Any book, magazine or publication that you buy in the world is made up of information that you could get for free. You can take ten years, get the experience, do the studying, etc...or you can pay a few bucks for an ebook that will give you what you need right then. I guess it's a choice but my time is worth more than that to me.
That being said, there are ebooks that are a complete waste of time and then there are those that are invaluable. One must be selective and know who you're buying from. I will buy an ebook from someone that I see frequently on forums, giving good advice and writing useful posts before I will buy from someone that I have never heard of.