NelsonFree
I got a copy of I’ll Make You an Offer You Can’t Refuse, the new leadership book by former mobster Michael Franzese. The content was fairly typical (and forgettable) leadership material, but what most interested me was that this was a NelsonFree book – a new concept from publisher Thomas Nelson that “means you not only get the book in your hands, you also get a free ebook and an audio version – three formats for the price of one.”
I love the concept. Here’s my experience with the execution:
Book
I don’t know if all NelsonFree books will be like this, but I’ll Make You an Offer is a hardback book without a dust jacket. It’s the perfect binding. The durability of a hardcover without the frustration of a dust jacket that gets lost, damaged, etc. and leaves behind a plain & ugly cloth binding. I’m sure there’s a technical term for this kind of binding – maybe library binding? Whatever the term, it’s perfect.
EBook
The digital content is accessible at thomasnelson.com/nelsonfree by entering your name, the book’s ISBN number, and a piece of information only knowable by someone who has the book (in this case, the 5th word from page 103). The ebook is available in three different formats – MobiPocket (Kindle-compatible), ePub, and PDF. I don’t have a Kindle or other book reader device or software, so I didn’t use the MobiPocket or ePub files. I downloaded the PDF, though, and it was exactly what I expected. It was a lightweight file (2.3 MB) since it’s primarily text content, so it should fit easily enough on mobile devices or other devices with limited storage. NelsonFree delivers the ebook experience exactly as I’d hoped.
Audio Book
The audio book is a different story. The files are offered in non-DRM MP3 files, which is great. But the book isn’t offered for download as a single file or a ZIP – each chapter must be downloaded invididally. It’s a minor nuisance perhaps, but a nuisance and barrier to use nonetheless. After downloading and importing to iTunes, I was disappointed to find no Author or Album information. Chapters were titled as expected (Chapter 2, Chapter 3, etc.), but I had to manually enter the Author and Album text for each of the 12 files. Disappointing. After completing the work, though, the recording was very good and was read by the author.
Conclusion
NelsonFree is a great program, marred only by a few relatively easy to remedy annoyances. This was one of the first books released as part of the program, so I’m sure these issues will be addressed in future iterations. It’s an innovative and bold step forward for a publishing house, and I’m excited to see how it develops over time. Great job to Michael Hyatt and the rest of the Thomas Nelson team for leading the industry in this area.
