As more people begin to realize that blogging for advertising dollars and other free content strategies might not be the best way to make money online, I get more and more questions related to writing and selling e-books.
Producing any information product is almost entirely a marketing exercise. Everything from the topic you choose, to how you position it, to the copywriting strategy you use to sell it, comes down to discovering what people are willing and even driven, to pay.
When it comes to ebooks, the first question to ask is whether or not the ebook in the format you should be using. The humble PDF seems to be the first thing that comes to mind when people consider developing a product, but it is often the least useful and has the lowest perceived value, at least when you want to charge for it.
Is writing electronic books dead?
While the format is still alive and well, the basic ebook is a fairly weak substitute for a real book. It doesn't have any of the tangible attributes that make books the convenient and portable containers of information that they are, and the only real advantage that the eBook has is that it can be delivered instantly.
Also, for any topic where a "real" book is already available, you will most likely lose the sale, instantly downloadable or not. People trust Amazon, and whether they are fair or not, they consider the authors "real" as those that are delivered in ink on dead tree material.
So if your goal is to write a 200-page book, you can go ahead and try to get a publisher, or even have your work self-published. People who read books tend to love books themselves, so it makes sense to give book lovers what they want ... a real book.
Ebooks they sell solve problems
The good news for people interested in making money from eBooks is that the best-sellers are not close to 200 pages. In fact, you can often get a sweet profit from a document that is only 10, 20, and up to 50 pages long, as long as those pages solve a problem that people will pay to have the solution for.
Contrary to what you may think, it doesn't matter if the solution to a problem can be found even with simple online research. "Normal" people don't like doing extensive online research and are often skeptical of free sources of information. Do the work for them and prove that you are a credible person (or an e-book partner with someone who has the necessary credentials), and as long as the problem is real, you will make sales.
There are so many ebooks trying to tell you that the key to successful ebook creation is "write what you love" and the money will come. They use that angle because that's what people want to hear, and they sell a lot of e-books on e-books. But that doesn't make it happen.
Only desperate buyers
There's only one ebook that provides clear guidance on how to research, develop, and sell these short troubleshooting documents, and Alexis Dawes calls it Desperate Buyers Only. This lint-free guide quickly dispenses with the most important myths about e-books, and then guides you step-by-step through:
- identify a potentially profitable topic
- investigating the feasibility of developing the document
- discovering buyer access button problems, and
- Understand how the problem is framed in the mind of the prospect
Alexis then guides you through her five-step variation of the problem-shaking-solution writing technique to create empathy, demonstrate credibility, and close the sale. But it all goes back to the fact that it started with a highly motivated person with a problem, and therefore the "instantly downloadable" aspect of the short ebook becomes a strong selling point.
I once commented in a Desperate Buyers Only review that this is the ebook on creating ebooks that I would have written if I had leaned in, so I have no trouble recommending it (and using my affiliate link). Not only does it tell the truth about what it really takes to make money, but it reveals several concrete strategies that I have used for years to make a great deal of money.
Bonus tip: Use E-Junkie for eBook delivery and your affiliate program. Everything ties in with PayPal (and other payment processors) and only costs $ 5 a month.
How to create an ebook and sell it in 14 days or less
José González contributed a guest article on how to deal with relationships and how that can affect your business. He was so impressed and inspired by the comments he received on that article, he went out and wrote a 100-page e-book on the subject.
In the following article, José details how he created his book in two weeks, how he published and distributed it, and how he can find and test ideas for his own e-book ...
It all happened almost entirely by accident. There was no plan for an ebook. In fact, far from that: the article was an opportunity for me to share a bad experience with others who might be going through the same thing, explain what I did to solve a very real problem so that they could apply the same methodology.
That's what I came up with in terms of "planning," because that was the plan.
It was only after the article was published when I saw and read the comments from all of you, that it occurred to me to create an e-book based on the article.
In hindsight, you could say he was nearsighted. However, I prefer to think that I learned a new way to test a market very quickly, without a product, to see if people really want the product, which increases the potential for success.
With so many advertising channels on the net, you can easily and extremely quickly test any idea using PPC or even blog, just like I did.
But this is only the first part of the strategy. You still need to create a real product, your ebook, once you find an idea that is well tested, and this is a completely different process in itself ... one that requires a systematic approach: a development cycle.
Building a system requires a bit of experience (figuring out what works and what doesn't) and a little tweaking (so things run smoothly and efficiently).
Alternatively, you can always find someone who discovered a system and copy what it does.
