Here’s a great blog posting from Michael Sampson who has recently written a book with Microsoft Press titled "Seamless Teamwork"
As Michael well knows, going through the process of writing a book, course or any information product is a terrific learning process – in this case we get to share some of what he learned.
Of most importance, his advice to teach material in a workshop or course as a method of creating, testing and refining your material before (or at least during) writing your book.
In this 45-Day Information Product Profits Course, we walk you through a comprehensive plan moving from idea and market definition right through development and successful launch of your own information product online. In this course, we give you an outline structure that will help you focus your ebook, book or home study course on an outline that teaches as well as informs.
TURNNING BOOK PROFITS INTO BIG PROFITS
When you decide to write a non-fiction book focused on helping people achieve an end goal – lose weight, get a job, improve their relationship, get a date, train a pet, improve your financial situation, overcome a health challenge, look or feel better – you are fundamentally helping people through sharing a system of information that can help them achieve a very real, specific end result.
We are not informing people for the sake of informing them, we are tapping into a deeply held desire to achieve an end result, so as information publishers, we must directly target steps toward achieving the desired end result.
The old saying is right, you don’t REALLY know something until you have taught someone else to do it. Preparing your information as a course or workshop first ensures you can teach your material to others making your product much more valuable.
Here are some other advantages of offering your information as a course or workshop first:
1. You get instant feedback on how to improve your material
2. You create immediate testimonials and case studies to use in your marketing
3. You PROVE your system gets results – this will get you many more sales
4. You gain a platform which is important not only for your own business, but when being considered by the big publishing houses as well
5. You can offer MORE than an ebook or book, you can offer a video taped version of your course, a seminar, a teleseminar or full workshop and earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars for each copy instead of just $29 for a book or ebook
6. You get dozens more ideas from the feedback of your students on future products or ideas for quick bonuses you can bundle to make your package even more attractive.
So, before you strike out and write your first, or next ebook, start thinking about your topic as a course you could teach through through a local 1-hour or half-day seminar. Even if you decide not to teach the course, you will have organized the material into a format that allows you to charge more than for a general, informational book.
