The power of “why?”

Why. Such a small word but it can have amazing power when setting goals and objectives to move your business forward. Children ask it all the time throughout their development but as adults we seem to be a bit apprehensive. Perhaps it is admitting our own ignorance that holds us back, but your business will thank you for asking it. You should be continuously asking “why?” during all stages of your business development  and keep asking it until you are able to visualise the simplest solution to the question.

Just take a look at this to see what I mean:

Your main problem is that your business isn’t making you enough money. Why?

Maybe you’re not selling enough products or services. Why?

Maybe you haven’t got enough customers. Why?

Because you are not capturing their names on an email list. And here is your solution – try to capture the email address of as many visitors to your site as possible to build your list of prospective customers.

Once you have narrowed down your potential solutions it will be much quicker and easier to implement them and see your business grow. Don’t try to guess – just ask yourself – “why?”

This may seem simple and it is, but don’t underestimate its power. It just forces you to treat each problem in a logical way until you find the best solution.

Try it for yourself and see what happens and if it can help you remove any constraints on your own business.

This can also work in your everyday life too. So I urge you to unleash your inner child and start asking “why?” And see your business grow as a result…

The importance of setting goals and identifying potential obstacles.

Get used to setting goals

Goal setting is an important aspect of any business, in fact any facet of life, because if you ever want to achieve anything, you need to have a target to aim for to judge your progress.

And whatever happens in your life, don’t let it distract you from your goal. It may take longer than originally intended but you WILL reach your goal in the end. Keep reminding yourself why you want to reach your goal and believe that you can achieve it!!

Have I missed the opportunity?

It is never too late to start aiming for a goal in life or business although we may have to overcome years of dogma to unshackle that belief.

There are many instances of people who didn’t achieve their goals till later in life (Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in his 60s, Colonel Sanders discovered KFC at 65, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury tales aged 54-61).

So the point is, stick with it. There are so many people who start out with high aspirations and if they come a little off track they give up. This is one of the major differences between successful people and the rest – they do not give up and always maintain self belief. Try to take a small step each day to work towards your goal and you will get there.

Just remember that success comes one step at a time and the trick is to identify those steps and tackle them in a sensible and effective way.

Overcoming obstacles

First of all write down any potential obstacles that you can think of. Some people are a bit afraid of doing this but they cannot be ignored and if you write them down in a particular way they may become less intimidating and perhaps even inspiring.

So, at the top of a piece of paper write down your goal, then below that write down the obstacles. Then write down possible solutions next to the obstacles.

This can be quite empowering by revealing that although these obstacles may be very real, there are a number of solutions to overcoming them. And some of these solutions may be able to be put into practice immediately. This can really give you clarity and a sense of progression as you break down the obstacles and cross them off your list. But you must make a conscious decision to do this, so do not put this off and remember:

The time for action is now…

Writing your ebook part 5

Following on from my previous post

Choose the title for your ebook

A lot of people spend so much time writing their ebook and then spend hardly any time considering their title. Your title has to be catchy enough to capture your readers’ attention, and it should also contain the keywords that people will use to search for information on your topic.

If you can, try to use a title and a subtitle together such as:

Quit your job: How to get rich working smart, not hard!

This format works because the title gets your attention, and it often makes a promise: such as the promise of being able to quit your job. The subtitle is longer and more descriptive. It should also contain some benefits or the solution to a problem: we all want to get rich while working less. Another powerful tool is to try to elicit an emotion with your title.
It is important to make sure that you test both your title and subtitle. You can use email responders to send out the same promotion using several titles for your product. Monitor the results and stick with the one that produces the most sales.

Never underestimate the power of a good title, and take your time choosing it.

Once you have the idea for a title you need to make it keyword rich.

Select the Keywords for your title

Use Google Ad Words to research and find the best key words to use for your title. This is key to your success as this will push you up the search engine rankings and help Google searchers find your ebook. It will also bring more traffic to your site, and thus hopefully more sales. This is one small part of search engine optimisation (SEO), a huge subject on its own, and something I will cover in the future.

It may also be worth considering buying the domain name for your title although I would only do this if it is a guaranteed seller or you are just wasting money.

