0 Information at What Price? Exploring fee-based e-content

In pursuit of a paid model for content, many businesses offer newsletters for a fee or ebooks. These models offer pros and cons. Some organizations send out two newsletters: fee and free. The free version has the basic, watered-down contents found in the fee version to entice readers into wanting more and paying for it. But is it worth the time and energy to do this?

Ebooks are also a way for businesses to make money. But do they sell when it's been proven that people prefer reading printed copy to electronic text? Read on to hear from several experts in the field about what people are willing to pay for and whether or not offering fee-based content is right for your organization.

Too much information!

Considering there are so many free newsletters and information out there, why should readers shell out the dough for these premium newsletters? Reading online is harder on the eyes because of the light emitted from the monitor. People overcome this by printing out the newsletter.

I can't hazard a guess on how many free newsletters are out there. So why would a person pay for a fee-based newsletter? Jenna Glatzer, editor-in-chief of AbsoluteWrite.com, says, "You have to offer something different and better than what the free newsletters are doing. Personally, I wouldn't pay for newsletters that are just for entertainment, but I do have paid subscriptions to a handful of newsletters that are specific to my line of work and appropriate for my level (not beginner). A paid newsletter that has all the same sorts of free-reprint articles that all the other sites have won't work. You must find a corner of the market that no one has claimed yet and be the most reliable source of information on it."

Joan Stewart, publisher of The Publicity Hound, started her subscription newsletter seven years ago, long before there was as much information on the Internet as there is today. She says, "Content must be king. If you can supply good content that can't be found elsewhere, and it's well-written and easy to read, and leads readers in other directions where they can find even more info than they could possibly need, you will keep your customers happy.

"If I had it to do over again, I would have never started my subscription newsletter. It started as an 8-page print newsletter, but the postage and printing costs were killing me," she says. "About two years ago, I reverted from a print newsletter to a PDF document. It's in the same format, but it's now emailed to customers. My free ezine, The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week, is still far more profitable, several hundredfold, than the subscription newsletter."

Charging for ebooks

Considering there are no printing and paper costs to the publisher for ebooks, how can they charge as much as they do for them? Higher prices equal higher perceived value. However, I've seen many ebooks cost more than a paperback, and the content isn't always better quality than print. Yet, they sell.

What justifies the higher cost of ebooks when there are no printing costs involved with them? Christopher Knight, publisher of Ezine-Tips, says, "What justifies the higher cost of ebooks when there are no printing costs involved with them? Christopher Knight, publisher of Ezine-Tips, says, 'That would be a fallacy in perception logic because the printing cost is not relevant to the market perception of a paperback versus an ebook. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that some people even value an ebook as higher value than a paperback because they can take their data with them on a personal notebook computer, whereas it's hard to travel with a pile of paperback books.'"

Glatzer points out that whether a piece is written in print or ebook format, it is the same amount of work for the writer. "Of course, ebooks have a smaller market, so the problem is that if the ebook is priced very low, it won't be worth it for the writer to spend the time writing and promoting the book."

If it is worth it, however, ebooks provide many benefits to those who download them: The readers aren't taxed, don't incur shipping costs and don't need gas money to go to the bookstore. As soon as people buy your ebook, they instantly download it and have it in their "e-hands."

Stewart says, "The biggest justification is that the information is immediate. If a customer wants information NOW, they can get it NOW, and they're often willing to pay the hefty price. My ebook, How to Be a Kick-Butt Publicity Hound, sells for $97. The most I could expect to get for the same book in hardcover is about $25. Another justification for the higher priced ebooks is that live links in the ebooks take visitors directly to Web sites with related content."

E-format versus print format

Research on ebooks indicates people still prefer paper over ebooks. What's the point of pursuing ebooks and fee-based newsletters? Glatzer shares her experience.

"I've written two ebooks and 14 print books, so that shows you where my bread and butter comes from. However, I had my newsletter first. It was thriving, yet I had nothing to sell my readers. I was barely breaking even with advertising costs and often paying hosting fees out of pocket. I'd received so many letters from readers asking for advice about how to do what I had done -- make a living writing for magazines -- and finally decided to write a book about it. I knew I had a built-in audience among my subscribers. The ebook sold well, but my goal was to take it to print. When a publisher made an offer on it, I took it out of circulation as an e-book and expanded it for the print publisher. That became Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, and the print book has far outsold the ebook.

