Why Should You Write an eBook?
It's not true that everything that has been said has already
been written. Since that unfortunate axiom came into use, the
whole universe has changed.
Technology has changed, ideas have changed, and the mindsets of
entire nations have changed.
The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook.
What the publishing industry needs are people who can tap into
the world as it is today - innovative thinkers who can make the
leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old
problems in a new way.
Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with
fresh ideas to disseminate information to the millions of people
who are struggling to figure out how to do a plethora of
different things.
Let's say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge
to back it up that will enable you to write an exceptional
ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank
screen wondering, "Why?
Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook
when it's so impossible to get anything published these days?
Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is entirely
different than publishing a book in print.
Let's look at the specifics of how the print and cyber
publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why you should
take the plunge and get your fingers tapping across those
keyboards!
Submitting a print book to conventional publishing houses or to
agents is similar to wearing a hair shirt 24/7. No matter how
good your book actually is, or how many critique services and
mentor writers have told you that "you've got what it takes,"
your submitted manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a
boomerang instead of a valuable mine of information.
Perhaps, in desperation, you've checked out self-publishing and
found out just how expensive a venture it can be. Most "vanity
presses" require minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and
even that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some
presses' minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies.
And that's just for the printing and binding. Add in
distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - well, you do
the math. Even if you wanted to go this route, you may not have
that kind of money to risk.
Let's say you already have an Internet business with a quality
website and a quality product. An ebook is one of the most
powerful ways to promote your business while educating people
with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a
specific product or service.
For example, let's say that you've spent the last twenty-five
years growing and training bonsai trees, and now you're ready to
share your knowledge and experience. An ebook is the perfect way
to reach the largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.
Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will help you
make a name for yourself and your company, and establish you as
an expert in your field. You may even find that you have enough
to say to warrant a series of ebooks. Specific businesses are
complicated and often require the different aspects to be
divided in order for the reader to get the full story.
Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the ebook
scene. You may want to build a whole business around writing and
publishing ebooks.
Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are thinking
of setting up a website to promote and market your ebooks. Maybe
you're even thinking of producing an ezine.
One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks is to find
information about how to turn their Internet businesses into a
profit-making machine. And these people are looking to the
writers of ebooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies
because writers of ebooks are usually people who understand the
new cyberspace world we now live in.
Ebook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and
the strategies of promoting and distributing ebooks. The
cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be successful so that
more and more ebooks will be written.
You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market
your ebook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide
that will all be working to sell your ebooks. Think about this?
Do you see a formula for success here?
Figure out what your subject matter is, and then narrow it
down. Your goal is to aim for specificity.
Research what's out there already, and try to find a void that
your ebook might fill.
What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or an ebook
about caring for elderly pets? How about the fine points of
collecting ancient pottery?
You don't have to have three masters degrees to write about
your subject. People need advice that is easy to read and easily
understood. Parents need advice for dealing with their
teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills -
quickly. The possibilities are endless.
After you've written your ebook
Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once you've
finished writing it, just as it is with print books. People will
hesitate to buy any book from an author they've never heard of.
Wouldn't you?
The answer is simple: give it away! You will see profits in the
form of promoting your own business and getting your name out.
You will find affiliates who will ask you to place their links
within your ebook, and these affiliates will in turn go out and
make your name known. Almost every single famous ebook author
has started out this way.
Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook is to
make it interactive. Invent something for them to do within the
book rather than just producing pages that contain static text.
Let your readers fill out questionnaires, forms, even crossword
puzzles geared to testing their knowledge on a particular
subject.
Have your readers hit a link that will allow them to recommend
your book to their friends and associates. Or include an actual
order form so at the end of their reading journey, they can
eagerly buy your product.
When people interact with books, they become a part of the
world of that book. The fact is just as true for books in print
as it is for ebooks.
That's why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they provide a
forum for people to learn and make sense of their own thoughts,
but they can also serve to promote your business at the same
time.
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Article reprinted with permission from Strategic Services. All
rights reserved. Helene Malmsio has been a successful business
entrepreneur for nearly 30 years and has been operating
Strategic Services group of Companies since 1987.
For more information on how to write and publish your own
ebook, and to get your own copy of our free self publishing
ebook, go to http://www.buybooks-online.com
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About the author:
Helene Malmsio has been a successful entrepreneur for 30 years
and has been operating the Strategic Services group of companies
since 1987.