Next time I will look at designing a cover for your ebook…

Writing your ebook part 3

Following on from my previous post:

c.     Writing your ebook

Here are some tips to remember when writing your ebook:

• If at all possible try to answer the question “What is the purpose of your ebook?” in your introduction.
• Think about your readers whilst you are writing. Is this ebook giving them good value? Visualise your perfect reader and ask yourself what they would want to know about this topic. Make decisions about the content, form, and style of your ebook based on your understanding of your readers’ expectations.
• Try to write in a way that makes the reading experience easy and enjoyable. Put your own character into your writing and it will appear much friendlier. Don’t be afraid to write as you would speak. It may not always be grammatically correct but your writing will be less stilted and more flowing. One idea is to use a Dictaphone and record yourself talking about the subject. Compare this to your writing and you will see the difference. Combine both to produce a nice flowing script.
• In conjunction with the last point, try to break up the length and structure of your sentences and paragraphs to make sure that your writing doesn’t become monotonous.
• Give your readers’ eyes a break by leaving sufficient white space.
• Indented quotes and examples, as well as section and sub-section headings, will help you keep your reader’s alertness.
• Could you use an image and/or graph to get your point across? “A picture paints a thousand words.”
• Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered.
• Find a font that’s easy to read and stick to it. There is nothing worse than continuously changing fonts! Stick to the more common ones such as Arial and Times New Roman.
• Get a good dictionary and Roget’s thesaurus.
• Try to open each chapter with a hook to grab your reader’s attention. There are a number of ways to do this. You could start with a few thought-provoking questions or shocking facts that relate to your readers’ problems. Also try to keep each chapter’s title clear, concise, and compelling.
• Try to keep in mind hot selling points for each chapter. This will help you remain focused on your topic and you are also preparing to market and promote your ebook whilst writing it!
• Add quotes that are relevant to your subject.

  ”The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what – these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.” William Zinsser

Keep your subject matter narrow.

Remember; don’t make your subject matter too broad or general: give your readers specific ideas and solutions they can use right away.

“Shrink your subject. Most of us are way too ambitious when we set out to write. So we end up with a flood that’s a mile wide and an inch deep. Give your readers some depth so that they can enjoy the water. Pick the most interesting, unusual, or surprising aspect of your subject and dive in.” Jack Hart

If you keep these tips in mind when writing your ebook you will be well on the way to writing a clear, concise, informative and enjoyable product.

Next time we will look at the next important step; editing your work…

Writing your ebook part 2

Following on from my previous post:

B       Research and gather information for your ebook. 

Top tips to help research your ebook

• The amount of research that you will need to do is dependent on your level of expertise in your chosen subject.
• If you are already knowledgeable, write down everything you know. Write this under each chapter heading, then do extra research if you need to fill in any gaps in your knowledge. Also, it is important to ensure that your information is current.
• If you don’t know much about your chosen subject, you will have a lot of work to do in terms of research in order to provide value for prospective customers. Organise your research. Take methodical steps. Use files and folders and begin collecting and organising your information. Always try to keep hard copies as well as digital copies. You could use Squidoo lenses to help organise your research. Squidoo lenses provide modules which you can use in the same way you would use index cards. Use a different idea for each module and link to the source of the information for easy reference.
• Keep a record of your sources of information. You never know when you’ll want to go back to a specific resource so make sure that this is easy to find. Also give credit to others if you are using their ideas.
• Don’t just limit your research to online search engines. Make sure you make good use of books and magazines too. If you know, or have access to subject experts, talk to them; you could then use these interviews as an audiobook option.
• Look at all the points in your outline/mind map and research them all thoroughly to ensure that you’ve covered everything that is needed to convey the information that your readers need. Be clear and concise. Don’t be tempted to waffle.
• Whilst researching your topic, if it looks like your book is going to be 500 pages long, your topic is too broad. See if you can narrow it down into sub niches. If you are lucky, your broad topic could provide you with subject matter for several products. You could then sell them separately, as a bundle or give some of them away as a free gift.

Next time we will look at writing the ebook…

Writing your ebook

So, you’ve chosen a topic you’re passionate about and determined that there are people out there looking for information on your topic and more importantly willing to pay for it. You’ve also determined that although there is some competition in your niche, there’s enough room for your product. Good. Now it’s time for you to start writing.

The basic process will look something like this:

A. Determine the structure of your ebook.
B. Conduct research and gather your information.
C. Write your ebook.
D. Edit your ebook.

