I just signed up for a service called WOWIO. Don't panic, it's not another blog/microblog/social network. WOWIO is an ebook seller (giver, actually). You sign up for an account and download the books free and legally.
Who pays for it? WOWIO's model is for sponsors to pay for a run of an ebook that will be offered as a free download to WOWIO's users. In return the sponsor gets to tastefully bookend each file with their logo and sponsorship message.
Types of sponsorships include:- A profile-targeted sponsorship (age, gender, etc.)
- A category-targeted sponsorship (Business, Comics, etc.)
- A non-targeted sponsorship ("run-of-network")
This weekend I downloaded Winsor McKay's Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (I highly recommend it, but I'd point you toward his Little Nemo in Slumberland series first. Absolute magic. Not available on WOWIO.). The book was sponsored by Verizon Wireless. This is what I saw when I opened the file:
Page 1
The text reads: "Verizon Wireless is proud to sponsor this ebook for Charlie Trotter. Verizon Wireless proudly sponsors free books for free minds."
Page 2
This is a video ad for their VCast feature that, classily enough, I can choose to play or not play. Well played! (I didn't actually play it.)
Last page
The text reads: "Verizon Wireless is proud to have sponsored this ebook for you. If you would like to know more about our company, or our products and services, please visit us online at www.verizonwireless.com."
This is so tastefully done it makes me glad I'm already a customer of theirs. I'm also glad to see them aligning themselves with he idea of people expanding their minds with books and sponsoring an effort to get me those books free.
This model is right up the credit union's core value alley: promoting thrift. It would be bang-on for a credit union to look into a sponsorship and have their brand aligned with providing people with free books.
Just a thought.
