They're being given away on marketing sites all over the web, and they're attracting a huge number of downloads.

Imagine the traffic, a popular e-book can bring you, if it's given away free from hundreds of web sites. And not only traffic. Your e-book can contain advertising from businesses and programs you're promoting, and you can even sell ad space in it.

Given their sudden popularity there's surprisingly little information available on how to put one together. So I've reviewed all the available e-book compilers and narrowed them down to a shortlist of four. The one's to make the grade are WebCompiler 32, Neobook, Super Winbook, and the Windows version of Writer's Dream. The reviews and links to trial versions are all available on my web site at http://ozemedia.com/ebooks.htm

But before you can sit down and create the content for your electronic book, you should consider why you are developing it, who you intend to read it, and whether you expect payment for it.

Here are a few pointers.

• Rule number one - aim it at your target audience.
• The writing style you use should be similar to that of your emails or web site. Keep it light, short paragraphs and sentences, and lots of white space. Writing is just 'harder to read on a computer screen, so don't let people get bogged down by it.
• Simply creating an electronic book is not enough. Think about how you are going to distribute it. Unless it's widely available you will have wasted your time writing it because you will have few readers.
• The best way to distribute it is to load it to your own web site, then write to ezine publishers and high profile sites inviting them to grab a copy to give away on their own sites.
• Include a link to your e-book in your sig file.
• If you intend selling the book you can still give it away but password protect most of the content, just as you would with a web site. Then sell people access to the rest of the book on request.
• Another way to profit from your e-book is by advertising affiliate programs, and other biz ops in it. If you can guarantee a wide enough readership you can even sell advertising space in it.