Let’s look at these stages in a bit more detail over the next few posts:

A.       Determine the structure of your ebook – develop a Table of Contents

When thinking about the structure of your ebook the best way to stay on track is to develop a table of contents and then an outline. It may also be good to write your sales page first. This will keep you focused on what your ebook needs to include to appeal to its target audience. Once you have written your sales page, which is basically a list of the benefits that your ebook will provide to your readers, you can use this as the basis for your table of contents.
If you need ideas when writing the sales letter , search for ebooks on your chosen subject and look at their sales page. Don’t copy other people’s sales pages; you’re just looking for ideas and inspiration. Think about how you could make yours better and stand out from the rest.
Once you have developed your table of contents you can use this to create an outline for your ebook. This should include chapter headings and the points you want to make listed under each heading. Some people prefer to use mind maps instead of outlines, just use whichever method is best for you.              
(A mind map is a graphic technique used to represent ideas, using words, images, symbols and colour. Write down the topic at the centre of a piece of paper, then draw branches leading out from this topic, and smaller branches leading out from these. The branches are organic and free-flowing, instead of being structured and rigid. The first level of branches are supposed to represent the key benefits you can provide your readers. These will become your chapter headings so only use a few words per branch. Then, from each key benefit , branch out into supporting facts, anecdotes, resources etc. It’s a good idea to use colour and images when creating mind maps to further stimulate both memory and imagination.)

You can use Amazon to brainstorm a table of contents by using their “Search Inside This Book” feature to get an idea of the content provided in books in your niche. You could also write the table of contents as a list of questions that your audience wants answered.

Remember that each chapter in your ebook should ideally solve a particular problem related to your topic.
Remember this when developing your table of contents too: every chapter needs to solve a particular problem or add a benefit to the reader.

Next time we’ll look at researching your ebook…

I am writing a FREE guide!

This is just a quick post to let you know that I am writing a new guide about making money by writing letters and articles. This will be FREE to all my email subscribers and I when it is finished and uploaded I will let you know.

To receive this guide, just pop your email address in the box on the right and you will receive it when it is ready.

This is just my way of saying thank you to all those people who take time out to read my musings.

Thanks…

 

Choosing a topic for your Ebook

This may appear simple but it is surprising how many people get stuck at this stage and can’t decide what they want to write about. Keep in mind that it’s not just about selling information as people are bombarded with information all the time. More importantly, it’s about selling advice, ideas, original concepts, analysis, expert guidance and how-to guides to help people solve their problems.

The most popular topics for ebooks are:

• How to make money.
• Self help.
• How to save time.
• Learn how to do something with the least amount of effort.
• How to achieve better health (through diet, exercise, etc).
• To learn more about their hobbies and interests.
• To have better relationships.

You need to start thinking of a long list of possible topics that you would like to write about.

Brainstorming ideas for your Ebook

Remember that you’re looking to solve a problem for others. Whilst brainstorming, remember that your main goal is to come up with as many ideas as you can (think quantity, not quality at this stage). Don’t judge, evaluate, or criticise the ideas that you come up with at this point. You will probably come up with a lot of ideas that are closely related, as well as ideas that may seem farfetched.
Here are a few ways to start your brainstorming:

Use your own knowledge, skills, and talents

• What are your innate abilities  (your information product can be based on something in which you excel).
• What skills do you use at work?
• What did you study at school/university? What additional courses/seminars have you studied?
• What do you like to read or learn about? What types of magazines do you like to read?
• What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? What are your hobbies?
• Do you have pets? If yes, how do you look after them?
• Are you a parent? Can you provide practical advice on parenting?
• Do your friends and family generally turn to you for help or advice in a particular subject?
• Have you overcome a problem in your life that may be experienced by others, such as ways to deal with a difficult boss, got out of debt etc?

Visit Clickbank and Amazon

• Find topics for ebooks-or even printed books-that people are buying right now, and enter the market yourself.
• To find popular ebooks visit Clickbank (they let you sort by popularity).
• Also research which topics are selling well in printed books by visiting Amazon.

If you have a blog

• What are your readers saying?
• Which are your most popular posts (in terms of visitors and/or comments)? Can you expand on them?
• What questions do your readers tend to ask you in the comments section or via email?
• Consider conducting a poll to ask them what they would be interested in learning more about.
• What trends are emerging in your niche?
• What’s the biggest problem or challenge for people in your niche?

Ebook Tip

Pick a topic that you’re passionate about. You’ll be spending a lot of time researching and writing your topic and you’ll also have to spend a lot of time marketing your ebook. This does take some work, and if you’re not passionate about your chosen subject, this will come across in your writing and you will be much more likely to give up.

Write an ebook that contains information that people are desperate for.

