"Perfumes from A to Z": the first free perfume e-book in Bulgaria

Contents · 5 sections

1. How it all started
2. What will you find in the book?
3. Why is the book free?
4. Thank you
5. Where can you download the book?

I never imagined that the first book I would write would be about perfume. But after nearly 9 months of work and dozens of rounds of edits, in the summer of 2016 "Парфюмите от А до Я" ("Perfumes from A to Z"), a guide to the world of designer fragrances, became a reality. It was the first free e-book of its kind about perfume in Bulgaria.

Years later, people still download the book and send feedback, so I decided to update this article and tell you how it came about, what you will find inside and why it is still completely free.

How it all started

The story began in 2014, when Hristina Dimitrova and I started writing for the designer perfume blog of Venera Cosmetics. We were driven by the lack of information in Bulgarian about the world of perfume. Almost all good content was in English, and our customers kept asking the same questions: what is the difference between EDT and EDP, how do you choose a fragrance, how long does a perfume last, how do you recognise the original.

Interest in the articles kept growing, and we wrote increasingly in-depth pieces on the history of perfumery, the big brands and the industry. What started as an idea to gather information for our readers grew into something much bigger. The logical next step was to bring it all together in a book.

What will you find in the book?

We wanted the book to be informative but easy to read, a window into the world of scents. Inside you will find:

• the history of perfume from ancient times to today;
• how the perfume industry became one of the most profitable in the world;
• production techniques and the main ingredients;
• answers to the most common questions about designer perfumes;
• practical tips on how to choose, wear and store your perfumes;
• the stories of the big names in the industry and their path to success.

Why is the book free?

My main motivation was the belief that when you gain knowledge in a field, you should share it. That is why we decided from the start that "Perfumes from A to Z" would be completely free. That decision has not changed.

From a marketing point of view, the book turned out to be one of the best examples of content marketing in my work. It built trust and expertise without being an ad, and readers connect it with the brand behind it.

Thank you

At first our enthusiasm made us underestimate how much work a book takes. We could not have done it without the help of the people close to us. Hristina, with her many years of experience as a copywriter and editor, did a big part of the writing. I am also grateful to our team at Tendrik, Bozhidar Yankov and Ivelina Nacheva, who edited and proofread the text many times, and to Vera Pitseva, who quickly became an Adobe InDesign expert so the book would look this good.

Where can you download the book?

The book is in Bulgarian. You can download "Perfumes from A to Z" for free from its page: veneracosmetics.com/parfumite-a-do-y. Just leave your email address and you will get it straight away.

If you buy perfume online, also see my article How to choose a safe website for original designer perfumes.