"The second was a niche book for greeting card writers and artists. It contained market info for just that field, so it was such a specialized book that I didn't go after conventional publishers for it. Plus, the time factor was crucial: contact info changes so often that I wanted to get the book out ASAP, and I wanted to be able to update it when needed. I briefly had it out as a print-on-demand book, but I took it off the market as soon as it became dated and just continued selling it as an ebook.

"Since then, I've stuck to conventional publishing and just a few giveaway ebooks for publicity. But I think the market for ebooks is decent if you have a specialized topic and a built-in audience."

Based on Glatzer's experience, when you have a free newsletter, you already have an audience ... unless you try to sell a book on home makeovers to your audience that subscribes to your pets newsletter!

Timely matters

Ebooks have an advantage over print in that their content is up-to-date and piping hot. If something changes, it's quick and easy to modify the ebook and put the new version up for sale. The publishing process for printed books can be a lengthy one.

Time can impact content depending on the topic. Some industries such as sports and history have experienced little or no change in over a decade, while others like technology are moving at megahertz speed.

By the time an author of a book related to software writes it, and the publisher prints it, a new version of the software is available, rendering the brand-new book outdated. However, many users don't upgrade every version, as this stings the cash flow. Often, tips and steps given in books covering earlier versions of software are applicable to the newer version.

Knight suggests selling in both formats (print and ebook); that way all your bases are covered and you reach more channels for the same product.

eContent = lower quality?

M.J. Rose, Wired columnist and author of both print and electronic books, has commented that people thought she wasn't a real author when she published her ebook. For some, ebooks are "bottom-feeders" in the world of publishing. They see such content as lower quality and without prestige.

I have a folder of all the books I've collected through reviewer duties and as free downloads. I haven't read 10 percent of them. However, it could be a different story when you pay for an ebook. Knowing that you bought the book might force you to read it. But then again, I have shelves of printed books that I have yet to read.

Why would I want to buy ebooks and let them rot on my hard drive where I naturally save them after downloading them? Same reason for printed books? I don't think so, because you can see and touch them. It's easier to scan printed pages than to scroll electronic books.

Fee-based newsletters

Most of the fee-based newsletters I've seen have a free newsletter distributed by the same people. Organizations use the free newsletter to entice readers into subscribing to the fee-based newsletter. Like Glatzer says, you're establishing credibility with your audience through the free newsletter, and when they see another offering from you, they might jump at it. Glatzer publishes Absolute Write, free Absolute Markets and Absolute Markets Premium Edition newsletters. Free Absolute Markets comes out every other week and the premium edition comes out in between those issues.

Glatzer explains the difference between the free and premium editions. The free markets contains a small sampling, about 10 markets covering mainly magazine-related work plus contest listings or an article in alternating issues. The premium edition has many jobs and lists markets for various types of writing including international markets. It also includes interviews with magazine editors and an in-depth look at a high profile magazine on a monthly basis. She also lists calls for writers from editors who know her and those calls won't be found anywhere else online.

Glatzer decided to offer the fee-based newsletter because there wasn't anything like the Absolute Markets Premium Edition with its 50 pages of markets. She believed that a $15 fee for a yearly subscription more than pays itself if writers land one assignment from the newsletter's resources. Furthermore, it saves the writers' time spent searching for job listings. In determining what to charge, Glatzer and her colleagues researched what publishers charged for similar newsletters in other fields such as casting calls for actors.

In determining how much to charge for her fee-based newsletter, Stewart asked herself, "How much would I be willing to pay?" The Publicity Hound, her eight-paged, bi-monthly, fee-based subscription newsletter costs $9 per issue or $49.95 for a one-year subscription (six issues) and has more single-copy buyers than subscribers.

Selling ebooks and fee-based newsletters

If you decide to sell ebooks and newsletters for a fee, Glatzer recommends getting lots of reviews and interviews for ebooks. For newsletters, she says, "I think you need to establish credibility by offering free samples first. Make it easy for people to subscribe by offering multiple payment options."

Joan Stewart promotes articles in the fee-based newsletter in almost every issue of the free ezine. She also uses auto responder messages for people who buy single copies. About a week after the purchase, they receive a message thanking them for their order and asking if they would like to subscribe. Stewart shares her list of what works and what doesn't work when selling ebooks and fee-based newsletters:

What works:

• The product must be content-rich.

