What's WRONG with selling eBooks? John Reese vs. the world…
There was a fury of blogging, ranting, finger pointing, and reputation defending going on over the past couple days. The dispute began when a few bloggers called out John Reese regarding an email he sent out encouraging marketers to take advantage of Twitter.
I could see valid points on behalf of all parties, but what was especially frustrating was the “trigger” that set it all off. John’s first strike came after he was called an “ebook salesman.” The name-calling seemed to anger John but it got ME wondering, WHAT’S WRONG WITH SELLING EBOOKS ANYWAYS?
I sell them, people buy them, everyone is happy. For those who are not happy, they get a refund. Where does the stigma regarding digital product sellers even come from?
Granted, there’s a lot of people selling crappy resell rights ebooks & I’ll even go as far to say that I’m somewhat glad eBay cleaned out all the 99 cent ebook sellers (although it’s where I got my start)… because for the most part, eBay ebook sellers were just a bunch of people ripping off each other’s products for a quick buck (not me though 
, save a very few like John Thornhill and the likes (who are original, innovative, ethical, & successful at what they do).
But seriously, this just brings me back to my main point… what’s wrong with selling ebooks if you’re the original author offering up useful & valuable information people are willing to pay for? The marketing techniques going on behind the scenes of “ebook peddling” websites are nothing to shake a stick at either. Many ebook sellers are pinning down SERIOUS traffic on a consistent basis.
Anytime there’s a need for something, even if it’s nothing more than a quest for information packaged in a neatly formatted layout, there’s an opportunity to make a buck or two. Anyone who overlooks that opportunity simply because it’s a saturated somewhat competitive market is nuts… because masses competing with each other for any length of time only means one thing – they’re ALL making some sort of money.
Whether you’re selling a $7 ebook, membership site access, or a DVD home study course, I just don’t see where the stigma comes from regarding the information marketing industry. Granted, there’s a lot of people claiming to be experts when they’re clearly not, a lot of shady sellers, etc… but that happens in a lot of places aside from the information marketing industry, and those other places are still stigma-free.
You can follow the drama by reading the posts listed below, but the best part seems to be over as John has already graciously bowed out & proven to be the more wise & experienced of the bunch. A little bit of controversy never hurts anyone’s web traffic stats so long as you can do it without permanently scarring your rep, and it seems John just gave us another free lesson on how to do just that . . . thanks John Reese! You can count Chris Vendilli & the Pro From Go crew in your corner, for whatever that’s worth… we’re just a bunch of scuzzy “ebook salesman” like you!
Here’s the skinny, read these few posts and you’ll be in the loop:
Wake Up Call: Web 2.0 Wouldn’t Exist Without Internet Marketers by John Reese
Is Twitter Vulnerable To Marketer Attack? by Mark Hopkins, of Mashable.com
Pending Sign Of The Twitter Apocalypse: It’s Being Talked About By Internet Marketers by Duncan Riley
I’m not interested in getting in the middle of a marketing showdown hoo-haa or what not, but I couldn’t resist slapping a little extra publicity on the worldwide interweb for anyone who wants to follow the drama. Too bad it seems that the best part is already over.