Thought I would pull out some of the more common questions we get week to week both from our subscribers, on this blog and inside of InfoMarketer’sZone.
Specifically, when someone sets out to write an ebook, they question…
1. How long should the ebook be?
2. What should they start with…should they just begin writing their ebook, outline it first or how do they get started?
3. How do they make sure their topic is a good one – or at least targeted in the best way possible?
4. Can you promote other products in your paid ebook through including affiliate links?
So, here are some tips from our own ebook writing businesses that I think should help you with these questions, and perhaps more:
1. When you set out to write an ebook, begin with a purpose, and that purpose should be to help your reader achieve a highly desired result in their life. The desire may be to avoid a challenge or pain OR it may be to gain pleasure. You may have a system to avoid arthritis pain or lose weight or you may have a system for getting over shyness or getting the perfect date. You want to focus on something achievable, something specific you will help your reader achieve.
2. Next, outline your chapters, typically you start with an overview of the problem, then the chapters become the steps or critical pieces of information toward achieving the solution.
3. How long should your ebook be? Tough question, general guidelines would be in the range from 30 pages toward a couple hundred – any more than that I would tend to split it up into separate products.
4. Finally, if you’re ebook is looking too long, pull out a section or two and put them into special reports you offer as bonuses and/or turn them into audio recordings to enhance the value of your package.
If you offer good information and target a solid topic I’ve never had a problem adding a few affiliate links throughout the ebook. In my case I typically add value by offering a no-cost way of doing something (if it’s available), then the paid way (with affiliate link) and add additional value by giving my experience with the program I’m promoting so they can see exactly how to use the product or service.
If you have any other questions or have other tips to help those who are about to write an ebook, leave a comment and enjoy your writing!
Jeff
I converted a 5 page Word document into a Pdf on Adobe Acrobat. At that length, it’s only a mini-book. It’s an anti-suicide themed book. I currently have it set on restricted-access on Acrobat.com. What is the minimum amount of effort I need to take it from that stage to the stage where I can earn money from it? (I intend selling it at $5,00 apiece). Do I turn it into an eBook? Is there any alternative to that? What’s the simplest way to go?
You can sell it as a report for $5 – likely just as it is. The challenge you run into is if you want partners to be able to sell it, then they will want a commission- so you are better off with a price of >$10 so you can give them half.
My recommendation would be to add another 15-20 pages (extra information, research, checklists (signs to watch for), latest treatments, resource directory, or even an interview with a suicide survivor which you transcribe into text (that may give you close to 10-15 pages alone).
Then, make sure your title is solid – that it will catch the attention of your intended audience, and finally, list your ebook on http://www.clickbank.com which will allow you to not only take payment, but has a built in partner management ability where others may see your title and decide they want to market it for you for a commission that you setup when you setup your listing.
Jeff
I am writing an ebook that has tables and information that can be found for free online from other websites. How do I go about seeing if i need permission to use from a gov website or another private site? And..what extent should I be concerned with copyright laws?
In general, all published information is copyright protected and so yes, I would advise that you do get permission to use the material you have found.
At the very least, I would recommend you site the Source of the material as you reference it in your ebook.
Jeff