In this article, I'm going to talk about my entire process, from the idea to the finished product, including the tools I use, to creating something worthwhile very quickly, putting it online, and starting to sell. You can use this system to quickly package your information into ready-to-sell products, with the potential to create passive income for the rest of your life.
First of all, you need a plan ... so here's mine
Once you decide that there is enough demand for your information, it is time to start working on your eBook.
There are probably tons of guides on how to write and sell e-books online. I wasn't lucky enough to find something useful when I started four years ago, so I did things the old-fashioned way and put the pieces together with a lot of trial and error until I had a process that I could replicate over and over again.
And here it is ...
The things you need
- an idea
- a supermarket
- a test
- wish
- the right tools for the job
Coming up with an idea that sells
Proposing a good idea is easier than most people think. How easy or difficult this process depends on your mindset and where you are looking for ideas.
The first good news is that your mindset is something that can change very quickly and easily. The second good news is that you really don't have to search far for ideas, because you already have everything you need to get started.
First, let's deal with the mindset
Someone said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Someone else said once a [fill in the blank] always a [fill in the blank].
The above statements are indicative of one thing: mindset. The truth is that thoughts change people.
I once bought a pair of boots at a market stall from a man who was blind for a whole week after a golf ball hit him in the back of the head. He told me that until then he had led a selfish and reckless life, causing much pain to those around him. His voice filled with excitement when he said he would never take anything for granted again, and about the unwavering respect he now has for blind people and how he can't do enough for them.
Upsetting, shocking, heartbreaking, and near-death experiences change people, but good experiences also change people. It is the way we think about those experiences that change us.
One thing you are already very good at is thinking. So think about your path to a better mindset.
Finding a good idea is easy. Creating your eBook from an idea is easy.
That's. Think about it and then start doing it. The experience of doing so will change your way of thinking forever.
Next, let's deal with the idea
When it comes to instructional ebooks, ideas are stories, memories of an event, of something that happened, with a beginning, middle, and end.
Basically, your instructional ebook is a packaged experience.
You have stories to tell, based on your own experiences and your own thoughts. Things have happened to you, and those things have lessons within them. Saying to yourself that an idea does not occur to you is the same as saying to yourself that nothing has ever happened to you.
Think of any experiences that you have solved or that have taught you a lesson. There, you have potential material for your ebook, because almost everything you have experienced has happened, is happening, or will happen to someone else.
If you managed to solve a particular problem, dealt with a situation better, or differently, than most people, or made a series of bad decisions that made things worse for you, then you have a story that people want to hear; You have information that other people may be willing to buy from you.
You don't even have to be the hero of the story - if you got into debt and lost everything, your story can be a warning to others. Write an ebook on what not to do.
Choosing the right market
Your story is your electronic book; People who want to hear it are your market.
Earning potential mainly depends on how desperate your market is to solve your problem (in other words, how badly they want your information). The more desperate people are at solving a problem, the more likely they are to succeed with the right product.
It's always helpful to remember that people don't crave your product because it's great. At the beginning of the buying cycle, you are the only one who thinks your product is excellent. Your target audience wants to solve your problems, not improve your bank account.
Think about your experiences and rank them in terms of how helpful the solutions or lessons you learned are, or can be, to someone else with the same problem. Be realistic and aloof - don't tell yourself that your information is gold dust just because you are the one delivering it.
For example, imagine you discovered how to use all the features of your Sony Ericsson mobile phone. That may be useful to you, but you must accept that almost everyone who has the same mobile phone (or even a different type of phone!) Is not interested in becoming advanced users. They are happy to discover how to make calls, send text messages, take photos, and play music. They're not even interested in improving these features - the defaults are good enough.
In this case, your ebook would not be an attractive investment for most people, except perhaps for an extremely small fraction of Sony Ericsson mobile phone users.
If, on the other hand, you suffered from acne when you were a teenager and discovered a way to keep it under control ... how many people with acne do you think would be interested in knowing your information right now?
The key is despair and urgency. They have to want the information, and they have to want it now.
Don't confuse something useful with something necessary
If you discovered a way to overcome your fear of heights, I'd be interested to hear your story.
However, I am not desperate to resolve this. The reason I'm not desperate is that knowing that I don't handle heights particularly well, I avoid heights.
And also for all those who don't like heights: there is simply no need to walk a tightrope if this makes you nauseous. This means that I and the rest of the vertigo patients are not really that desperate for your information. We are simply interested, and that is not a buy trigger.
Not for sale.
There may be some people who fall apart every time they climb a two-step ladder - those people are at the end of the market and are much more likely to buy. But like aspiring Sony Ericsson power users, these people make up a very small fraction, probably too small to back a business venture or make it worthwhile in terms of potential earnings.
