E-Books are a great way to promote yourself and your business. If you have something to share, it can be put into e-book format and sold or given away.

There are many e-book compilers and several ways to distribute. The most popular format for e-books is of course a PDF file. It's easy to email and download and the only required software for the recipient is Adobe Reader, a free download from Adobe (www.adobe.com). Of course, you'll need Adobe Acrobat compiler to create the e-book in the first place--a software package well worth the price.

Another method of distributing an e-book is to create an executable file (.exe). When a PC user clicks on the file, it runs as an application without the need of additional software or "reader" as with Adobe Reader. The downside to this is that SPAM filters look askance at .exe files being emailed thinking they might contain some bad program that is going to land on a user's PC and cause havoc. To get around this problem, you can load the file onto a web site and provide the link for downloading to those who purchase or want to receive your publication. One such software for creating .exe files is ebookcompiler at www.ebookcompiler.com. Keep in mind that Macs cannot read .exe files.

Some other e-book compilers are:

Webcompiler
Ebook Edit Pro
WebCompiler

You will want to have the flexibility to compile e-books from various original document formats such as Word, HTML, plain text, and PowerPoint. Adobe Acrobat has more versatility than the ebookcompiler software mentioned above because you simply "print" to a file and you can print anything. Adobe does take more time to learn to really know the multitude of features available. Creating a simple scroll down the page type of publication versus a "book" looking format is as easy as sending a Word document to the compiler. Creating the "book" look might take additional time spent with the tutorial.

The price for compilers is from $20 to whatever you are willing to pay. The price for the Adobe Acrobat compiler starts at $200. Occasionally, you may find sites offering free PDF creation.

E-books can be used as a reward for subscribing to a newsletter, visiting a web site, answering questions, taking a quiz, or as an add-on to another product that you offer. Have you ever seen an offer like this: "Buy my fantastic new software and get these five items worth $250 for free?" The five items are most likely e-books that are easy and inexpensive to produce and to send over and over and over. A hard copy book can be sold as an e-book for a lower price and quicker delivery. Course material can be distributed as e-books complete with passwords, quizzes, and answer sheets. What a great way to save the trees!

Some places to visit with information about e-books are:

http://www.ebookcompiler.com/
http://www.ebooksubmit.com/
http://www.ebookmall.com/

Shareware directories and places to submit your e-book:

http://www.ebookjungle.com/
http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/
http://www.mindlikewater.com/
http://www.wisdomebooks.com/ebook-directories.html

If you are selling your e-book, try advertising it using GoogleAdwords which is a pay-per-click advertising method in which you set your own budget, decide on the keywords you want to attract and create your own ads. Also consider searching out people who would be willing to add your e-book to their site in exchange for you listing theirs on your web site.

See my e-book interview at: http://www.ebookinterviews.com/iv_ksparks.htm
yet another way to promote yourself.

And don't forget to write a Press Release about your e-book announcing your new book. Remember to tell people about your e-book in your newsletter, on your web site and of course in your signature line in your emails. It's all really just a "web" isn't it?