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.
Continuing from my previous post…….Most online business owners make the mistake of not taking the time to conduct thorough keyword research. With regards to our “martial arts business” they would brainstorm the first 10 words that pop into their heads for their niche (like “martial arts” and “Huddersfield martial arts lessons”) and never dig deeper into the minds of their prospective customers.
Effective targeted marketing relies on proper keyword research. A keyword can be a single word (like “martial”) or words strung together to create a keyword phrase (like “martial arts lessons for adults”).
The more specific your keyword phrase is, the better. This helps to narrow down the people searching in your niche. Plus, it usually means fewer competitors for the phrase in search engine results pages.
Use keyword tools, such as those from WordTracker and Google AdWords to really dig down to come up with the best keyword phrases for your website.
The more in-depth you get, the more you’ll be able to find the words or phrases that your prospective customers will type into a search engine. If you can hit upon some of these phrases, you’ll see a big increase in the right kind of traffic.
You can look at keyword phrases from a number of different angles. Many keyword research tools provide information on how many searches are being done for a particular keyword phrase, but that’s not all there is to it. You should also look at how much competition there is for that phrase, as well as its Keyword Effectiveness Index (KEI).
KEI refers to the ratio between the amount of competition for a particular phrase and the number of searches done for that phrase. The higher the KEI value, the better. You’ll usually want to use phrases where the searches for it have been plentiful and the competitors scarce.
WordTracker allows you to find the number of searches being done for a particular keyword phrase, and to see how much competition there is for that phrase, along with the KEI value.
WordTracker isn’t free to use, although it does provide a free trial which allows you to research 30 keyword phrases, but it only returns search results from MSN. The paid option gives you a number of different ways to research as many keyword phrases as you like and you can specify which search engine you want to receive results from.
To start your keyword research in WordTracker, enter a basic keyword or short keyword phrase that describes your business. For instance, you could type “Huddersfield martial arts lessons” into the search box.
WordTracker will then return a list of related words and phrases for you to choose from – like “martial arts,” “martial arts lessons,” and “instruction.” Click on one to see related keyword phrases on the right side of the screen. Clicking on “martial arts,” for example, might elicit a list that includes “martial arts shoes,” “history of martial arts,” “martial arts moves,” and “martial arts lessons.” Clicking on “martial arts lessons” might then elicit a list that includes “martial arts lessons for adults” “martial arts lessons for children,” and “free online martial arts lessons.”
The next step is to pick the keyword phrases that are most closely related to your product or service. In WordTracker, this adds them to your “keyword basket.” For our martial arts business, we’d choose “martial arts lessons for adults” instead of “martial arts lessons for children” or “free online martial arts lessons.”
Try to think of as many specific keyword phrases as possible, and use WordTracker’s “dig-down” feature to get even more specific choices. Once you’ve filled your keyword basket, you can look at the competition.
The competition analysis page is where you’ll get the most information regarding your chosen keyword phrases – the number of searches that have been done on them, the amount of competition for them, and their KEI values.
WordTracker recommends using keyword phrases with a KEI greater than 10, but if possible try to come up with keyword phrases having a KEI over 100. A real gift is a phrase with a KEI greater than 400. A high KEI value means that you’re likely to be ranked within the first few pages of your targeted visitors’ search engine results pages… if you optimise your website pages for that phrase.
By identifying and choosing very specific keyword phrases with a high KEI value, and sprinkling those keywords around your website and advertisements, you’ll be able to get the most targeted traffic to your website i.e. the people most likely to actually buy your product or service.
As you build your list of keyword phrases, start putting it to use by including these phrases on your website, in your blog, in content you post in article directories, and in pay-per-click search engines. As time goes by and you see how important keywords are to the success of your online business, you’ll get into the habit of conducting thorough research and expanding your list for a greater reach on the Web.
Previously we discussed whether you could replace your job with a hobby and I would like to expand on this a little.
So, is it possible for you to monetise your hobby? In short, yes. Virtually all hobbies will have saleable elements, it is just a matter of determining what they are. There will normally be a product element, where you could produce and sell products such as a guide, and a service element where you can charge people for your services.
Let’s take a look at DIY. You are a keen DIY enthusiast and have a wealth of experience across the whole spectrum of home improvements. The saleable elements of this particular hobby are pretty obvious. You could sell a variety of guides to help novice (and expert) DIY enthusiasts save money by doing their own home improvements. You could also sell your services as a DIY expert and undertake the home improvements on the customers behalf.
