[epub] Re: Simple question

[Bobbi Chukran <bobbi.chukran@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Bobbi Chukran <bobbi.chukran@mindspring.com>

David wrote:  I'm wondering how the publishers of the electronic
newsletters make their money (I'm assuming that you do it for more than
just the love of it).  Are you completely advertiser supported, and if so
is that enough?  Does anyone charge subscribers?

Hi David--
Welcome to the group.  Actually, you didn't ask such a simple question
after all.  We *all* wonder how the heck we're going to make money on
electronic newsletters.  I also came from a print background (numerous
books, articles and newsletters) and believe me, the on-line world is so
different.  For one thing, the net has always been a place for finding free
information, and people still have a very hard time paying for electronic
information.  It's like it's not "real" enough for them or something <G>.
In certain areas (like gardening, for example), there is already a huge
amount of free info. out there, so you have to be very creative about your
content and coming up with new ideas.

Most e-zines or websites that are making money are either selling printed
books/tapes/tangible products, etc., or are being supported by advertising.
And the important thing is that most of them are selling to a niche group.
Some publishers use a freebie e-zine in order to get more subscribers for
another print magazine.  You may want to try that out since you already
have the printed publications.  Let them "feed" off of each other, so to
speak.

I've only been publishing my free newletter for a few months, but so far I
have almost 700 subscribers.  Eventually, I hope, the numbers will get on
up there and I can attract some larger advertisers who want to reach the
same audience as I do.  But in the meantime, I'm offering very low cost ads
to get people used to the idea.  I'm also promoting the heck out of the
thing, so they're getting more for their money than the free ads that are
available.

One thing that doesn't occur to people at first--there is only a set amount
of ads you can put into an e-zine, unlike a printed publication.  So, there
is a limit to the amount of money you can make with one.  You have to
branch out with other products, add ads to your website also, offer other
products or services to your customers, and get the numbers on up there.

What it boils down to is that there are no rules to this--we're all trying
different things, seeing what works and what doesn't.  The good thing about
e-publishing is that you can do things much faster than in print, so if
something doesn't work, you don't have to wait months to find out.  And
it's much cheaper to try things.

Hope this helps a little.

Bobbi C.
---------
Bobbi Chukran
http://www.LimestoneLedge.com
Home of "The Country Cottage Herb Gardener"
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