Reading is going mobile and people are reading more.
Consider these recent research findings:
- Tablet and eBook reader ownership nearly doubled over the 2011 holiday gift-giving period and now almost one in three American households have a reading device like an iPad or Kindle.
- Smartphone adoption, now at 50%, is expected to reach 70% of all mobile phones by the end of 2013.
- eBook readers read more and more frequently as well:
eBooks, in contrast to PDF eBooks*, should be considered for one or more of these reasons:
Reason 1: Customer Service
As cited above, small screens paired with the growth of eReading mean your prospects and customers are or will soon be expecting to read your content on their mobile devices. Have you ever tried reading a PDF on an iPhone screen? If you did try you probably did what many others do, you gave up.
Keep in mind that you do not have to charge for an eBook.
Reason 2: Marketing
This is probably the most frequently cited reason for utilizing the eBook formats. It allows the business to market their eBook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and in a host of other online retail stores thereby exposing the content to a far wider audience. Don’t wish to charge for it in those stores? No problem, you can use your eBook for lead generation by adding it to your website and not charge for it.
“More and more corporations are recognizing that eBooks offer a convenient, device-agnostic format for providing information to customers, prospects, employees, and shareholders, particularly via mobile devices.” Third Annual eBook Survey of Publishers by Aptara Corp.
Reason 3: Revenue
Granted, if you work for a business your main motivation for producing an eBook may not be revenue. Yet for the right projects it is a worth objective. It depends on your goals and the nature of the content you are publishing.
Sellbox publishing services for businesses include book and eBook content development, design, production and distribution.
We begin by helping you identify high-value content opportunities. The process involves an analysis of existing content—articles, blogs, newsletters, case studies, white papers, PDF eBooks—and the marketing opportunities for the final book product.
Based on a jointly developed editorial plan we design and produce a salable product. You have complete control over
the final content, its presentation and organization.
Concurrent with the editorial and production process is the development of a marketing strategy and cover design. Both are critical to achieving success regardless of whether the final eBook is for marketing, revenue or simply customer service.
The final step involves distribution to key eBook retail stores, or in the event the book is being used for lead generation, distribution via your website or e-Mail mailing lists. Selecting the right eBook distributor involves careful analysis of your goals and your customer base.
Interested in learning more? Call or complete our contact form for a free consultation. (Featured book image: a recently completed project for The San Diego Daily Transcript.)
*eBook formats differ from a PDF eBook. There are two major eBook file formats used by eReading devices. Amazon’s proprietary Mobi format and the “industry standard” ePub format, used by nearly all other eBook retailers (including Apple, Sony and Barnes & Noble). Like PDF, both Mobi and ePub are free of distribution licensing fees.
Relevant Blog Post
Catering to Preferred e-Reading Formats Can Expand Your Business
