PaidContent writes about a holiday campaign launched by digital publisher Open Road Integrated Media. Called “The Gift of E”, the campaign centers on giving e-books for Christmas as an alternative to shopping in crowded stores. The site feature instructional videos on how to give e-books as presents. After Christmas, the campaign will focus on e-book “starter packs” for new e-reader owners.
As PaidContent points out, only Kindle and Kobo so far have set up a way that individual e-books can be given as gifts; other e-tailers will allow buying gift certificates but not specific titles. That could give them an advantage this holiday season in selling to present-buyers. Hopefully the other stores will soon implement their own gifting capabilities.
Here’s a thought: Buy from independent authors, like (ahem) Steven Lyle Jordan, directly from our sites. Many of us do not apply DRM to our books, so buying an ebook and sending it to a loved one is as easy as dropping it into an email, a thumb drive or a memory card. No device-juggling, no gift cards, no multiple-accounts, nothing. Just give, and watch their faces light up!
(I mean the authors, when they get potential new customers, of course.)
Steven Lyle Jordan is 100% right.