• It must include lots of links to other resources.

• Even if it includes hotlinks to other products, it must cover topics that readers would be interested in.

• The product must be top-quality, which means free of typos, and it must be easy to read. (16-point type for ebooks.)




What doesn't work:

• Information that's outdated. Special reports and ebooks must be updated at least once a year. I have a special report called "Fly High with Publicity in In-flight Magazines." It includes contact info for 30 in-flight magazines. It's a real pain to update this annually, but readers will jump down my throat if I don't.

• Products that are little more than sales pitches for other things the author sells (consulting services, etc.).

• Products that don't promise what they deliver.

• Lousy customer service. Buyers expect a human being to reply to their email messages or answer the phone if they have problems downloading the product, or other concerns. I have bought ebooks from some well-known Internet marketers who refuse to return my phone calls when I call them for help. I no longer buy from those people.



Steer clear of joining discussion groups solely for spamming the list about your ebook or newsletters. "It irritates the heck out of people," Glatzer says.

She promotes her fee-based newsletter through advertising in other writing-related ezines and some paid Google ads; she also advertises it in her own free newsletters, and she sponsors writing contests and conferences in exchange for newsletter mentions. Glatzer says, "We do a lot of promotion for the site and all newsletters in general; people subscribe to our free newsletters for a while, so they can determine we're worth the bucks!"

Fee-based newsletters are out there and won't go away soon. Authors churn out ebooks every day in spite of data supporting that people heavily prefer print over electronic versions. Ebooks prices continue to equal or surpass printed books.

Knight ends the discussion. "The best will survive and rise to the top as they always naturally do, while those who don't step up to the plate and innovate like mad will get left in the digital dust." Amen.

Read more

0 Best ten audio books to improve your mind

It's indeed incredible that not many people pay a great deal of attention to what gets into their minds.

If your mind is positive and creative, you can become all you ever dream of becoming.

Most of the highly successful people you see in the news today took a great deal of time to work on improving their minds.

On the other hand, if your mind is negative and inactive, it's very likely you won't amount to anything in life. Analyzing the lives of some of the most notorious people in the world would reveal that they always fed their minds with negative thoughts.

The question that obviously comes to play here is - are we born with positive or negative minds?

I will quickly and firmly say NO to both!

We develop our minds by what we put into it. If we are continually putting negative information into our minds, this results to negative thoughts and ultimately negative actions.

So, if you want the opposite creative thoughts, it is pertinent to always get the right kind of information into your mind.

The most common way to do this is by reading the right kinds of books.

Sadly, because of the great demand on our time, only few people still read lots of books, especially after college.

We mostly only have time to read the newspapers and magazines. And guess what? Most newspapers only end up giving us bad news that further increase our negative state of mind.

If you want to really get positive and helpful information, you need to read books that contain such information.

Thankfully with the advent and popularity of audio books, anyone can get the right information into his or her mind without having to "read".

You can enjoy the benefits of audio books while exercising, commuting to and from your work, etc.

For those who don't know exactly the audio books to go for, below are some of the 10 best audio books to improve your mind.

1. How to Win Friends & Influence People Author: Dale
Carnegie Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

2. Awaken the Giant Within Author: Anthony Robbins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

3. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway Author: Susan Jeffers
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

4. Build Your Self Esteem Author: Glenn Harrold Publisher:
Diviniti Publishing

5. Awaken the Giant Within Author: Anthony Robbins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

6. Develop a Powerful Memory Author: Glenn Harrold
Publisher: Diviniti Publishing

7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Author: Stephen
R. Covey Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

8. The Power is within You Author: Louise L. Hay Publisher:
Hodder Headline Audio books

9. Creating Inner Peace and Calm Author: Glenn Harrold
Publisher: Diviniti Publishing

10. Get Up and Do It! Publisher: BBC Books

Read more

0 How To Overcome Writer's Block

Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We've all experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something, particularly on deadline. I'm talking about. . . . .uh, I can't think of what the word is .. . oh, yes, it's on the tip of my tongue . . . it's:

WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!

Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page!

Writer's block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you're going to write, but as soon as that evil white screen appears before you, your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I'm not talking about Zen meditation stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of blank.

I'm talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck, anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer's block gets.

Having said that, let me say it again. "The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer's block gets." Now, can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness?

The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer's block itself!

