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Home::Newsletters
Writing An Ebook - The Basics
Author : Ben Botes
Title: Writing An Ebook - The Basics Copyright: Ben Botes
http://www.my1stbusiness.com
Writing an e-book can be extremely beneficial for you as a small
business owner. You can use the four steps below as a guide when
writing your own e-book. Please remember that there are many
ways and means of accomplishing a project such as this. In our
experience these steps work well.
As a business owner, writing an e-book can be a great marketing
tool. e-books make great free giveaways on your website as a way
to provide value to your visitors, as well as providing the
world with an easily transportable e-package for others to pass
along, far beyond your own network.
Here are a few advantages of writing an e-book: 1. It's a
natural extension of your oral or other written information. 2.
It's a piece of you, your passion, your significant and valuable
message. 3. It adds credibility, prestige, even fame! 4. It's
fairly easy to produce. 5. It can be produced for a small cost.
6. It will bring you great profits! 7. It brings you a monthly
cash flow. 8. It will bring you endless enjoyment and fun! 9. It
gives you all the profits. 10. It gives you the freedom to
market your valuable information right at your home office
website to maintain focus on your topic.
Step 1 Deciding what to write about.
First and foremost, it must be a topic you are knowledgeable and
passionate about. After that, consider the following in
developing your ideas: Information that is time-sensitive or
subject to change will likely to do well in e-book format. For
example, an e-book on Search Engine Optimization is likely to be
more suitable to electronic format than print. Search engines
change all the time and by the time a book is put into print,
the information may be outdated.
Information that satisfies an immediate need or impulse should
sell well. This could be an e-book on soothing a colicky infant,
for example. The above two points are not essential to writing a
successful e-book, but will certainly go a long way to help in
your plan on how to write an e-book.
The following formats are popular when writing an e-book as a
marketing tool. "How to" Take some of the programs or workshops
you've developed on how to do something and turn it into an
e-book. People want immediate solutions to their problems, so
making it situational rather than generic is key.
Special Report or White Paper A special report displays,
informs, or reports on something. This is great for people who
want the current thinking on a particular topic. You could do a
series of special reports on your areas of expertise. It's a
great marketing tool.
"The Secret Of..." This approach seems to add wisdom to whatever
you disclose in your book. It's basically the "inside" way to
get something done. "Principles of..." If you've got a list of
items, you may want to package it like this - including examples
and stories to convey your point. You are crystallizing your
opinions basically, and that seems to reinforce them in some
way.
"Chicken Soup for the Soul" type series This is a compilation of
stories that make your point for you. They revolve around a
common theme. Your R&D Team can be a great source of these
stories.
Step 2 Do your research and develop your content. Don't start
typing until you've done your research. Will people be willing
to pay for your information? Is it readily available elsewhere?
If it is, could you approach the subject to reach a particular
niche?
Useful ways of developing content for your e-book are as
follows: Interviewing an expert by phone. Conducting a 4, 8, or
12 session tele-class. Starting an ecourse. Hosting an expert
discussion on your topic. Deciding to become a leading expert on
your topic. Sharing what you already know.
Step 3 Packaging & Pricing
Putting It Together The most common format for e-books is a PDF
file. There are other software packages with wonderful features
that you can purchase to create e-books. However, these often
don't operate on certain operating systems or have other
limitations. Click here for e-book software reviews.
What are some possible formats? Adobe ebook. Adopt PDF Gemstar
ebook Hiebook HTML Microsoft Reader Microsoft Word mobiPocket
PalmOS plain text
How Much Should You Charge? It really depends on the quality of
the information you provide. You could have a long or short
e-book, but that's not the ultimate decision maker. Have a few
friends or colleagues read the e-book. Make sure they are
interested in the topic and ask them how much they would pay.You
should also consider giving your e-book away for free. This is a
great way of introducing yourself as an expert to potential
customers.
Step 4 Marketing of your e-book
First, get a website. You can put the e-book on your existing
website if it relates to your current website topic. If it isn't
related, start a new one.
Establish yourself as an expert in the topic. Write and
distribute articles that promote it in the byline. For a list of
possible places to submit your articles click here.- Participate
in forums, moderate chats or run online seminars on the topic-
Solicit interviews from other related websites, magazines, radio
stations, etc. Allow them to read a complimentary copy of the
e-book before agreeing to interview you. Offer to answer
questions from their readers or listeners.
Offer a free email course or free e-book teaser to promote it
for sale. Be careful here. I have seen a number of people use
this technique very poorly, including some so-called Internet
gurus
Of course, you don't want to give away all your great ideas, but
make sure your free offer does provide valuable information. If
there is nothing valuable, how will someone trust you enough to
actually make a purchase from you?
Encourage those who have read the e-book to write reviews. You
can post them on your site and they can also post them on sites
where book reviews are allowed.
Create an affiliate program that people will be dying to join
and promote.
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