Why Ebooks Don't Get the Respect They Deserve ... And How to Ensure that Yours Does

Ebooks don't get the respect they deserve. In fact, many frown on self-publishers - especially ebook publishers. I know, I've published six of them, and one course.

This may have been a well-deserved reputation in its infancy, but, ebooks have come a long way. Following are three reasons why, and how they can help you achieve your goals.

NOTE: The following refers mainly to "how to", nonfiction ebooks.

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P.S.: All e-books are written from first-hand experience, or are told from first-hand accounts. So, you get concrete advice straight from those who have been where you are -- and are now where you want to be.
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1. First-hand Knowledge: Most ebooks are written from first-hand experience. Usually, by the author.

My mother used to say, "If you want to know how to do something, ask someone who is already doing it." For this reason, ebooks are great tools for first-hand, "been there, done that" knowledge.

An Example: A few years ago a friend of mine wanted to start a painting business (residential/lite commercial). He had experience painting houses, but didn't know the ins and outs of what it would be like to have a full-fledged business doing it.

I logged onto the Internet and ordered an ebook for him. It was written by a guy who had almost 30 years of painting experience. My friend said it covered everything from marketing to pricing jobs to problem clients.

And, he said it went over things he hadn't even thought about - simple things that cost money. He said that unless you'd have first-hand experience with some of the examples given, you wouldn't even have thought to ask them -- never mind know how to plan for them.

This is why I like first-hand accounts. You can usually cover and plan for the biggies; it's the intangibles that come from first-hand accounts that make them invaluable. Also, the intangibles are those little pesky things that you will have to deal with daily -- things that may turn your like for something into a dislike.

As a matter of fact, this is exactly why I wrote my first e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer. I was asked so many questions about freelancing --- and how to make a go of it -- that I wrote the e-book to (1) save me time from answring the same questions over and over again, and (2) to spell out to others how I did it.

2. Easy Reads: Ebooks are usually, short, easy reads because their purpose is to relay information in a straightforward, factual manner; not tell a story.

I have read them from 7 pages to over 200 pages. They tend to move pretty fast and give you the information you need in a pretty concise manner.

3. Burning the Midnight Oil: Like those infomercials on TV in the middle of the night, I gravitate towards ebooks for information I want because I can go online at 3am and be reading by 3:05 am.

Sometimes, when you want to know something - you want to know now, not when you can make it to the bookstore or for a delivery.

3 Tips for Writing a Successful Ebook

a) Professional: I think ebooks have a bad reputation because many are not written professionally. I've learned to overlook this if the information is good. But, if you are writing one, have it edited and proofed by a professional.

You want readers to form a favorable impression, as many are not forgiving if there are typos, spelling mistakes, bad grammar, etc.

b) Tightly Focused Topic: One of the things that ebooks have going for them is that they are usually niche specific. As in, they cover one topic in detail.

Don't try to cram too much into your ebook just to create extra pages. Give readers what you claim they will get from your ebook. Give it to them straight, honestly and with examples/samples.

This will be sufficient for the majority of readers (you won't be able to please everybody, so don't try).

c) First-hand Information: As mentioned in the beginning of this post, this is what most readers want - and what will set your ebook apart from others.
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Research Your Way to E-book Success

What to Look for "In the Competition" when You Are Researching Your E-book

As I explained in mye 2/26 post, Freelance E-book Writer: The Steps I Take to Create a Successful E-book, researching the competition is a vital component of creating a successful e-book. In fact, it is the very first thing I do after getting an idea for an e-book.

Why? Read on:

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How the Competition Stacks Up: You want to see how many like products are out there. You may find a few, or you may find many. Whatever you find has to be looked at from both sides of the coin - good and bad.

Eg, if there are a lot of books on your subject, some questions you might want to ask are:

i) are they in e-book form: this is important because, if they don't, then you could target the online segment who may have be disserved by the paper/hardback book

ii) do they cover the topic in detail, OR, cover it as I would cover it: Look at the outline (most e-books tell you in an outline or on a sales page what is covered in the book).
This is important because you could cover the same material from a different angle, a funnier angle, a more professional angle, a personal experience angle, etc.

iii) what is their experience in the field: perhaps the most important thing in selling an e-book is the author's experience. Eg, I've been a freelancer since 1993, I worked in legal publishing for 10 years; I owned an editorial staffing agency for 8 years; have written six e-books and one freelance writing e-course.

In short, I can make the buyer feel confident in purchasing my products because I have the experience to back up what I wrote on.

DON'T get intimidated if you don't have an extensive background.

