How to promote a free e-book website?

[RobertDDL]

I run a free e-book website. I have put a lot of work into it, maybe 1500 hours since 2009, probably more, and I love doing that work. And I'm not doing it for money – no ads, no data that I collect and sell, etc., and donations were a total of $4 within the last 2 years, which is fine with me. But I want the website to be known, so that people can download and read the books – that's what I'm doing all the work for, after all.

Several websites that used to list free e-books, or websites that offer them, have disappeared within the last few years, or are more or less dead. Wikipedia doesn't allow self-promoting links. MobileRead doesn't allow self-promotion, either, except here in the "Shamelessly ..." thread – I recently wanted to mention my site in the "Best place to find free public domain texts?" thread, as an answer to that question, but had my post swiftly deleted. I suppose I could cheat, both here and on Wikipedia, by creating fake accounts, but I don't want to do that. And of course, not having anything to sell, paid advertising is not an option. Any ideas where and how I can promote either my website or specific books on it?

[Dr. Drib]

Since you wish to have a discussion on how to promote a free website - and without any self-promotion - the Writers' Forum is a better fit, since the Self-promotion forum is not really for discussions.

Don
(Moderator)

[Deskisamess]

Robert, why should I use your site instead of Gutenberg if I’m looking for a public domain book? I don’t have to dink with a password etc on their site. Why is yours better?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

I run a free e-book website. I have put a lot of work into it, maybe 1500 hours since 2009, probably more, and I love doing that work. And I'm not doing it for money – no ads, no data that I collect and sell, etc., and donations were a total of $4 within the last 2 years, which is fine with me. But I want the website to be known, so that people can download and read the books – that's what I'm doing all the work for, after all.

Several websites that used to list free e-books, or websites that offer them, have disappeared within the last few years, or are more or less dead. Wikipedia doesn't allow self-promoting links. MobileRead doesn't allow self-promotion, either, except here in the "Shamelessly ..." thread – I recently wanted to mention my site in the "Best place to find free public domain texts?" thread, as an answer to that question, but had my post swiftly deleted. I suppose I could cheat, both here and on Wikipedia, by creating fake accounts, but I don't want to do that. And of course, not having anything to sell, paid advertising is not an option. Any ideas where and how I can promote either my website or specific books on it?

As to your question, if you want to promote your website here, start a thread in self promotions. If your site is good others will share the it.
Now please read the rest of my thoughts.

I just had a brief glance at your website. I saw a few problems.
First you only have 41 books.
Secondly, you have to do the Texas Two Step and the Hokey Pokey to get download a book.
Having to remember some odd name and funky password to get a few books.
Thirdly, the overt begging was a bit overkill.
Fourth, the site was not really user friendly.

Now did you take the time to proofread all these books?
If so, I may have a different idea for you.

So now please explain to me how your website is the best to get free books.

[Dr. Drib]

He has promoted his blog in the Shameless blog/review/website thread - which is quite proper - but I get the feeling he wants additional tips.

He's not allowed to start a promotional thread on a blog site.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

He has promoted his blog in the Shameless blog/review/website thread - which is quite proper - but I get the feeling he wants additional tips.

He's not allowed to start a promotional thread on a blog site.

I am trying to think of any place else that might allow blog promotions.

[oliverqueennie]

Have you tried Facebook groups? Lots of Facebook groups for readers

[Steven Lake]

I would get out there to some of the author events in your area and in your region and get yourself known by the authors in those areas, as well as the readers. You have to entice both in order to succeed. But as Deskisamess pointed out, what makes your site special from all the other sites out there? Being a free ebook site isn't enough. You have to be one of those sites that people want to go to, not just because you're offering free ebooks. I mean, anyone can do that. They should want to go to your site because you can offer them something nobody else can, or perhaps wants to.

To provide an example of this, I will provide an experience from my own past that relates to this. Years ago I started a Linux tech site called "Raiden's Realm." Even way back then we were one of thousands, and a late comer to the game in general. Yet within a year or so we became one of the top 10 Linux sites on the internet. Why? Because we did something that either nobody else did, or that few wanted to really dive into head first. Namely, we brought in people who knew nothing about Linux, were complete noobs to the operating system, trained them up, and then handed them off to the other sites to take their skills up another notch.

In short we made seasoned Linux users out of complete newbies, which nobody else wanted to do. In fact, that's part of why I started the site, because the old guard was all about "Don't talk to me until you've RTFM'ed." After a while I got tired of seeing newbies get their hopes and dreams dashed to pieces by people shouting RTFM, RTFM constantly, but doing nothing to help them, and then turning around two threads later complaining that they weren't getting fresh blood into the Linux community. Um, duh. Yeah, their arrogance and self styled superiority complexes were driving away the very same fresh blood they were crying for.

So I stepped out and did what on a handful were willing to do, and I focused almost strictly on it instead of having it as an extension of other things I was doing. We were so good at our job of training up newbies that it wasn't long before the big dogs came by kicking in our door wanting a piece of the action. In time they finally realized what we were doing was the right thing to do and began their own newbie training efforts that still remain to this day even though my site itself folded after 3 years, not because we failed, but because I burned out. lol.

