People from all walks of life are learning how to write an ebook and loving the financial rewards and special opportunities they create. There’s no reason you can’t, too! Ebook publishing is one of the least expensive businesses you can start — and can be one of the most profitable. That’s because it doesn’t matter whether you sell or distribute just one or 1,000 copies of your information product. Your ebook production cost remains the same, fixed at whatever minimal investment you’ve made to write the first copy.
Direct sales aside, ebook marketing allows you to showcase your expertise before the numerous influencers you’d want to send it out to. When done well, an ebook becomes your resume or audition demo on steroids! It provides an engaging way to pitch all manner of opportunities you’d like to pursue, to grow your business presence, hobby or industry influence. While the majority of ebooks these days seem to be in the attractive and universal PDF format, if you choose the .EXE format instead, you can make a media-rich pitch tool including video and other interactive components.
Curious about the 7 key steps to create an ebook and get it to the marketplace? Taking these steps could foster your quantum leap forward toward achieving your dreams:
Step #1: Decide on your ebook topic, usually something you already know quite a bit about. Next comes your homework. Learn the information products that are considered hot sellers in your category and why. Do this by browsing the search engines, forums and ebook sales sites such as Clickbank and eBay. Save and file the best of what you find in your “Swap File.”
Step #2: Use your Swap File and own expert knowledge to create your chapter outline. Identify any information gaps and pull more background information to include in your Swap File. Read the latest books on your ebook topic. Also buy some of the ebooks yours will be up against. It’s best to organize and have all the background information you need before you begin writing.
Step #3: Write the ebook content from scratch (or completely rewrite your Swap File information). If writing isn’t your strong suit or something you have enough time for, it’s easy to hire a ghostwriter, providing the writer your Swap File material and chapter outline. Or you can buy existing ebook content (called PLR). PLR ebooks are sold online to make it easy for you. You can inexpensively purchase rights to use these ebook material others have written, customizing it to completely make your own.
Step #4: Choose an attention-grabbing title for your ebook; give it a nice interior layout and e-cover. Now obtain feedback on what you’ve created. Always have a few people read the work before you release it publicly. This can be a friend, co-worker or someone online you trust. If a member of your target audience gives it a read for you, that’s even better. Ask them to write a testimonial about how helpful they found your information. Plan to use this positive feedback in your forthcoming marketing material.
Step #5: Decide whether you’ll market the e-book on your existing website, or if it deserves its own separate site. The best practice, however, is to establish a separate website or mini-site. Think carefully about which route you’ll take. Building a singlularly-focused minisite for your e-book gives you a better chance of keeping site visitors’ attention because the only links you provide are pretty much those which read “Download Now.” However if you choose to sell your ebook from a more typical website, you’ll be able to link to lots of SEO-friendly articles you’ve created and really show the world your expertise.
Step #6: Some people write their own marketing and sales copy; others hire a copywriter, an expert to get this done. If not well written and presented, you’re sabotaging your chances of making sales by doing this yourself. Getting a pro to write your sales letter can be expensive. So if you’re trying to stay within a budget of a few hundred dollars for your entire ebook creation project, study everything you can about how to write a sales letter and see how well your sales go. You can always save up and hire a copywriter later to rewrite your pitch page if your product isn’t selling.
Step #7: Create your marketing plan and implement it. Using strong SEO (search engine optimization) techniques on your book’s sales site is crucial, but so is networking offsite to drive even more traffic your way. Allowing affiliate marketers to sell your ebook for a percentage of the profits is an important system to establish. Also, most ebook publishers spend money to advertise online, even if it’s $200 to start. Of course, some infopreneurs spend little to nothing and their wares still sell well. But if possible, at least start with advertising your ebook through an ad auction system such as Google AdWords.
Believe it or not, you can do all of the above in under 4 weeks. Of course, not everyone has time to get it done that quickly but it’s doable. Some ebook writers claim to do it in far less time. But I wouldn’t recommend taking such a fast-track. Sometimes all of that speed shows up in a product. Mistakes made from rushing can hurt your sales and credibility. Take 4 to 6 weeks to do it right. Then, your ebook will have the power to open doors to new opportunities, even while you sleep!
Reference:
- Hire a Ghost Writer vs. Create Your Own E-book? (copyclique.com/should-you-hire-a-ghostwriter-or-create-your-own-e-book)
