The Benefits of Buying
PDF eBooks & Reports

by Barbara Brabec
(Updated November, 2110)
 

WHEN I OFFERED MY FIRST EBOOK and saw the resistance my regular book readers had to it, I published this article to educate them on the benefits of buying information electronically.

With sales of my trade books nearing the half-million mark, and with perhaps another half-million or more readers who have found my books in libraries, I realized it was going to be a challenge to convince my "real book fans" that they needed to consider the electronic help and information I would be offering them in the future.

eBook Reading Options

Much has changed in the past couple of years. Many traditional book publishers are now publishing both print and Kindle editions of new titles to encourage sales to consumers who have embraced eBook technology. In fact, it has been predicted that, in five years, MOST new books will be published first (and perhaps only) in eBook form. The younger generation seems to love eBooks, but when I offered my first eBook (formatted as a simple PDF document), many of my readers told me that they preferred their business information in a book, or at least on paper, because they wanted something they could hold . . . something they could curl up with in an easy chair with a cup of coffee or tea in one hand and a yellow highlighter in the other.

I understand completely because I'm one of those people. I can't begin to count the number of helpful books I've read in my lifetime, always with a highlighter pen in hand. But I also appreciate eBooks, especially those from good writers who offer niche-topic business information based on their own experience. And if they also offer Internet resources that could take me hours, days, or even weeks to turn up on my own, I'm all the more interested. At my age, I don't have a lot of hours to waste reinventing the wheel.

PDF eBooks: Different from TRADE eBooks

This article focuses on business information currently being offered as PDF documents—not books that have been formatted for eBook readers such as the Kindle. Like so many others, I don't read PDF eBooks on my computer, but merely scan them for the specific information I want. Instead of complaining that this  information isn't in the form of a real book, I simply print a copy if I want to read it from cover to cover after I'm off the computer. But I also retain the e-version on my computer so I can pull it up at any time to search for specific information or access the Web links in it that I've highlighted on the paper copy for follow-up and research.

I have always found that a nonfiction business eBook by a noted author can be worth ten times its price if it is well written and based on the author's first-hand experience and research. When an eBook also includes additional information that is unavailable anywhere else on the Web, plus a wealth of additional supplemental Web resources, that only increases the value of its information.

Not all eBooks are Worth Their Price, However

OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW there is a LOT of "eBook junk" out there. In fact, I've been appalled by the bad writing and editing I've found in some eBooks from so-called business experts. But many of these publishers (it's hard for me to call them "authors") aren't trying to build a reputation as good writers; they have simply jumped on the "eBook bandwagon" because they have found they can get rich by using an affiliate program to sell eBooks to information seekers, often at exorbitant prices as high as $197.

I hate it when such eBook writers use a 16-point font size with triple spacing between lines and twice that much between paragraphs just to fluff up the page count, so I've vowed not to run with this crowd. I will continue to write and publish electronic information with the same care I've always given to books offered to trade publishers. Any PDF eBooks and reports I may publish will always be formatted for readability and have no more pages than necessary so readers who want to print them won't be wasting paper needlessly.

The Benefits of Buying Electronically

1. Easy and IMMEDIATE ACCESS to the information you want. No waiting for delivery by mail, no postage and handling costs. Just one click to order through PayPal, another click in the confirming email to download the information, and one more click to save the file for use and ready reference as long as desired.

2. Easy downloads. Slow Internet access should not be a problem with any PDF eBook or report I may offer. They will open automatically in Adobe Reader if you have installed it on your computer. (If you have a dial-up connection and are concerned about the download time, check the document size so you can calculate this based on the speed of your connection.)

3. Easy conversion to paper. If you want a print copy for reference, one click will do that job. (The speed of your printer will determine the print time of any eBook or report.) You can decide whether you will print the whole book or report, or only selected pages, and you also have the option of printing in grayscale if you want to save your color ink cartridge.

4. A 100% Guarantee of Satisfaction of your money back. Most eBook writers guarantee satisfaction, and of course I have always done this. As always, I want my readers to be happy with their purchase.

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