Ebooks come in three categories - free, low cost and what I'm going to call premium (ebooks costing more than a few dollars or pounds)

Many free ebooks are little more than an advert for another product,. This does not however mean they are worthless. They usually have some interesting information and offer the promise of far more if you purchase their product. These taster ebooks can provide a valuable insight into the main product and can help judge whether paying will prove to be a worthwhile investment.

Free titles are also used widely to encourage mailing lists subscriptions. They are sometimes related to the website topic but they can be on any subject. Frequently, but not always, they are widely available having been on sale for months or sometimes years.

Low cost ebooks - those now selling for between $0.01 and $4.99 have often been for sale previously at much higher prices. Most sold well at a higher price but as they have become available from more sources the price has dropped. A few failed to sell at a higher price, often because they were marketed poorly. Most have excellent content and they do however sell well at a lower price

The premium or high price ebooks do tend to be the newest and are promoted as having the latest information. They are usually sold via affiliates (agents) and a high price has to be charged to enable both the original author and the affiliate to share the price paid.

What subjects are covered?

Although a large number are related to Internet Marketing, if you can think of a subject someone will have written or is writing an ebook on it.

Are they worth buying?

This depends on both the quality of the ebook and the price paid.

At face value free ebooks offer the best deal. All you usually need to do is sign up for a newsletter and you qualify for one or many free ebooks. Sometimes this is just a one time offer however sometimes you can get multiple ebooks every month.

Are they worth it? This is really a no-brainer as if it is not what you expect you can just delete it. As for removing your details from a mailing list that is as simple as clicking on an email link to unsubscribe.

Low cost ebooks (from $0.01 to $4.99) are often ebooks that have been on sale for a few months. The information they contain is often relatively up-to-date and well worth the low price payable. Usually they come with a money back guarantee, anything from 7 days to maybe 30 days.

Premium or high cost ebooks (anything from $5.00 to $97.00 and more) are a more difficult choice. They often carry a 60 to 90 day money back guarantee and I have yet to find a publisher who fails to honor this type of guarantee - so you can get your money back.

I suspect however that many buyers fail to claim their money back even when they pay very high prices. Whether this is because of forgetfulness, embarrassment or indecision I am not sure, however I'm certain that it is something the more unscrupulous publisher relies upon.

I have purchased quite a few high priced ebooks and for the most part I have been happy with the content. Where I have been less than happy I have claimed and received a full refund.

Are ebooks a good buy?

The best reason to buy is not always the most obvious. True original thought is the realm of the Phd graduate not the average internet guru. Most information on the Internet is either available elsewhere or is a product of individual experience. Other peoples experience can be a valuable aid however it is not always possible to translate it into your requirements.

As for the information being available elsewhere, it usually is but finding it is another matter. It can take hours or even days of surfing to find what you want and if that information is available in an ebook then paying a few pounds or dollars is generally worth it.