Win-win publishing model brings free content to IT readers and thousands of sales leads to clients

Below is an interesting press release announcing a self-serving purpose.

It points out a very interesting and novel concept of the use of eBooks within the IT industry. This business model (sponsoring expert ebooks) may have legs and could be applied to your industry with some planning and effort.

SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2004 -

Realtimepublishers, Inc., the worldwide leader in corporate sponsored e-publishing and custom content, today announced that its corporate-sponsored eBook program has delivered more than 250,000 enterprise IT decision-makers to its industry sponsors.

Realtimepublishers has created a model in which vendors secure access to their target market and their market gains access to high-quality, free IT information from the industry's top authors. Realtimepublishers pioneered the 'real-time' publishing model, posting chapters as they are written to ensure that readers receive the most up-to-date information in all technology areas. Exclusive corporate sponsorship for each new title enables Realtimepublishers to bring this information to its rapidly growing readership free of charge.

The eBooks are produced by Realtimepublishers' and written by the industry's top authors. Corporate clients sponsor the titles and, in exchange for funding the projects, acquire the information about all of the readers who register for the title. Sponsors and readers alike are thrilled with the model.

"This is the most powerful marketing program this company has ever seen," said Christine Forbes McDermott, Vice President of Marketing at NetPro, a company that delivers business-critical solutions to drive the availability, performance, security, and control of distributed network services and the sponsor of two Realtimepublishers eBooks. "It is exciting to be able to offer our market high-quality content from an industry-leading author, and we are thrilled with the marketing results of the program. Over 24,000 readers have registered for the two titles we sponsor."

"When you compare eBook sponsorship with similarly priced marketing initiatives, our program is a clear winner," said Sean Daily, CEO of Realtimepublishers. "Unlike other initiatives, from which you might expect to generate a few hundred qualified leads, our eBooks average thousands of leads per title -- and there is no booth space to manage, travel costs, or advertising design expenses."