Don’t Cheat Your Readers With an Ultra-Short eBook – Some Tips to Consider

Over the years, I’ve written a few e-books, and I am also a reader who likes to partake in e-books and load them onto my e-reader. However, there is something that has concerned me over the last year, and that is when I buy an e-book based on its title, I expect a little bit of substance and meat in it. All too often, I end up downloading the e-book only to find out that it isn’t more than about 25 pages, and it is conveniently spaced, and a font which is larger than normal. In fact, if one were to take out the pictures, and all the formatting, it wouldn’t be more than 10 pages.

Now then for all of you e-book writers who produce these ultra-short e-books I have news for you; that’s not an e-book, it’s an essay. Further, even if you’re selling your e-book for only $.99 because you are hoping to go for volume, it still isn’t fair to the reader who expects something of more substance. In a way you are cheating your readers and you are hurting other e-book authors because the consumers who feel cheated may think twice about buying an e-book from a newer author who they are unfamiliar with, as they don’t want to take the risk of being cheated again, and in this way you are doing a disservice to all e-book authors.

Indeed, if this is something you are doing, I sincerely wish that you would stop, but if you aren’t a very good writer or you don’t have very much information to impart to your reader then I have some tips for you. Don’t call your e-book an; e-book. Instead call it an;

Essay
Report
Novella
Mini-Book
Short Story
Ultra-short E-book

This would be fair to the reader, and it is fair for all concerned. Plus, you are being honest and upfront prior to the purchase. Another thing you can do is call it a “short E-book” and add in bonus articles. For instance maybe your e-book only comes out to be 35 or 45 pages, but if you call it a Short E-book no one will feel cheated.

If you add in “bonus articles” on top of that you will have over-delivered on your promise, perhaps garnered a new reader, and you’ve uplifted the industry which is better for all of us other e-book authors out here who are trying to produce quality content for all of those new personal tech consumers which have bought iPads, tablet computers, Kindles, Nooks, or other E-Reader devices. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.