Another option for finding a great topic for your ebook is to brainstorm a list of problems that people are desperate to solve. Instead of selling basic how-to information-such as an ebook about how to take a great picture with a digital camera,you should sell to desperate buyers. That is, people with pressing issues they need to solve right now; people with problems that are clear, bothersome (eg. haemorrhoids), and maybe even embarrassing. These people are going to be rushing to you for a solution to their problem instead of you having to chase after them to try to sell them your ebook.

Once you have finished brainstorming and have a long list of ideas,  examine them critically. Evaluate their merit as possible subjects for your ebook. Consider related ideas or concepts. Try to establish three or four strong ideas that are good potential topics.

“And remember this; you need to give customers what THEY want, not what YOU think they want.”

That’s it for now…

Could I ask you a quick question?

I am trying to determine what obstacles stop people from starting an online business. I will use the results to try to tailor my posts to address these issues.

So, if you could  please take a few seconds to answer this quick poll I would be most grateful.

Thanks…

10 top tips to help with writing an eBook

Try to follow these tips before you write a single word and you will be much more likely to be successful and write and publish your eBook.

1. Write a title for your eBook. This will give you focus and ensures the reader knows what topic(s) the eBook will cover.

2. Write a thesis for your eBook. A thesis is a brief statement addressing the problem(s) that your eBook covers and how your eBook will solve it. Knowing the thesis before you start writing will keep you focused. All chapters should be written with the thesis in mind and reinforce it.

3. Determine the level of interest for your chosen subject. The fear that your book won’t sell isn’t unusual so don’t worry. Ask yourself this simple question; is it relevant? Then write it! Does it give the reader useful information? Does it have the potential to positively affect people’s lives? Is it lively, humorous? Does it help answer important questions for the reader? It costs very little (if anything) to write an eBook so the most you’ll have lost is your time. If it doesn’t sell, forget about it and move on. DO NOT dwell on it and think of it as a failure.

4. Target your audience. This is vital to the success of your eBook. Not everyone will want to read your book. What is the age range of your prospective readers? Are they more likely to be male or female? Are they interested in personal growth, making or saving money, or “how-to” guide books? What types of challenge do they face? Are they likely to be business people? What magazines and websites do they like? Are they Internet savvy? Once you have targeted them, write a sales letter and tell them why you’re writing your book and the benefits they can expect.

5. State your reasons for writing your eBook. Your readers will want to know the reason you wrote your eBook so be prepared. For instance, “I wrote this book because so many of my clients and students asked me to. They didn’t want theory; they wanted practical advice to help them. “

6. State your personal goals for your eBook. Would you like to give it away to family members? Is it going to be a free gift to your readers or do you want to sell it? How many copies do you want to sell? How much money would you like to make each month? What publishing format will you choose; will it just be distributed as an eBook or will you also sell physical copies via self-publishing or traditional publishing?

7. Organize the sections of your eBook. Keep your sections in separate files; keep your introduction in one and your chapters and your index or resource section in others. Include your bibliography and keep a file of all people you will quote in your book who may give you a testimonial later (if relevant). ALWAYS keep a backup copy! It may also be a good idea to keep a properly indexed paper copy. Better to be safe than sorry.

8. Write down the format of your eBook. Readers will expect a clear map to guide them through the text. They like consistency. Each chapter should be approximately the same length and have the same sections. To bring your writing to life, try to include anecdotes, headings, photos, maps, graphs, exercises, tips. Readers like easy-to-read side bars in boxes.

9. Write a brief synopsis before you start writing. This “outline” will help to give your book direction and helps you focus only on what’s important to your subject. You only have a few seconds to impress your prospective buyer so include what sells: customer testimonials, a benefit-driven headline to hook the reader and bulleted benefits, pretty much all the information you should have in your sales letter!

10. Try to envisage your eBook cover before you start writing. Take your time when designing your cover or freelance it out. There are many types of eBook cover software available so I would definitely give it a go yourself before paying a graphic designer. Unleash your creative inner artist! Once designed keep it next to your PC to inspire you. To sell your products, your cover and title only have a few seconds to hook your buyer. Covers may well be more important than what is inside! Browse a high street bookshop as well as other eBooks to get a few ideas to get you started. Do you have any colour preferences? Is you title powerful and to the point?

Writing an eBook is much less daunting when you can break it down into bite-sized chunks. As soon as you master these ten tips you will be well on the way to finishing your first eBook.