How to Gift an eBook
by Chris Robley on November 29, 2011 in eBook Distribution, eBook News
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales reports are in; Kindles, iPads, and Nooks are flying off the shelf! I was in a Barnes & Noble on Friday and the line at the Nook station almost went out the door. What does that mean? eReaders will be under millions of Christmas trees this year. But it’s a little more difficult to imagine gifting something as virtual as an eBook, right? Wrong!
Now you can easily gift an eBook with a few clicks of the mouse. Amazon and Kobo allow you to purchase specific eBooks as gifts. All you have to do is type in the email of the recipient, along with the date you’d like the eBook “delivered.” Or you can print out a gift receipt to put in a Christmas Card.
For iPad, Nook, and SonyReader, you can purchase gift cards. (Amazon and Kobo also have gift cards.)
Digital publisher Open Road Integrated Media made the above series of videos for anyone wanting to gift an eBook this season. The video can be a little bit glitchy, so give it a second to warm up. Also, click the “See More” button to select the appropriate video for the appropriate eReader.
This could be quite useful to ebook publishers/authors doing select press outreach. The ebook format provides a better reader experience than a pdf and also serves to remind that the work has inherent value — it’s not a freebie, it’s a gift. Or a bribe, depending on your marketing strategy.
