I’ve received a number of emails this fall from folks who purchased one of my eBooks as a gift and then were disappointed to find out it wasn’t a “real” book. I explained the difference and why I don’t yet have hard copies (not enough demand, but getting there after these emails, plus it’s more complicated and expensive), happily refunded their money, and checked my eBook pages to make sure the word “eBook” was prominently included.
That got me thinking.
Would an eBook make a good gift?
I think it could, for the right person.
5 Reasons to Buy an eBook as a Christmas Gift
- Clutter free – in our over-”stuffed” world, most adults are yearning for fewer things to get in their way
- Stocking Stuffer size
- Introduces your friend/family to a cool blogger they can get involved with
- The eBooks I’ve read, for the most part, are really good and worthy of sharing.
- Super fast last minute gift – you can go from the idea to a wrapped gift in less than 30 minutes, without leaving your house.
Who Would Appreciate an eBook?
Not everyone on your list would probably enjoy an eBook, but I think these folks would:
- Technical people who enjoy computers and own a laptop, Kindle, or other mobile device.
- Folks seeking simplicity, clutter-free gifts.
- Avid blog readers.
- Anyone who enjoys recipes would enjoy the cooking eBooks here at KS and some of my foodie affiliates.
- Particularly folks who use an online meal planning system like Plan to Eat, so they can copy recipes directly into that software.
How to Give an eBook as a Christmas Gift
I know a lot of people might think it a bit odd to receive an email of a book as a Christmas gift – nothing to wrap, not even a card. (Although I did do that for my two goddaughters with Truth in the Tinsel, because I wanted them to have it ASAP for Advent and they live far away…)
Here are a few ideas to overcome that problem:
- Make a CD: the eBook will still be a nearly clutter-free gift, and the recipient can put the book on their computer, leave it on CD, or print it out. Come to think of it, bloggers should provide free printable CD labels with their books. Hmmm…
- Put it on a thumb drive: it’s the gift that keeps on giving! Your friend or family member can reuse the thumb drive for transporting data after they put the eBook on their computer.
- Print it out: I make an effort to put all the photos in my books on two pages to save on color ink. You can easily print Kitchen Stewardship eBooks in grayscale and/or skip those two pages to make an economical copy. On the other hand, you’re also welcome to take the book to a copy center and have it professionally printed and bound with a plastic ring thingy – handy for the kitchen!
Just Remember…
Even though it’s possible and simple to forward an eBook PDF file to one or two friends (or dozens), it’s fair, appropriate and legal to purchase a copy for each person who will own the book. In my eBooks, I say that you’re welcome to share a recipe or two with friends (such is the life of recipes and cooks), but sharing the whole book is a violation of copyright, just as photocopying an entire book from Barnes and Noble would be.
What to Buy
If you’re convinced an eBook would make a great last minute gift, allow me to help. 
 Healthy Snacks To Go eBook by Katie Kimball Over 30 recipes to get you on your way with real food, fast (44 pages)  $6.95Read more… |
 Kitchen Stewardship in the Big Woods, 2nd edition by Katie Kimball A Family Camping Handbook with Real Food Options, 2nd Edition ( $6.95 Read more… |
 The Everything Beans Book by Katie Kimball 30 frugal, nutrient-packed bean recipes for every eater (95 pages) $9.95Read more… |
 Smart Sweets by Katie Kimball 30 Desserts to Indulge your Sweet Tooth (89 pages) $9.95 Read more… |
Other People’s eBooks (that are wonderful)
- Truth in the Tinsel
- Herbal Nurturing and A Natural Noel (on sale 25% off with code 12DAYS25 through 12/27)
- My Buttered Life (gift giving edition)
- A Whole Foods Holiday
- Skyrocket your Savings
- Not Your Mama’s Crunchy Granola
- Crunchy Betty’s Food on Your Face for Acne and Oily Skin
- Clean Start
- Tell Your Time
- Changing Diapers
- Modern Alternative Mama: In the Kitchen: Real Food Basics
- Real Food on a Real Budget
Merry Christmas!
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I’d love to see more of you! Sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
I am an affiliate of every book listed here that I don’t sell. It’s fun to share the work of my colleagues with you! Plan to Eat is a December sponsor of KS, and this is their complementary mention for the month. See my full disclosure statement here.
What about using Amazon’s CreateSpace to do a Print-on-Demand book for those who are willing to pay more? No cost to you and they get their “real” book.
[Reply to this comment]
Holly Reply:
December 28th, 2011 at 4:41 am
I second this! It will take you a bit of time to re-format it for the size of your book, but the investment is minimal, and individual books are printed as buyers pay for them. The kind of books that you write are great reference books that are much nicer to have as a printed version.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie,
I appreciated your giving my daughter the e-book for many reasons, including the fact that it won’t get lost among her (our? lol) super-bookworm stash!! On another note, please call me at your earliest convenience at the 4196 number.
Thanks,
Linds
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P.S. The cover on the Smart Sweets book looks fantastic! That one in particular looks like a real hard copy!
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Brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing
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I completely agree Katie. In fact, inThe Mom Writes Gift Guide I have eBooks included in several sections. I particularly love your eBooks as well as Jessica Fisher’s and the fact that they are eBooks makes them easier for me to gift them as stocking stuffers.:-)
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i can understand how customers thought they were buying real books. you are showing pictures of real books to sell ebooks. since this is a problem, maybe you should find another way to display the ebooks or include the option from amazon which was mentioned above.
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What an interesting and great post! I am working on my first e-book right now.
) Yours look so good! (and Yummy)
I’m a new follower from Catholic Mothers Online. Please feel free to stop by my blog and if you like, follow me back!
)
Jamie
For Love of Cupcakes
[Reply to this comment]
Genesis Davies, I was looking for something like that but didn’t realize Amazon did it – I’ll definitely have to look into it! Thanks!
[Reply to this comment]
Holly Reply:
December 28th, 2011 at 4:44 am
https://www.createspace.com/
They even add your book to the regular Amazon listings, to make it easier to sell. It’s really a full POD service.
http://www.lulu.com/ is another option, if you want to compare, but I’d go with CreateSpace.
[Reply to this comment]
Overcoming Busy » #ShopSmall – E-Books // Dec 12, 2011 at 11:54 pm
[...] about the if and how e-books could be bought as gifts. Katie at Kitchen Stewardship has a great post about giving e-books that answered my questions. She [...]