FOREWORD
First I want to Thank you for your interest in this ebook “The Insider Secrets to eBook Self-Publishing”, and Congratulations! For taking a positive step towards your future as an ebook author .This book is intended to teach a layman on how to create an e-Book and derive profits from its sale in the online market. The book spells out the details required meticulously and was compiled following a great deal of research and top Marketers thoughts and advices such as Bryan Winters, Terry Dean, Robert Smith, Shelley Lowery and others. These experts are earning tens of thousands of $ every month selling information on the internet.
This ebook is good enough to guide a novice and is a handy reference for experts.
Copyright © 2007 Younes Boutriq, All Rights Reserved
No portion of this ebook may be reprinted without express written permission by the publisher.
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in publication, the author does not assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.
The publisher wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying state and/or local laws or regulations. All users are advised to retain competent counsel to determine what state and/or local laws may apply to the user’s particular business.
The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.
You must test everything for yourself and we expressly do not guarantee any results you may or may not get as a result of following our recommendations.
CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION .........................................................................6 What in the world is an e-Book? ............................................................................7 The multiple advantages of a self-created e-Book .................................................8
CHAPTER II : ACTION ZONE – THE NICHE MARKET............................10 Finding subject matter for your e-Books ..............................................................10 Step 1: Find and focus on a specific target market...............................................12 Step 2: Find out what they want ...........................................................................14 Step 3: Give them what they want by developing it.............................................22
CHAPTER III : WRITE YOUR E-BOOK.........................................................23 Technique 1: Compile interviews of leaders in your industry..............................23 Technique 2: Hire a freelancer / ghostwriter to do all the work for you ..............28 Technique 3: Compile articles written by various known authors focusing on a particular topic ......................................................................................................31 Technique 4: Public domain books.......................................................................35
CHAPTER IV : E-BOOK FORMATS................................................................39 Portable Document Format (PDF)........................................................................39 Hypertext Markup Language Format (HTML) ....................................................42
CHAPTER V : DESIGN YOUR E-BOOK .........................................................48 Portable Document Format (PDF)........................................................................48 Hypertext Markup Language Format (HTML) ....................................................53
CHAPTER VI : PROTECT AND REGISTER YOUR E-BOOK....................61 Copyrighting your e-Book ....................................................................................61 International Standard Book Number (ISBN) ......................................................62
CHAPTER VII : WRITING AND DESIGNING YOUR SALES PAGE........65 Designing your sales page ....................................................................................65 Writing effective sales copy..................................................................................66
CHAPTER VIII : PEOPLE JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER ...................79 Does a good cover add credibility to the product? ...............................................79 Perception is the key .............................................................................................80
CHAPTER IX : DYNAMICALLY UPDATE YOUR E-BOOKS ....................82
Use JavaScript to dynamically update your e-Books ...........................................82
CHAPTER X : PRICING FOR MAXIMUM PROFITS ..................................87
CHAPTER XI : MARKETING TIPS ..................................................................90
Up-selling..............................................................................................................90
Resale Rights.........................................................................................................92
Pop ups..................................................................................................................93
404 error page .......................................................................................................95
CHAPTER XII : START PROMOTING YOUR E-BOOKS...........................99
Short-term marketing strategies............................................................................99
Purchasing Advertising .....................................................................................99
Forums (Discussion Boards).............................................................................99
Pay per Click ...................................................................................................100
Long term marketing strategies ..........................................................................102
Search Engines ................................................................................................102
Opt-in List (Ezine) ...........................................................................................104
Affiliate Program.............................................................................................112
Free Trial.........................................................................................................117
Viral Marketing ...............................................................................................119
Articles.............................................................................................................119
Joint Venture....................................................................................................124
Links Exchange................................................................................................127
A FINAL WORD..................................................................................................133
APPENDIX . BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................135
This is a digital age. Today almost every one in the world has a life-line connection to the information superhighway – the internet. This is the time to get into the race and build a new world new age information product. Technology has not only made it possible to make e-World products but has also enabled sales of such products. These products can be very popular and can be used by any person for a growing career. . Information on the internet is experiencing a hot sell - must buy phenomenon. Internet entrepreneurs who provide information are making fortunes simply by taking advantages of the facilities offered on the World Wide Web. The future of mankind is definitely all electronic and service based.
An estimate by Forrester Research says that digital books and information products will be an astounding 7.8 billion dollar market in the next five years. The secret of success is to find valuable information that is needed for specialized work from the incredible maze of data at a reasonable price. The way to create that kind of a product is explained completely in this e-Book.
The future of subject matter on-line is in the form of electronic books. No matter what the information is, electronic books are the way to deliver that information.It is very simple to create an information product. The product can easily be created, published, sold or even given away. The distribution costs of the book are very low by using e-Mail or download from a website. Creation of the e-Book is a simple multi-step procedure and is explained in very simple language in this eBook.
