Hello. I’m running a direct sales store for ebooks. I want to offer a sample chapter.
I realize you can add a link to a sample PDF, and if that’s the best solution, I’ll do that. However, I’d like it if the product page could directly display the rich text of the sample (a metafield).
Is this possible?
Is it a good idea? I’m concerned about performance, though I’d be surprised if a wall of text would actually be that bad. I also want to know if it would work well for both mobile and desktop.
It’s great to hear that you’re interested in offering a sample chapter for your ebooks. Adding a link to a sample PDF is definitely an option, but I understand your preference for displaying the rich text of the sample directly on the product page.
But by adding the pdf option people get to know what your ebook looks like after users purchase it. And by just adding the text users don’t get an idea about how your ebook will look from inside.
Depending on your theme this could be as easy as adding a section like “Text content” and using your metafield as Dynamic Source for this.
And it would be an easy edit if it needs custom coding.
You can create a rich text type metafield which, together with some styling will prevent the “Wall of text” look – you’d have your headings, paragraphs, bold, italic and even lists and links…
And yes, it will be much easier to manage, and faster to load then PDF. And definitely much more mobile-friendly. PDF may also open in a different reader (esp on mobile) so it will lead your visitors away from your site.
Depending on your source ebook format (and content) it may make sense to add a couple of screenshots to your product images if you need to convey how exactly it will look.