|
Why Write an eBook?
By James Williams
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.
|
Have
Our
FREE
Home Business
Newsletter.....