You can use both of these elements to build an income , but it would be best to keep them separate, as two different ventures. On the whole you can use the same techniques to sell your hobby product as your hobby service, but there may be a few minor differences here and there.
So, you’ve identified that your hobby has two saleable elements. The question is: how do you go about selling them and generating a regular income doing the things you enjoy?
You need an outlet.
The simplest and most cost-effective outlet available is the internet. You are going to need a website that potential customers can visit, view your products and place an order. The website doesn’t have to be flash, all it needs to have is
three basic functions: Can people visit it, can people view your products and can people order your products? If you can answer “yes” to all those questions you’re pretty much sorted. You can always tweak your website in future, but basically that is all you need to get started.
You can also set up a website to advertise your service element. In this case the three questions you need to address are: Can people visit it, can people see what your service is and what’s included and can people book your service?
Keep your website simple and easy to use, making sure prices and contact details are easily identifiable.
Website hosting doesn’t need to be expensive. In fact to get started you could use WordPress or webs.com which are both free.
The only real drawback with such free services is that online order forms are more difficult to set up. But you can get around this by providing your customers with a telephone number or an email address with which they can order directly from you. At this early stage of your business this may be a lot more effective.
Ok, now you’ve set up two websites. One for your products and one for your services. You have taken the first steps on an exciting journey, and remember this is easily achievable whilst working in your current job. Hopefully your business will take off and you will finally be able to give up your job and earn your income by doing what you enjoy.
Go for it, you have nothing to lose…
One of the best and most rewarding ways of escaping the 9 to 5 is to get paid to do what you like doing. It may appear a pipe dream, but you can make it work. It will take time and a lot of hard work initially but it will definitely be worth it.
Just think…
You could be your own boss… imagine getting paid for doing what you’re good at and, best of all… your work wouldn’t seem like work at all. Believe me, it is possible.
As for me, I wanted to make money writing. As an information publisher that’s exactly what I do. Doing what you love means that you don’t go home resenting what you’ve done all day. To me this isn’t really work and it feels like this because I do what I want to do.
Believe me, I wasn’t always so lucky.
I have had a couple of jobs over the years and they all had one thing in common; when I got home I felt like I’d wasted my day. I didn’t want to be doing what I was doing.
Writing has always been a hobby of mine. I imagined; what if I could take my hobby and make money doing it. Wouldn’t that make me happier. I’d get paid to do something I enjoyed and I think I’d be much better at it.
So, one day I decided to take action.
I realised that to be a successful writer I needed to develop my skills so that they were saleable. I studied in my spare time to enhance all aspects of my writing skills.
So, think about your hobbies – is there any way you could turn your hobby into your job? How can you escape the resentment of your 9 to 5 and get paid to do what you want to do? It can be done, just persevere and you will reap the rewards…
As previously discussed, a standard email account doesn’t allow you to monitor how many people open your email, how many people spam your email and how many people click on a link . These numbers are all very important when it comes to your home information publishing business and making money online.
Open rate: This show’s if people are opening your email. This gives an idea of how active your readership is and whether your subject lines are attracting interest. After all, if they’re not opening it, how are you going to be able to direct them to your current promotion.
Spam rate: This shows if your e-letter is going into the spam filter and whether people are highlighting you as spam. This is bad for your business and should be avoided if possible. If it is happening, at least you are aware and are able to take action to prevent it.
Click rate: When it comes to making a sale through your e-letter you need to know that people are clicking from your e-letter to your promotion.
It is vitally important to monitor all of these statistics. If you do, you will be able to monitor trends. If a certain promotion works well, incorporate its ideas into your next one. Does a particular type of subject line increase your open rate? If it does, try to use it more often.
Make your e-letter engaging and don’t hard sell your products with every issue.
Remember; Don’t just make a sale, develop a relationship. It will be much longer lasting and beneficial in the long-term.
So you want to distribute your e-letter to your readers. Press ‘send’ and you’re done, right? Well, yes. Sending an email is simple. Most of us do it many times every single day without even thinking about it. But when it comes to sending an email to your readers, it can get a little more complicated.
To start out with you can send your email to people using a standard email account.For basic data protection reasons always put your contacts in the ‘blind contact’ (BCC) field. This stops those on the list from seeing each other’s email. Just remember that this isn’t foolproof – people can still ‘reply all’ and see all your contacts’ email addresses.
