Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, financial advisor James Skinner and Franklin Covey co-founder Roice Krueger met back in May, and the conversation that began then led to them producing 101 short books in 100 days. I use the term “books” loosely, as the average length of each document is 40 pages—but that’s actually a pretty good length for a prescriptive e-book, and that’s definitely what this trio is up to: Sample titles from their creative outburst include How to Make Friends With Anyone, The 9 Laws of the Power of Thought, and Taming the E-Mail Tiger.
Now they’re selling the whole package online for $1 a pop at the unwieldy URL of IdeasThatCanChangeYourLife.com, with a loose DRM wrapping that will allow purchasers to share copies of the books with up to nine other readers. As noted in the press release announcing the venture, “the authors learned that today more than one billion people globally are unable to read. Talking with various experts, it became clear that pride of ownership—the ability to own even one book—is a significant factor in overcoming this problem.” Hence the dollar price point. Later in the release, Skinner comments, “I love that people everywhere can lift themselves up and realize their dreams by reading this easily accessible and inexpensive content online.”
(I know what you’re thinking: Even if the books are radically inexpensive, aren’t those billion people who can’t read unlikely to be using computers? I’m assuming there’s some sort of philanthropic component to the venture, as the home page already mentions contributions to Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross.)
UPDATE: An unenthusiastic reader adds: “I think you should point out that the Chicken Soup $1 book offer enrols you in a $9.95 subscription service; that the ‘books’ are not downloadable; and that the print is very small and hard to read.” Duly noted. That service, called “Promises,” basically seems to provide access to the authors’ blogs and “webinars” and chat boards.