Buy the book - get the audio and digital for free!

The debate surrounding book publishing and the use of technology is already a few years old and looks set to rumble on for a number of years yet. It is still unclear what role, if any, digital eReaders will play and if third-party devices such as the Iphone/Ipod will have a significant say in the market. Products such as Stanza are making the delivery of digital material easier and it seems clear that the market place is open to new ideas.

One aspect of the argument that does seem settled is that book selling is starting to become less about the format (paper vs digital) and more about the content. It is also clear that choice is becoming key. It has been debated that the future will involve a reader opting to consume their book in a number of formats switching between digital and traditional as their circumstances change.

This is where US publishers Thomas Nelson come into the picture. CEO Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt) has openly championed the experiment of providing multiple formats. This month Andrew Andrew’s The Noticer has been made available in a traditional paper version with the audio and pdf being given away for free.

This is what the site says:

For a limited time only, buy Andrew Andrews' new book The Noticer and receive $76.96 worth of FREE products

It's this simple:
• May 1–20 Purchase The Noticer from Amazon.com or your favorite book retailer
• Fill in the information below to download FREE audio and e-book formats, including E-Pub, PDF, and the Kindle-compatible MobiPocket*
*You will need your copy of The Noticer in hand to access the downloads.

Michael Hyatt insists that if the experiment is successful then this is a model that will be used more regularly by Thomas Nelson.