topic and did reference part of this post, Nathan, at http://bit.ly/96BxYm.

Great job clarifying the point why ebooks are far from dead!