Affiliate Links in Ebooks

[knubbl]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to ask you all a question. What do you think about affiliate links in ebooks? Is it alright to add affiliate links to an ebook? Does it matter whether it is a free ebook or one that you have to pay for?

I personally think that people can add an affiliate link to ebooks as long as the content doesn't suffer. If you provide great content and add an affiliate link once in a while then I don't mind. But paid ebooks, in my opinion, shouldn't contain any affiliate links.

[kayus]

You have provided the answer by yourself.It is right to put affiliate link in ebooks.

[Chrisg]

Makes no difference to me either way.

[knubbl]

hmm alright I see the problem. So let me rephrase what I have said. Would you mind if someone put an affiliate link in an ebook that you paid for?

thanks for the responses

[Chrisg]

It has happened to me before but I knew the signs already so I just didn't bother clicking on the affiliate links. Don't think it is moral or fair but that's my opinion.

[ChickenFreak]

Originally Posted by knubbl

hmm alright I see the problem. So let me rephrase what I have said. Would you mind if someone put an affiliate link in an ebook that you paid for?

thanks for the responses

I would mind, yep. It would be like a fabric softener ad in a DVD that I'd paid for. I'd be highly annoyed.

[knubbl]

Originally Posted by Chrisg

It has happened to me before but I knew the signs already so I just didn't bother clicking on the affiliate links. Don't think it is moral or fair but that's my opinion.

Yeah I can easily recognize it too when there is an affiliate link.

@ChickFreak Alright that's good to know but you actually wouldn't mind if someone would place affiliate links in a free ebook?!

[ChickenFreak]

Originally Posted by knubbl

Yeah I can easily recognize it too when there is an affiliate link.

@ChickFreak Alright that's good to know but you actually wouldn't mind if someone would place affiliate links in a free ebook?!

Yes, I'd just mind less. I certainly wouldn't click on the links, and I'd probably delete the eBook and remember the author and publisher as someone not to deal with again.

[knubbl]

Why would you be so mad?! I mean there are lots of people out there that are trying to make money. If the ebook itself is really good and free, wouldn't you still want to keep it?

[ChickenFreak]

Originally Posted by knubbl

Why would you be so mad?! I mean there are lots of people out there that are trying to make money. If the ebook itself is really good and free, wouldn't you still want to keep it?

Well, if it has ads, it's not really free.

But that's not the main point. The main point is that something that I download onto my computer needs to be something that I completely trust. And when people insert ads into something that doesn't normally have ads, I don't trust it any more. I don't know what other conventions or expectations they'll violate.

That may be unreasonable, but the question wasn't whether I _should_ object to ads, it was whether I would. And I would.