It doesn't necessarily matter if you've done a decade of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer's block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear, it raises our doubts about our own self-worth, but it's sneaky. It's writer's block, after all, so it doesn't just come and let you know that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If you dared to put forth words into the greater world, they would surely come out as gibberish!

Let's try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let's make a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and terrifying condition.

1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise, you qualify as a complete failure.

2. Editing instead of composing. There's your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type "I was born?," no, not that, that's wrong! That's stupid! Correct, correct, correct, correct?

3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone write, when all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer's block away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You're not focusing on what you're trying to write, your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.

4. Can't get started. It's always the first sentence that's the hardest. As writers, we all know how EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your reader's from the start! There's no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence.

5. Shattered concentration. You're cat is sick. You suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I say more. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter?

6. Procrastination. It's your favourite hobby. It's your soul mate. It's the reason you've knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It's the reason you never run out of Brie.

FACE IT? IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK!

How to Overcome Writer's Block

Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years, you fume. Writer's block is absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome
Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it's not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to do is listen? You don't have to actually write a single word.

Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now that the cloud of dust is settling.

I am here to tell you that WRITER'S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.

Please, remain seated.

There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one, pick several, and give them a try. Soon, before you even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate, guess what? You're writing.

Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer's block:

1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. (I know, that's a cliché but as soon as you start writing, feel free to improve on it.) If you spend some time mulling over your project before you actually sit down to write, you may be able to circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.

2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the first draft. Don't put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell yourself you're going to write absolute garbage, and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your
writing room.

3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, making snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It's even incomprehensible to the conscious, editorial, monkey-mind. So prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but instead, using your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, flick that little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump in ? quickly! Write, scribble, scream, howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard.

4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that all-important one-liner when you've finished your piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your composition.

5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing exists except the single present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an ugly bug!

6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes within sight. Use someone else's writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.

Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from somewhere?). Tack up anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your grandmother. Put the cookie you will be allowed to eat when you finish your first draft within sight, but out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing that you need to write, and read it. Then read it again. Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab your keyboard, and get writing!

Read more

0 Proven secrets of writing and publishing your own ebook... in less than a week!

In their ebook "How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook... In As Little As 7 Days", Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale teach you how to adapt a proven ebook writing formula to vastly improve the performance of your own ebook writing techniques. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, you are taught how to find a topic, write about it and produce your own ebook, sometimes in as little as 7 days, reducing the trial and error sometimes associated with writing your own ebook.

Of course, we know about ebooks don't we? You cannot log on without being offered one. There are various degrees of credibility associated with ebooks from the brilliant informative ebooks that you hope that you are buying to the downright useless regurgitated rubbish that you are sometimes duped into buying. Well, we do not want to go down that route do we? No of course we don't, we want to produce a well thought out, well written and informative ebook that not only you will be proud of producing, but also an ebook that gives people value for money. So, having got that goal established, how do you even begin to research a subject that everyone is looking for and put it into words in the form of an ebook?

The authors are arguably two of the best exponents of the written word on the internet. Their step by step instructions in the "How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook....In As Little As 7 Days" takes you logically and systematically through the creation process right through to the finished product. Their track record for writing informative and educational ebooks and articles, that have helped thousands of internet entrepenuers, is second to none.

At over 200 pages long, "How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook....In As Little As 7 Days" has alot to offer those who really do not know where to start when writing an ebook. Of course, even those who are adept at stringing a sentence together will probably find something useful in the book.

"How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook...In As Little As 7 Days" is designed to teach you:

How to conceive an idea for an ebook that has a market with people willing to pay or it - either directly or indirectly.

How to write your ebook quickly and concisely in a way that conveys information so that people can use and implement it quickly.

Take positive action towards selling your ebook online by giving you a road map to start marketing your ebook on the internet.

The main instructional section is 80 pages in length and filled with informative and motivational text. So instead of: write a book, look for a market, hope and then give up what about: identify a niche market, identify needs, wants and problems, write a book that satisfies those requirements and then market your book to your niche and make some money.

If you think you cannot write, think you do not have anything to say or you do not want to write a full length ebook, that's okay, every eventuality is covered to get you to start writing. I mean let's face it, how much motivation do you need? I bet if you were offered $50.000 to write a short ebook you would soon get your pen and paper out!

