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Automatically Delivering Your Ebook

Once your customers complete the order process they'll be directed to a page on your site where the ebook they've just ordered can be downloaded.

Depending on which third-party processor (or other e-commerce system) you use, there may be different requirements for the exact content of this page.

As a general rule of thumb, here are the different elements you should include:

1. A 'thank you' message to the customer for buying your ebook.

2. Display the e-mail address that customers can use to contact you if they have questions or problems. Make sure to display the address fully (as opposed to using a clickable image or 'click here' link).

3. Remind the customer how the transaction will appear on their credit-card statement. For example, if you're using ClickBank, the credit-card statement will show a charge by "CLICKBANK / KEYNETICS"

4. Explain how to download and begin using the ebook. If there are special software requirements like WinZip (see below), Internet Explorer 4.0 or Acrobat Reader, be sure to point this out and include links to the appropriate websites.

5. Give customers a link to go elsewhere after they've downloaded. This is a good place to promote other ebooks or encourage customers to sign up to your newsletter.

6. Keep the download page free of too many distractions. You've won a new customer. Treat that customer well by showing him/her how to immediately download their ebook.

Continued Below...

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Preparing the ebook for download

Here's the procedure for making your ebook ready for download from your website...

Consider compression
You can compress your ebook file to make it smaller (in memory terms) using compression software like WinZip. WinZip compresses your files and puts them into a self-extracting file. When your readers click on the file, it will install itself to any directory they select on their PC. You can get a shareware copy of WinZip from the WinZip website.

You should offer both a compressed and an uncompressed version of your ebook on the download page. This will enable a quicker download for those customers who have WinZip and are familiar with it. By the same token, those who don't know about using WinZip have the option of downloading the larger file.

You should indicate the file size in both cases, and perhaps give an estimated download time across a standard 56k modem dial-up connection.

If you're offering both compressed and uncompressed versions, then you should link your customers to the WinZip website, and explain how to use WinZip to unzip (uncompress) your ebook file.

NOTE: If you're selling an ebook with resale rights that includes a sales page, images, and so on, then you'll need to package the whole lot into one downloadable ZIP file. In most instances, you can just use the same ZIP file you downloaded when you bought the package yourself.

Scan for a virus
Don't risk spreading a virus to your customers through your ebook.

Before you send it online for others to download, it's imperative that you run a virus-scan on it. Make sure that you use an up-to-date virus scanning software. If you don't have one, then send a copy of your book to a friend who does.

Transfer the files to your website
Now that your download files are ready, you need to send them online to your webhost's server. In other words, you need to send the e-book's EXE and/or Zip files up to your website where they can be accessed by your customers.

Here's the procedure for this...

Let's say that your ebook's EXE file is MyBook.exe and let's say your website is at http://www.websitename.com.

Ideally, you should place the book in a sub-directory (sub-folder) of your website. You can create the sub-directory using FTP software (like WS_FTP) or through your webhost's control panel. If unsure, ask your webhost support for help.

You can call this directory anything you want. Let's say you call it 'download'.

Now upload the book to this directory using either FTP software or your webhost's 'File Upload' feature if they have one. (Hostrocket users can do this via the 'control panel').

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If you're using FTP software to upload the book, simply open the sub-directory in the panel on the right. In the panel on the left select the EXE file of your book. Now using your software's 'Upload' button, send the file. (In WS_FTP the upload button is the right-pointing arrow between the two panels). Be sure to select 'binary' as the 'transfer mode' (this is usually the default setting).

If you're using your webhost's file upload feature, then check their instructions on how to use it.

Enable the download
You've now placed your e-book file online (2 files if you're offering a zipped and unzipped version). The only thing that remains to be done is to place a link on the download page (the 'Thank You' page) pointing to the file.

Sticking with the example above, you would simply place a link to:

http://www.websitename.com/download/MyBook.exe

or in the case of a zipped file...

http://www.websitename.com/download/MyBook.zip

Once your customer clicks this link, the download process will begin. The customer's browser will open up a "save as" window which will allow them to save your file onto their computers.

And, of course, test it!
Publish your new Thank You page and test the download link to ensure that everything works as it should. Then, get some of your friends to try it out on their PCs.

If, when you click the link, nothing happens, then verify that you've written the link correctly and that the EXE file is where it's supposed to be. If this is all okay, then you should talk to your webhost support.

Making PDF ebooks available for download
PDFs work a little differently to EXE ebooks when it comes to setting up the download. Basically, the web browser behaves differently when it comes to PDFs.

Firstly, you should upload your PDF file and create the link to it the same way as described for EXE files (above).

Now, however, the difference happens.

If your customer just clicks the download link for the PDF, the book will open inside the customer's browser. From here, the customer can click the save button and save the file to his/her PC.

This approach is not recommended, however. Firstly, it can take a long time for the book to open in the browser window and, secondly, this often takes people by surprise.

So, rather that telling your customer to click the link to launch the download, you should give the following instruction (which will launch the regular download dialog box)...

To download the file, RIGHT click the link and select 'Save Target As...' (or, for Netscape users, 'Save Link As...').

Be sure to remind your customers that they'll need a copy of Adobe's Acrobat reader to view the ebook and let them know that they can download a free copy from here.

NOTE: If you wish you can package your PDF file into a ZIP file and set up a regular download link as described above.

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