Eventually you will exceed the average free email account allocation. Also how are you going to keep track of all these email addresses. A standard email account doesn’t allow you to monitor how many people open your email, how many people spam your email and how many people click on a link . These numbers are all very important when it comes to your home information publishing business. We’ll explore these factors in another article.
To distribute your e-letter efficiently you need to automate it as much as possible. This is where the email auto-responder comes in. This allows you to send e-letters , promotions etc to all your readers. You can save all your readers as a .csv file which you upload to you auto-responder and can automatically update as you gain new subscribers. It makes the process so much more efficient.
There are a lot of auto-responders out there. I have personally used Mailchimp and Aweber.
Mailchimp is a good place to start. You can start for free and can send up 12,000 emails a month to a list of 2,000 subscribers! However, there are a few features that are only available to users with paid accounts. But this is a great place to start and it is free! It is not without its issues but is highly recommended and by the time you hit the ceiling you will most probably be making some decent money, more than enough to cover the monthly subscription fee!
Now, go get writing that content for your hot newsletter! It is a key strategy for ensuring you succeed in making money online.
Till next time…
The quickest and easiest way to start building readers (and a potential customer base for your home business) is to quite simply email everyone you know. Email everyone in your family, your work colleagues, all your friends… include them all in your first few emails. Invite them to read it, and ask for their honest opinions (these will come in handy for testimonials in the future). Ask them to mention your e-letter to their friends and families. This begins the all important word-of-mouth process and more people will become interested in reading your e-letter. When you’ve established this base, you can start concentrating your efforts on getting people with whom you have no direct or indirect links reading too. One step at a time though…
Take some time to think about the topic(s) your e-letter will address and start writing up a list of all the people you know who you could send it to. You may be pleasantly surprised by the length of this list, and the list is a valuable tool for making money online.
Next time I will look at a couple of ways to distribute your e-letter. One will stick to my idea that you can start running this business with no capital investment and is thus free. The other does involve a modest monthly fee, but will be worth it in the long run. However, it is a good option to start with the free alternative to get used to how these systems work before parting with your hard-earned cash.
This is important: as stated in my previous post, write about what you know. Michael Masterson wrote his e-letter talking about his business experience. Fitness and combat expert Matt Furey wrote an e-letter talking about fitness and combat. They were both experts in their chosen subjects.
If you talk about what you know, you won’t go far wrong. The next question you are probably asking yourself is, will anybody be interested. The answer is – YES! There WILL ALWAYS be people out there who are interested in the same things you are. No matter how obscure your niche, there’ll be more people than you realise who are interested in hearing what you have to say.
And it won’t just be people who share your interest that will be interested. This may sound silly but… people are interested in what’s interesting. And the best (and easiest) way to make sure something is interesting is to know your subject. If I tried to write an e-letter about parrots, it wouldn’t be interesting – it would be dull (and most probably nonsense!) and not many people would read it. But if you really KNOW about parrots, what you write will be much more interesting. Your knowledge and passion will come across in your writing. It’s as simple as that and will engage your potential customers and aid your venture to make money online.
So, to summarise; When writing your e-letter, write about what you know (whatever it is). With that sorted, you now need to start getting people to read your e-letter…
“It’s easy to build a customer base but the trick is in growing it.”
Building a list of potential customers is actually quite simple when starting your own information publishing business.
When your list of potential customers has reached a decent size, it does become harder to grow that list, but by that time you should be making plenty of profit to be able to spend a little more time on it.
At the moment we’re only concerned with getting your list going… building your customer list up from scratch.
A quick story…
A few years back, information publishing expert, Michael Masterson started emailing his colleagues.
He’d write about how his present business was running and what he thought he could do to improve it. People enjoyed reading the email and hearing Michael’s thoughts. Colleagues started listening to his suggestions and began to follow his advice. After a while it became clear that these emails were useful beyond his own business and that other businesses and budding entrepreneurs would be interested in receiving his advice.
Michael turned his email into what we now call an e-letter… and bang! Michael’s e-letter is now one of the biggest e-letters in the United States. It has some of the best entrepreneurs in the world contributing to it, has an enormous readership and is highly thought of in the information publishing business. And just think about the money it generates. And all that from an email Michael sent to his colleagues!
So, the simplest way to build a customer base is with an e-letter. I will discuss how to start an e-letter in another article, but your first thought is probably…
What am I supposed to talk about in an e-letter? This is important: talk about what you know and you can’t go far wrong.
Till next time…
