Uploading an ebook with affiliate link accepted?

[Jeyaprakash84]

Hello,

I am very new here. I am interested in giving some short ebooks free that would bring more readers to my books. I am just exploring the ways of doing it. One way is going through smashwords and I have already done that.

I am considering uploading an ebook with affiliate link (reference to the books that I consider important to read more on that subject). According to smashwords guidelines, I understand, I cannot use any affiliate links.

I see, there is an option to upload ebook here in this forum. Is it ok if I upload a book with affiliate link. I could not find any instruction on that or I did not use right keyword to figure it out. If such uploads are accepted, could I link it to other sites providing direct download link to that uploaded book?

I would also be happy to know where others are storing their books with affiliate links. Many suggest scribd. Is it agreeable to store a document with affiliate links there? I read somewhere that some faced problem because of that and their account was terminated. Kindly suggest some sites that would be suitable. Google docs is a good way to go? will it contradict with their TOS in any means? Could I provide a direct download link from google doc to other sites?

Sorry to bother with basic questions. I am not aware of the TOS of many sites. It really takes time to read those big documents.

[HarryT]

If your books are permanently freely downloadable, you may upload them to the "Book Uploads" forums here at MobileRead. You may use affiliate links in posts in our "Author Self-Promotion" forum, and in your signature (once you've been a member long enough to be able to use a signature), but nowhere else.

Please take the time to read our Author Guidelines.

[Jeyaprakash84]

Thank you very much for the clarification regarding uploading books here.

I would like to know where such uploads are acceptable (with affiliate links) without breaking the Terms of Service. If some one could shed some light on this, I would be glad.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Jeyaprakash84

I would like to know where such uploads are acceptable (with affiliate links) without breaking the Terms of Service. If some one could shed some light on this, I would be glad.

I think you may have misunderstood the term "affiliate link".

An affiliate link is an addition to a URL such that the site it links to can identify the person who created the link, and gives that person some benefit from having got people to use the link.

The main example is the Amazon affiliates programme, where URLs to Amazon items can be created such that, when clicked, the originator of the URL gets a percentage of the price of anything bought at Amazon in that session.

Perhaps if you describe what you want to be able to do without using the words "affiliate link", someone will be able to help.

[Jeyaprakash84]

Thank you pdurrant for your reply. I think, I am ok with the understanding of the term affiliate link.

What I want to do is: I want to write a short book giving some good piece of information in my niche area. I will put the links to my other books available for sales. This I do not consider as affiliate link. This sort of linking is accepted in smashwords.

Other than such links, I shall also want to refer some books at amazon, for which I would like to use the affiliate links generated. So that, if some one makes a purchase, I get the commission. Hope I am making it clear.

One way of distributing such mini e-books, I know is, through personal blog. Some other sites, I came across, where free books could be distributed, require the books to be uploaded in some place and ask for a direct download link.

I would like to know where my free book could be hosted free (it would have some links to amazon products) without breaking the terms of any site. I learn scribd is sometimes removing the documents with affiliate links. I need to get a direct download link without going through any other pages.

I hope I could use google doc or docstoc (I wanted to confirm this. Could I store my documents with affiliate links there?). If not there, where could I host my ebook free and get a direct download link?

Also I would like to know the sites that would help me in distributing my free e-book. I was going through the editorial policy of free-ebooks(dot)net. They want the e-book to be more than 20 pages to be accepted for non-fiction and more than 50 pages to display it in 'quick-reads' category. I want to make short e-books free. So, I would like to know the site that would create a lot of downloads for my free e-book.

[HarryT]

It depends what kind of books we're talking about here.

If your books are fiction, you're very welcome to upload them to our library forums here at MR. But if they are some kind of "make money fast" scam, then they are not welcome here in any way, shape, or forum. We welcome genuine authors here, but not someone whose only interest in our site is to use it to promote "get rich quick" schemes.

[Jeyaprakash84]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It depends what kind of books we're talking about here.

If your books are fiction, you're very welcome to upload them to our library forums here at MR. But if they are some kind of "make money fast" scam, then they are not welcome here in any way, shape, or forum. We welcome genuine authors here, but not someone whose only interest in our site is to use it to promote "get rich quick" schemes.

I write books related to spiritual development. Non-fiction. So, it is not 'make money fast'. It is 'get divine fast'

[HarryT]

OK, that's fine.

[Jeyaprakash84]

I found a good place to host my file that gives a direct download link and also getting to know some sites that help in the distribution of free e-books...