Of course, there has to be constructive criticism and for me, I get bored with featured authors who contribute to add a few more pages to the ebook. However, you cannot dismiss the valuable advice of Yanik Silver, Kevin Donlin or Neil Shearing whose life experiences are included - with appropriate links to their websites of course! However irritating these featured articles are (and they will appear in other ebooks as well) they do provide a valuable in site into how they got to where they are now. Just remember to concentrate on one thing - writing and publishing an ebook -do not get hijacked by outgoing links to other sites.

"How To Write And Publish Your Own Ebook.....In As Little As 7 Days" is finished off with bonus reports for accepting credit cards, ebook cover design, web hosting and more. All designed to get your finished product published and making money.

If you are looking for well written, informative and value for money instructions on how to write your own ebook, whether you want to write 10 pages or 1000 pages, then I believe that this ebook does deliver on its promise to get you to write an ebook in as little as 7 days. The only thing it cannot do is write it for you.

Hopefully, the authors will collaborate again in the future to write an ebook that will again take the mysteries out writing and publishing on the internet.

Ian Simpson reviews software and informational products on the internet for their value and usefulness. Subscribe to his free newsletter at http://www.information4income.com

Read more

0 5 Reasons Master Resale Rights Are A Good Web Business Decision

Owning a website can and should be a very profitable endeavor. A good way to make money online is by selling ebooks and software with Master Resale Rights. Below are the top reasons Master resale rights are a viable web business solution, and why it needs to be something every web marketer should consider.

1. You don't have to make up any content. This is perhaps the single most important reason Master Resale Rights are a good web business decision. Every web business needs a product to sell, and with master resale rights, you do not have to create anything. All of the content is done for you. You now have a ready made product that you can sell for any price you want.**

**Please note: Most resale rights packages give you free control over pricing, however some packages have a minimum package price. This is necessary as to not undervalue the package itself. As a business owner, it is important to have a competitive price, but you do not want to make the price so low that it makes the package appear to be worthless. Placing minimum prices helps to keep the package value high so it does not become "just another junk eBook with resale rights." Please try to adhere to the pricing set by the original content creators.

2. It can be completely automated with no warehousing. Because the products you are selling are electronic, there are no physical goods to move or store. This makes storage and delivery completely free, as everything can be delivered through email, or through a download on your website. You can even set your business on "autopilot", so once a purchase is made, the customer is automatically delivered the link or email. This makes each transaction hands-free, and allows you to spend your time where it is needed most. (Like with your family/friends/dog/xbox.)

3. Most ebooks and software with Master Resale Rights have a pre-made sales page. This alone could save you hours of frustration. Every webmaster knows creating a good sales page is a difficult task, but most resale rights packages have already done this for you. Most of the sales pages are written by professionals and are very well done. Because of this, most do not require any changes however, you do have the option of editing the sales page to your liking if you feel it needs some touch ups to really shine

4. You keep 100% of all profits earned. Unlike affiliate programs where you get only a percentage of each sale, with master resale rights you get to keep all of your profits. You only pay a one time fee to acquire the product and resale rights, then you will never have to pay another dime again. There are no royalties or other fees to pay either. Why join an affiliate program that gives only 30% commissions, when you can have 100% of all profits made by your site with the same amount of effort?

5. You can repackage your Master Resale Rights products. You can create an entirely unique, "brand new" package by combining 2 or more ebooks together to create a resale rights package that is exclusive to you and your site. This gives you an advantage over every other site selling similar products, by making your packages unique. This uniqueness gives your package more value, making the customer more likely to purchase from you.

As you can see, master resale rights are a very profitable business solution for any web business, or it can be a valuable addition to any existing web site looking to branch out to improve its bottom line. With billions of dollars in annual sales of ebooks, software, and information products, there is not an easier way to make money from an already popular trend in online marketing.

Read more

0 A Helping Hand to Online Success - the eBook!

If, like me, you've tried – and failed – in the past to achieve success online with internet marketing, then rest assured that help is finally at hand. I certainly wish I had had access to such knowledge when I started out three years ago, and perhaps I wouldn't have been so overwhelmed with the practicalities of website design, using autoresponders, joining affiliate programs, writing sales letters, and how to get traffic to my site. I know better now, but more of this in a moment. . . .

The simple fact of the matter is, that to enter the world of internet marketing, you need something to promote and sell (well you want to make money at it don't you?), whether a physical item, or – information. The very nature of the internet – where knowledge can be shared and exchanged at the click of a button – lends itself perfectly to . . . the eBook!

