A brand new book is available online from this week, completely free of charge. Anyone who wants to is welcome to download it as a PDF file, without paying a penny. It will only go on sale in book stores from 21 July. The book in question is the Dutch translation of US author Chris Anderson's Free, The Future of a Radical Price. In his book, Chris Anderson demonstrates how companies can earn money by giving away products for free. The book's Dutch publisher Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam is therefore putting this theory into practice. Martijn Aslander, who describes himself on his website as a "lifehacker, connector and resourcer", is one of the leading champions of Anderson's ideas in the Netherlands. Free can also be downloaded from Aslander's website. He explains why, in these times of economic crisis, a commercial publisher is prepared to give away a book for free over the Internet. "The idea is: why shouldn't you give something away for free if it costs you no effort and no expense whatsoever? People who really want the book will go out and buy it anyway. And there are plenty of these people around. Just take a look at the sales figures for books nowadays. Because a book is a whole different entity to a digital version of a book."
A brand new book is available online from this week, completely free of charge. Anyone who wants to is welcome to download it as a PDF file, without paying a penny. It will only go on sale in book stores from 21 July. The book in question is the Dutch translation of US author Chris Anderson's Free, The Future of a Radical Price.
In his book, Chris Anderson demonstrates how companies can earn money by giving away products for free. The book's Dutch publisher Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam is therefore putting this theory into practice.
Martijn Aslander, who describes himself on his website as a "lifehacker, connector and resourcer", is one of the leading champions of Anderson's ideas in the Netherlands. Free can also be downloaded from Aslander's website. He explains why, in these times of economic crisis, a commercial publisher is prepared to give away a book for free over the Internet.
"The idea is: why shouldn't you give something away for free if it costs you no effort and no expense whatsoever? People who really want the book will go out and buy it anyway. And there are plenty of these people around. Just take a look at the sales figures for books nowadays. Because a book is a whole different entity to a digital version of a book."
Although I own no shares in any company mentioned on this blog, the book, or Wired Magazine (aside from my two startups mentioned above), I do speak for hire. I used to refuse money for speaking gigs, donating it to charity or sending it to my publisher in the form of book sales, but then my wife rightly asked how, exactly, she benefited from me spending most of my life on the road. So now I travel less (only half the time, as opposed to 80%) and usually get paid for it.
So the book is a flyer for his public speaking.
That's really innovative, Chris.
e.g.
The Long Tail: Revised: the four kinds of FREE
A few weeks ago, I posted a diagram grouping free business models into three categories: cross-subsidies (eg, razor-and-blades), three-party markets (ads) and "freemium" (what economists call "versioning"; in this case most people get the free version). But as I was writing through that chapter, I realized that wasn't quite right.
But this doesn't make it false.
Britain is preparing to repatriate more than 1,400 tonnes of toxic waste that it is claimed to have illegally exported to Brazil for recycling. The Environment Agency said that it would pay for the return of 90 shipping containers of waste that have arrived at several South American ports in the past few months. The allegations have increased concern about the illegal trade in hazardous waste, despite international laws preventing export without strict safeguards. One of the British waste-processing companies accused of sending the containers had been advertising for 5,000 tonnes of plastic waste a month, it emerged.
Britain is preparing to repatriate more than 1,400 tonnes of toxic waste that it is claimed to have illegally exported to Brazil for recycling.
The Environment Agency said that it would pay for the return of 90 shipping containers of waste that have arrived at several South American ports in the past few months.
The allegations have increased concern about the illegal trade in hazardous waste, despite international laws preventing export without strict safeguards.
One of the British waste-processing companies accused of sending the containers had been advertising for 5,000 tonnes of plastic waste a month, it emerged.
More than 50 food products and supplements have been exposed by a Europe-wide investigation for making unproven claims about their health benefits. Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Lipton black tea and some probiotic supplements are among the items whose claimed health benefits are scientifically unproven, according to an investigation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Fish oil supplements which purport to improve brain growth in babies and children have come under particular scrutiny, with the agency rejecting most of the benefits claimed by manufacturers. The initial results of the inquiry suggest that consumers could be wasting millions of pounds each year on products they think will improve their diet and lifestyle.
More than 50 food products and supplements have been exposed by a Europe-wide investigation for making unproven claims about their health benefits.
Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Lipton black tea and some probiotic supplements are among the items whose claimed health benefits are scientifically unproven, according to an investigation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Fish oil supplements which purport to improve brain growth in babies and children have come under particular scrutiny, with the agency rejecting most of the benefits claimed by manufacturers.
The initial results of the inquiry suggest that consumers could be wasting millions of pounds each year on products they think will improve their diet and lifestyle.