Anyhow, long story short, find a niche, find something to make you special, something that either nobody else is doing and people want, or something that very few are doing and people want. Once you find that niche, focus on it and run with it. If you do, you'll go big. If not, you'll shrivel on the vine and nothing will come of it. Anyhow, that's my two cents.

[RobertDDL]

Thank you for all your replies!

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

Robert, why should I use your site instead of Gutenberg if I’m looking for a public domain book? I don’t have to dink with a password etc on their site. Why is yours better?

I put a lot of work into my editions. While much of the work goes into formatting the PDF versions, which most of you are not that interested in, I also proofread them (wherever possible against image scans of older editions), and I work as an editor (I have been an editor and publisher of printed books before I've retired). The books on my website are my editions that, to various degrees, differ from any previous releases. I attempt to provide the reader with the best version of a book that I can create - "best" of course being subjective, you may deem them worse, but they are Gutenberg (or other public doman sources) plus dozens of hours of work for each book.

But, this is difficult to argue here (or probably anywhere). I hope that some people may appreciate my work, but for that, they'd have to be aware of it ...

[Deskisamess]

I’m still not “getting” it. Public domain books are so easily obtained from well established sites. While I appreciate the time you say you’ve put into the site, I see no real draw.

And the time you mentioned, 1,500 hours over 8 years, works out to less than 37 hours per book. Not that that matters...

As a personal preference, the sketch of the woman and her boobs puts me off.

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

(...) I saw a few problems.
First you only have 41 books.
Secondly, you have to do the Texas Two Step and the Hokey Pokey to get download a book.
Having to remember some odd name and funky password to get a few books.
Thirdly, the overt begging was a bit overkill.
Fourth, the site was not really user friendly.

Now did you take the time to proofread all these books?
If so, I may have a different idea for you.

So now please explain to me how your website is the best to get free books.

Good questions, thank you!

1. only 41 books, because this is what I managed to get done in 8 years of work.
2. I don't want other sites to link directly to the book files. I want people to take a moment, before they download a book, to - how can I say - pay some respect. But you are right, I should use an easy to memorize password that doesn't require copy and paste. It's only once that you need it, though, your browser will remember it for future downloads.
3. OK, I'll look at that.
4. In what way, except for the need to enter a password?

Yes, I did take the time to proofread, edit and typeset.

Definitely not the best site to get free books, but a site to get them, and, at least for some of the books on it, maybe the site to get their best available free editions.

For any ideas, I'd be grateful!

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I’m still not “getting” it. Public domain books are so easily obtained from well established sites. While I appreciate the time you say you’ve put into the site, I see no real draw.

And the time you mentioned, 1,500 hours over 8 years, works out to less than 37 hours per book. Not that that matters...

As a personal preference, the sketch of the woman and her boobs puts me off.

I do not want to compete with those well established sites (I mostly use them as my sources), I just want my site to be known, too, for what it is worth. The work that I put into it (you are right, I have probably hugely underestimated it) should translate into more rewarding reading experiences. I have not bothered to document (except in very general terms in the books' "About this Edition" notes) all the errors that I've fixed and all the issues I've resolved, so I can not prove the amount or the value of my work, but I strive to give the reader the quality they'd expect from a well produced printed book, as compared to what you usually get on sites with tens of thousands of scanned texts.

I apologize for offending you with the site's logo. It is not a sketch, but a photograph of a small statue, which is either a copy of a classic statue or pretends to be one. It is meant to grace a garden or a balcony, but it stands in my room, and I rather like it. The e-book reader I've put into her lap is mine, I like the way she seems to be absorbed in reading. It hasn't been my intention for this image to be controversial, but I suppose this is a transatlantic cultural difference issue. I've been using it for several years now, and don't want to change it, but I am sorry that it can be a source of displeasure.

[Deskisamess]

Good luck with your site.

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by oliverqueennie

Have you tried Facebook groups? Lots of Facebook groups for readers

No, I haven't - I'm not on Facebook, and I've always said I don't want to be, but maybe I need to accept that I cannot afford this luxury.

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

(...) Anyhow, long story short, find a niche, find something to make you special, something that either nobody else is doing and people want, or something that very few are doing and people want. (...)

I think that's what I'm doing. And to my surprise, I actually seem to be the only one in this niche - if you know someone else, I'd be very glad to hear about it, and I'd want to contact them and at least exchange links. Whether people want what I do, I don't know, but first they'd need to have a chance to know about it.

To all of you, I really appreciate all your comments, and even that the discussion has shifted a bit from "how can I make my site known?" to "does this site deserve to be known?", which is a very good question. Google, of course, brings visitors, and so does the "Shamelessly" thread here for which I am grateful, but I wanted to know if I'm missing some obvious or not so obvious opportunities to have my particular little niche be seen by those who might enjoy it.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I’m still not “getting” it. Public domain books are so easily obtained from well established sites. While I appreciate the time you say you’ve put into the site, I see no real draw.

I really don't get the negativity. Public domain books are easily obtained from well-eastblished sites, but often in careless formatting and with a lot of typos. We should be grateful for anybody who is willing to put in the extra work to make the books better.

And you may not be aware how many public domain books are NOT available from any of the well-established sites because nobody has bothered to OCR, proofread and format them yet. You should take a look around the Patricia Clark Memorial Library some time.

Thanks for your efforts, Robert. I like your site. (Though that sun/nipple cover IS a bit weird indeed.)