How to Sell Your E-book if You Have Limited Experience

Sell your expertise case by case. What I mean is, using case studies, spell out for potential buyers how you helped a client achieve his/her goal. A case study is really just an in-depth testimonial.

It lays out a problem that a client had, and tells how a product/company/person helped solve the problem. They are very effective ways to sell.

Conversely, if there are not a lot of books on your subject matter, two immediate questions come to mind, ie:

i) is there a market for this product? It could just be that no one else has thought to cover this subject. NOTE: This is highly unlikely, but don't let that deter you. Niche material is very popular, but do make sure there is enough of a market to advertise to.

Eg, if there are only 25,000 pig farmers in California, how many of them do you think are going to be interested in your take on feeding pigs a vegetarian diet (the subject of your e-book)?

My point? Be realistic. Make sure there is a broad enough market to justify spending your time writing your book.

ii) how am I going to reach this market? If you're writing an e-book on a subject matter that no one else has written on, then you have to find out how to reach them. Maybe the reason no one has written an e-book on the subject you want to write on is because the audience is offline, not online.

Some other questions regarding the competition you want to answer is who they market to, how do they reach them, what is their pricing structure, do they offer add-ons*, etc.

*Add-ons: Add-ons are freebies e-book sellers give to buyers. They can be anything from a free website to other free e-books. They are usually complementary products to the item they're promoting.

Researching your competition will tell you virtually everything you need to know to successfully market your product - if you do your research well.
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Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com to learn how.
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ATTN E-book Writers: Here are the Steps I Take to Create a Successful E-book

There are tons of articles on the internet about writing e-books. So, what makes this one different? In short, me. As the writer of six e-books and one e-course, here I will outline the process I use to create my e-books.

First, a little history: As the article, Are You an Angry, Frustrated Freelance Writer? illustrates, the rate war rages on among freelancers. And, in my opinion, it is not likely to be solved anytime soon - if ever.

This is why I'm a firm believer that freelance writers should create their own products for sale. It doesn't have to be an e-book because many don't have the knowledge or fortitude to promote such a product. It could be t-shirts, mugs, a greeting card line -- whatever. The point is, having an extra income stream is just smart business, in my humble opinion.

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NOTE: Writing an e-book is the easy part. You will spend 10 times more time promoting this product than you did writing it. If you think money is just going to pour in because you put your e-book up for sale, you're wrong.

Marketing - in any business - is where the real work comes in. Keep that in mind BEFORE you decide to create an e-book to sell. So, with all that being said, following is what I do once my little ole brain lights up with an idea I want to turn into an e-book.

1. Research: I research the competition, looking for the following: like products; where sold; by whom; for how much.

I didn't do this with my first two e-books, but got into the habit of it after that. Researching a product will tell you the following -- among a host of other things: what the competition is, how to devise a marketing plan and what to sell it for.

Every e-book is different, but what will sell it is you - as in, your experience, the spin you put on it, etc.

As for marketing, you can read effective web sales letters, see where the competition is promoting similar products, assess whether others are offering add-ons, etc. I could go on and on about this portion (and I will in another article), but just so you know, research is where I start.

2. Outline: Usually, I take about a week to come up with an outline. Just like writing a paper in high school, I outline the chapters and what I want to cover in them.

I usually don't formalize the names of the chapters until after they have been written; my outline lists the idea I want to cover in a given chapter. Sometimes that will turn out to be the name of the chapter - but that's not the norm.

3. Write: It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to three months to complete an e-book. It all depends on how busy I am. One thing I do do is give myself a completion date. I'm the type of person who will procrastinate forever if I don't give myself a deadline. So, I try to keep that.

4. Quality Control: Usually, I will hire a freelance copy editor/proofreader/editor to do the QC on the e-book. I usually give the freelancer a week to complete this.

5. Rewrites: If the copy editor/proofreader/editor has suggested structural changes, eg, this section would work better in Chapter 3, then I will switch things around.I have to admit, though, I don't do much rewriting because in my outline, I pretty much organize the material the way I want it to appear.

6. PDF It: Turn the file into a .pdf. This is not really necessary, but it helps in keeping users from copying and/or editing your material and possibly reselling it.

7. Create Sales Letter: I create a page on my website to promote the book.

8. Create Marketing Plan: Usually, I have an idea of how I want to go about promoting the e-book before I even write it. Because I've written a few and write for a niche audience (creative freelancers), I pretty much follow the same marketing plan, tweaking it from time to time.

9. Promote, Promote, Promote - into eternity!
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Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com to learn how.
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