Seth Godin’s What Matters Now for Free

By Hannah Johnson

Early this morning, Seth Godin made his latest book, What Matters Now, available as a free PDF download. You can download it here or read it on Scribd. The book is a collection of short contributions from over 70 thinkers (including authors, journalists, marketing experts and others) about issues that…matter now. The book quickly became a trending topic on Twitter for the better part of a day.

Shortly after posting the e-book download online, Godin updated the download link because he’d found two typos and corrected them.

There was no mention on Godin’s blog about the book coming out in print with a publisher. Are the rights available? Would anyone want to publish a print edition after the free e-book version has been so widely spread?

While choosing to self-publish and give away a book might not work for every author out there, it might be the path that more well-known writers choose to take.

About the Author

Hannah Johnson

Hannah Johnson is the publisher of international book industry magazine Publishing Perspectives, which provides daily information and news about book markets around the world. In addition to building partnerships with international cultural and trade organizations, she works with the Frankfurt Book Fair to organize and support a number of its overseas initiatives. Hannah has also worked as the managing editor for an online media company, The Hooch Life, focused on craft distillers and cocktail experts. Prior to that, she worked as a project manager for the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office, managing various business and marketing activities.