Here an Ebook, There an Ebook

Here an ebook, there an ebook, everywhere an ebook! If Old McDonald had a computer it would be full of ebooks. My inbox is crammed with offers to sell ebooks, publish ebooks, write ebooks, and get filthy rich selling ebooks on the internet. All that is required is to purchase some guru’s ebook and learn his or her amazing secret.

I may not be a guru but I have been a farmer. I know what you have to be careful of stepping in when you cross the barnyard. That’s exactly what most of these offers are full of and the only “filthy” you are going to get.

You are considering becoming involved for the first time in internet marketing. That means you are a “newbie.” You don’t know html from email. Naturally you are intrigued by the promises of instant wealth. So you surf around with your PayPal account and soon your hard drive is overflowing with useless ebooks. Your credit card is also overflowing with debt. This completes your first lesson in Ecommerce. “The wealth of a few is built upon the failures of the many."

Then how are you newbies going to get the accurate information necessary to be successful on the web? One answer is that you can surf the net and cram your hard drive full of ebooks, ezines, and articles at the amazingly low price of FREE. The cruel fact is that many ebooks are out of date and that somewhere on the net the same information is probably available for FREE. It may take you a little longer to locate but I personally prefer FREE over PayPal. If someone has a secret that will make you an overnight millionaire do you really think he is going to sell it to you for $19.95?

The other way (preferred) is to find a good coach. Someone that has already been successful in business that can guide you to the information that you actually need. A good example is Fran Tarkenton at Go Small Biz.

Much of the information is free and for a small fee you can ask consultants questions directly related to your own business. Another example is Ken Envoy at SiteSell. The amount of free information available from his site is amazing. Ken and Fran are interested in having you as a returning customer, not just a one time download. They provide you with enough information for free so that you can make an informed decision before you purchase.

The information Ken provides for free is much more valuable than other ebooks I have seen selling for 29.99. If you are starting a web business you need to know how to write for the web. Download Ken's free tutorial on using content to drive customer to your site at

Make Your Site Sell

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that you should never buy an ebook. There are some that are worth the money and are time well spent. Only buy an ebook after you have exhausted the free information and are ready for the advanced course. On our site Carolyn and I offer one free ebook on eBay when you subscribe to our ezine and there is one for After reading the free material you can then intelligently evaluate the other book and decide if you want to spend your money. Always remember that old adage “you can’t judge an ebook by its cover.”