The advantages of the eBook over selling physical items is that there is no need to buy or store stock, no time and effort incurred in packing anything up and shipping it off in the post – and your customer can pay their money for your product and get immediate access to it from a download page. In an age where demand is for instant gratification, an eBook is ideal – easy and effective! And once written, you can sell unlimited copies of it without having to produce each item – so it's both time and cost-effective too.

When thinking of a subject to write about for your eBook, the secret to greater success, and finding your 'niche market', is very simple. Like they tell all first-time budding authors – write about what you know. Whether it's a few chapters on 'How to Stop Smoking' (if you've been successful at this), on the mechanics of owning a motorcycle, how to earn money online, or even 'Tips on Flower Arranging', you can bet that someone out there in 'cyberspace' wants to know about it. If the subject of your eBook is also your hobby, so much the better. If you've got passion for your subject, you're going to convey that enthusiasm in what you write, and make that eBook even more interesting and useful

Of course, if you have knowledge or practical experience on a popular subject in which there is a large potential market to sell your eBook, perhaps health and fitness, or food and drink, you could be more likely of success, but remember you'll also be competing with many others. So choose your subject carefully!

However, in writing your eBook, don't forget to give your customer value – and they could become customers for your future eBooks too! Make the content and quality of your eBook meaningful – whatever its length, it has to be good, or you'll leave your customers feeling disenchanted. Give away a few free bonuses – an extra report perhaps, or some free training that they would have to pay for elsewhere. Aim for customer satisfaction!

If you don't know how to go about creating an eBook (you could always write an eBook explaining how to do it!), then it brings me to the 'more of this in a moment . . .' that I mentioned above – the launch of a FREE course in all aspects of internet marketing, including creating eBooks. Visit the website below for what you need to get started online. Good luck!

Penelope Housden.

Read more

0 7 Step: How To Create And Publish Your Own E-Book

In this simple article, I will show you step-by-step how to create your own e-book.

Step 1:

Open your HTML editor (Dreamweaver, FrontPage or etc); if you do not have one, go to search engine and type, "free online editor WYSIWYG".

Step 2:

Type your message or idea into your HTML editor or copy and paste it from your text editor. Design your page and make it simple. After you, finish your work, save your file into specific folder. When designing your page, consider creating your file in single page or multiple pages that link to each other like website. If you new to website design, better you design it in single page.

Step 3:
Compile your file into ebook using ebook compiler. Go to (http://www.ebookcompilers.com) and download ebook compiler. This is directory of ebook compiler and there are free ebook compilers too. Download and install ebook compiler into your computer. On the other hand, go to search engine and type, "free ebook compiler."

Step 4:
Open your ebook compiler and browse your file (html file you create in step 2) and follow the instruction in your ebook compiler until finish.

Step 5:
Go to www.winzip.com, download WinZip, and install it. Open WinZip application and create a new Zip file. Add your ebook file and zip it.

Step 6:
FTP or Upload your zip file (example - ebook.zip) into your web server. You can also sign up for free web hosting. Go to search engine and type, "free website hosting."

Step 7:
Publish your ebook on the internet. Submit it to the ebook directory or freebie directory (if your ebook is free). Go to search engine and type, "free ebook directory" or submit it to www.download.com. Submit first your e-book to www.upload.com because their website received high traffic every week. Allow your website visitors to download your e-book free.

Now you have successfully created your own e-book, publish it on the net but your e-book only can be view by Windows user. So, how your e-book can be view both Windows and Mac users. It is very simple just type your message or idea in word processor and save it in text format. Go to https://createpdf.adobe.com and follow the instruction on how to compile your text into PDF file. After you successfully create your PDF file, follow step 5, 6, 7.

Good Luck.

Read more

0 How to Write an Ebook

The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain ? step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you've gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook's working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you'll find that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader's queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books ? as long as it's not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you've got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you've built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don't, they don't belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We've all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night's sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

* Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

* Will your book positively affect the lives of your readers?

* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader's attention?

* Does your book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook "user friendly"

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader's respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader's eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as "negative space." Reader's eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense, your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that's easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they've gotten past your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don't forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that's called a "comma splice.")

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That's it! You've written a book! Now all you have to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

Read more