Make sure your market spends money
When considering a niche (a small, specific market), make sure the audience is desperate and willing to spend to solve your problem.
For example, if you focus on the DIY PC market (those people who like to build their own PCs and talk about 'the good old days' when entry-level RAM was 32Mb) you will probably find that most of these people are not big spenders. They go to computer fairs and buy used hardware and trade parts with each other because part of the thrill is building a PC out of whatever bits they can get their hands on (ahem, I did that for years, so I write from experience).
Can you change the angle?
If you come to the conclusion that your market is unprofitable before you give up and go back to the drawing board, find ways to adjust things so that the idea fits the market (the need) and not the other way around.
For example, instead of targeting people who suffer from heights, target people who are afraid to fly. You are taking advantage of the same well of experience; you're just repackaging the information to fit a more profitable market made up of people who are much more interested in solving your problem.
Similarly, instead of targeting the DIY PC market, target gamers. Again, you are taking advantage of the same knowledge; It's just repackaging the information to fit a more profitable market of people who are keen to spend money on the latest hardware to enhance their gaming experience.
The key is to narrow your focus as much as possible to meet a very specific urgent need. Tell me you will solve my fear of heights and I will try to fit you next Tuesday. Tell me you'll fix my fear of flying and I'll drag you to Starbucks while I cancel the rest of my afternoon appointments.
A word about niches
When I dismiss some markets in the examples above as potentially "too small," I am considering the fact that while targeting a niche is necessary, the niche must be profitable.
That being said, don't be put off by the size of the niche. A very specific niche is your chance to be the King of a very small pond, rather than a small fish in a huge sea. Targeting as many people as possible with a single product is not advisable. Most likely, the product won't solve a specific problem, and that means it won't be important enough for the people it's targeting to consider.
Gloves for washing are intended for everyone in general, but they are not important for most people. On the other hand (no pun intended), gloves that relieve dermatitis (I don't know if they exist: I just invented it) would be a very specific product, that would solve the problem of a very specific person who is very likely to be anxious, or even desperate, depending on the severity of their condition, to buy.
Test before you start
Most people start with an idea, create an e-book around the idea, then try to sell it, completely missing the market proof.
The reason why most people take this approach is that they fall in love with your idea; they believe he is a "winner". They forget to consider that the market for this idea may already be flooded with similar products that offer the same result, or worse, that the target audience has no real desire to acquire the idea in the first place.
I fell into this trap several times. In my case, I was lucky to be lucky with some e-books, but not so lucky with others. Looking back, this is not a good approach to creating an information publishing business, or even a profitable ebook. It can be difficult to part with too many consecutive failures. It is much easier to get rid of everything and surrender before finding gold.
Testing keeps you from wasting time developing and launching incorrect products and helps you focus on creating products that have a better chance of success.
Remember that testing your idea online is actually the easiest part of the process: post and wait for comments. Use forums, blogs, and any other platform where you can find your potential audience. Just put your information in front of your audience, then wait, watch the reaction, and calculate the level of need. Remember the two magic ingredients: despair and urgency. I need it and I want it now.
Test first, however small, and expect comments that indicate that there is a potential demand for your information.
Then start working on your ebook.
How to create your information product very quickly
There is a magic ingredient that drives you to do something the best you can, provide excellence, take you beyond what you thought possible.
That magic ingredient is desire.
Whether it's the desire for more income, the desire for a better life, the desire to obtain status, or the desire to help someone, the things you can achieve under any other emotion become insignificant compared to what you can achieve when you really want to do it.
In my case, just like my original article was an opportunity to share one of my experiences and help others, my e-book was a second opportunity to help more people, in much more detail and, therefore, more effective.
Money in itself is not a good motivator. It's not about being noble, it's about having a reason. Money is a means, a tool; It is a packaged experience. You exchange it for experiences.
If money is your only motivator, then you're probably not fully connected to your product. On the other hand, if you really care about the information you deliver, then you are emotionally connected and the output will always be the best.
The boy from 7-11 works for money. The artist paints out of passion and earns money in the process (well, if marketing is in place).
More passion = better product = more money (at least potentially). It is a good equation to follow.
The bottom line is that it would be wiser to really care about your work because this will probably show up in the finished product.
In Internet Marketing they say: always write about something you know and are passionate about. You can't fake passion, and your audience is not stupid.
Marketing experts can sell products they don't know about and do well, but we're talking about e-books on how to do it here. We are talking about offering your experiences, so you have no choice but to be connected because it is your story.
