It seems like free ebooks are everywhere on the web today, so much so that it will soon be a waste of time to go to the bookstore or even to the library. If you know where to look, you'll find ebooks on every conceivable subject: search engine optimization, herbal medicine, pet food, collectibles, practical law, building miniatures, travel - the list goes on and on.

It's an impressive thing to have an ebook downloadable from your site. The secret here: you can do the same thing, even if you don't have any real writing talent.

Creating Special Reports

If you already run articles on your website or within your emailed newsletter, you already have most of the content for an ebook. If not, you can purchase articles from article brokers that you can compile into an ebook, or you can even have a book written for you by a professional writer for surprisingly reasonable rates.

The key is that you want to have easily-accessible, useful information that your customer can't get any other way. This starts with the best content you already have on your site. Compile that, put a good table of contents on it, index it if you know how (pretty simple in MS Word), give it a nice cover and put in a copyright page, then PDF the whole thing.

The PDF is the hardest part; most people don't keep full copies of Adobe Acrobat lying around. If you want to create PDFs for free, download a free copy of OpenOffice; it's fully compatible with MS Word and will create PDFs for you with its own software.

Give Away Ebooks and Reports

Now you're ready to give away your ebook. Why give it away? Because it's a marketing tool. If you've created your report properly, it's composed of articles that are on your website anyway; you've just repackaged it into an easy-to-use format. What you're really doing is giving away recycled information - information that costs you nothing because you already own it. In addition, the information you're giving away should have your information everywhere inside the book. In particular, your name and the name of your website should be on the front cover.

But don't just give it away to your own customers; they've already read most of the articles anyway. Instead, give it away to people who have never been to your site. Better yet, put it where other people can give it away to people who've never been to your site. This is a form of viral marketing.

Upload your ebook to an article directory. These are large repositories of articles and ebooks, free for anyone to use provided they include a resource box with your name and web address along with the free item. Every time someone downloads your book and puts it on a website, you get a free link back to your website from someone you've never met. And every time one of this person's site visitors sees your book, they also see your name and web address.

Link Back To Your Site

You should also link back to your site frequently throughout the book. Don't cheat and leave important information out so that the reader has to click to read it all; instead, give them a full dose and a teaser: "For more information about XXXX, go to www.mywebsite.com."

This is especially important for people who've downloaded it from other sites besides yours; it gives them a real incentive to go to your site.

You should also place a resources list at the end of the book, just before the index. Don't be greedy here; give the reader good resources that you use yourself, as long as they aren't direct competitors or otherwise could impact your sales. But include your own website as well, noting that it is your website and you have much more information on this topic there.

Instant Guru Status

Once your book has been included on someone else's website, you are accorded Instant Guru Status. That is, other people in your niche industry (particularly if it's a very focused one) will start noticing and recognizing your name. You may start getting odd emails asking you questions about your specialty. Always answer them. A guru is there to impart wisdom and knowledge. But gurus also make much more money in the long run than people who are in your niche just to make a buck.