If money was your only reason, change your mindset (it's a 3-second decision). Do it because if you care you will produce your best work every time.
Once you have something you want to write about, do this ...
Forget everything you've read about writing and try this:
Day 1:
- Think about your story whenever you can. Apply it to your mind.
- Take some time, sit quietly, and look for the titles (the skeleton) of your story.
- Now put it down. Forget about that and go on to other things. You're done.
Your mind is already working on your story.
Day 2:
- Take some time, sit quietly, read your first title, and start writing.
- Do not stop.
- Do not edit
- Do not correct
- Only write.
- Try to do 1 chapter (title) a day.
Day 3 - Final day
- Keep writing.
- When you get to the end, leave your job alone for a couple of days.
- A couple of days later, find a quiet time to work and start editing.
- Edit your work once, twice at most.
When he stops to edit his work as he writes, he interrupts his flow and invariably gets caught up in the heart of the matter. Creativity has no grammatical rules. So worry only at the editing stage.
Here are some power tips to help you with the above:
Keep your titles low at about 10 or so.
Create subtitles within the main titles if you need to have guides. Try to keep these around 4 at most.
Tell your story in your head as if you were talking to your best friend as if you were helping someone you care about. Listen to what you say and write it down.
I recommend sticking to these power tips to keep your writing feet firmly on the ground. Don't try to impress your audience or spend your time trying to convince them how great you are. Try to help them as you would help a friend. In other words, keep the BS out of the message.
The tools of the trade
This is what I use to create and publish my books:
Tools to write your book
- Writer (from Open Office).
This is free software. It is made by Sun Microsystems, is simpler and less feature-rich than MS Word (the "standard"), and works well. It even opens MS Word documents. But most importantly, Writer has an Export to PDF function which is a fantastic feature.
- Having said that, if you already have MS Word and prefer to write with this, stick with what you feel comfortable with.
Somewhere to publish your books and sell from
- lulu.com - this is also free. This is an on-demand printer. Create an account, upload your document and you're done. You get a page for your book plus a shopping cart, and nothing to set up: lulu handles the sale and delivery, sends you a check quarterly for all your sales, and gets a small cut for your effort. But most importantly, with lulu, you retain all copyrights of your work. This is the key. I've seen dozens of print-on-demand services over the years and lulu is the only one I've seen that doesn't attempt to steal your copyrights in any way. I have been using them for years and just praise them.
A cover for your book
You can create a cover for your ebook from templates available on lulu. These are very simple but they will help you get started.
However, for a professional touch, search the lulu forum once you sign up and you'll find dozens upon dozens of book cover artists. Most of them are very affordable. You can also search for book cover artists at upwork.com
Alternatively, you can easily find e-book cover creation software online and do it yourself. I recommend using a graphic designer, even if you decide to use software to create the cover from the image yourself.
Prices of your product
When it comes to pricing, look at your competition (if you have one) for an idea or a starting point. Try to use magic numbers, like:
- $ 27
- $ 37
- $ 47
- $ 67
- $ 97
- $ 99
You can also borrow from the standard .95 and .99 supermarket and get prices like:
- $ 9.99
- $ 19.95
- etc.
The price of a product can be a test in itself and will be affected by the quality of your product, uniqueness and market value competition (despair and urgency), and even current market conditions. Don't get caught up in all the variables; just quote quickly and get ready to modify.
Leveraging your market
When your product is ready, you should attract your audience to buy by giving them an idea of the experience your product will bring, or by taking away the buyer's risk (offering a money-back guarantee).
I personally take the first approach. The key here is to give a FREE MASSIVE value before the sale.
This often sounds counterintuitive, but the market dictates what is what, and this is the way things are right now.
Internet marketing is evolving rapidly. For a long time, online sales letters that mentioned a product's features worked well. However, with the competition, the game always changes. If there is competition in a market, sellers must change something about their approach to differentiate themselves.
Thus the freebie was born.
In general, you can get a free report or product sample in exchange for your email address. It is the e-book version of "trialware".
The bottom line is that you will probably have a hard time convincing your audience that their information is what they need. Consumers are spoiled for choice, so you will have to go a little further and give them something of real value; something that allows your target audience to TEST their information, the quality, and value of it.
If you can deliver value, your prospects will trust you, and it's this change in the relationship that creates a potential sale. With confidence, you have the full attention of your prospects; They will listen to you because they have a problem they want to solve and you just showed that you can solve it.
And that is! That's my complete product development cycle in a nutshell!