A particular application of e-Books is that it can be used for free give-away at the web-site. This free information promotes your business. Thousands of visitors come to your website to pick up your e-Book and in the process you generate business from the publicity at a low or zero cost. This kind of Digital Publishing will be increasingly used as a sales and marketing edge over the competition.
What in the world is an e-Book?The fundamental concept: An e-Book is just like a traditional paper book in an electronic form. It is read by using a computer. It does not require that the computer be connected to the internet. One way to view an e-Book is through a floppy disk. This eliminates the need for complex plug-ins of reader software. E-Books are full of life and combine media to deliver text, video and audio. Hyperlinks connect various sections of the ebook. It also has links that can connect the ebook to the internet for related articles, programs and even other e-Books. Hence, all the required information comes from a single source.
A common form of e-Books is HTML documents. These are combined with an inbuilt browser and the entire work is compiled to form a single executable file. It is thus a website that can be viewed offline. The author is allowed maximum flexibility in the way he wants to deliver the content. The hyperlinks allow navigation to different sections of the e-Book by the use of the table of content or an internal search engine. The user can then quickly refer to the section that contains information of his interest. The hyperlink process is also very simple and user friendly. The volume of the e-Book on a single floppy includes both an average sized novel and the required reader program. This is way ahead of the Adobe’s PDF option. A PDF document can also be considered an e-Book but the reader program Adobe Acrobat needs to be installed separately. Adobe Acrobat reader software occupies around 12 megabytes when installed. An Adobe e-Book reader is available and has the capacity to read HTML, PDF and other formats combined with excellent features for use. This software occupies around 10 megabytes space after download. That’s quite a bit as compared to an *.exe eBook. It is best that in the online business the information be downloaded fast and the software should not place a heavy demand on the resource capacity. If the entire e-Book and the required software take up very little resource space the need for complex software is eliminated.
A good e-Book is very printable and can be printed both completely and in sections. There are features for incorporating a variety of fonts and colors. These are a help to the visually impaired also.
The multiple advantages of a self-created e-BookOnline publishing and marketing delivers the cutting edge of technological progress. E-Books are the way to deliver the work of the author to the customer in an efficient and economical way. As compression methods have improved downloads have become faster. There are no additional overheads pertaining to distribution and packaging as in the case of paper books. Hence e-Books have a cost advantage.
Another aspect of e-Books is security. With the copy and paste functions disabled it is very easy to protect the work from unauthorized use. It is possible to register the book and time limit restrictions for use can be included in the e-Book itself.
While paper books may not altogether disappear immediately the e-Book concept will definitely rule the market. E-Books are the master-key to the implementation of information delivery.
Basic skills required for understanding this book- Skills to send and receive e-Mails
- Skills to surf the internet
- Ability to use copy and paste
- Word processor usage capability
- Some imagination
- Methods to install and upgrade software
- Basic HTML language
And finally you must have the drive required to make your online business succeed. The way an e-Book is made is not at all complex however it requires determined efforts.
With this small background let us proceed with the first step of ebook creation...CHAPTER II: ACTION ZONE – THE NICHE MARKET
What is a Niche Market?
A niche market is defined as a small targeted group of people who share a specific interest.
This concept is used for whatever product you are marketing online or offline because you need to focus your efforts on those who want your product and not everybody.
Each person has his or her own area of expertise and can write passionately only about those interests. A passionately written ebook is surely a profitable internet product. An e-Book must be written after careful identification of interests and expertise.
Examples of a few interesting topics: Recipes
Cooking
Sewing Tips
Gardening
Canning
Makeup and Skin Care
Weight Loss
Self Improvement
Health and Fitness Child Development Teenagers
Romance
Dating
Relationships
Divorce
Single Mothers
Single Fathers
Teenage Mothers
Teenage Fathers
Home Decorating
Home Remodeling
Home Maintenance Plumbing
Carpentry
Small Appliance Repair Home Buying
Auto Mechanics
Auto Buying
Home Finances
Home Business
Computers
Internet
Just as you can have a conventional book on any topic you can have an e-Book on that topic also. The list of topics is endless. However the best selling e-Books are based on niche markets – for the customer’s special interests that are hard to find in conventional books.
The right way to go about doing things is not initially creating a product and then going about looking for customers. The correct way to do things is to target a market and then create a product based on what they need. This is the quick, sure and easy method to market an e-Book.
The focus should be on the prospect and not on the product. The logical question to ask is not “How to find the customer for my product?” but rather, “What would the customer like to buy?”
This is the well-lit road to success instead of groping around in the darkness for leads. The instant a niche market is identified you can develop products for that niche. . For example, a motorcycle biking community could be a niche market for delivering a product on road maps with motel details.
For those who wish to pursue a career online the sooner they make the shift from conventional books to e-Books the better. It is best to make that decision HERE and NOW!
Once you have selected the subject matter there are only 3 simple steps left for complete success. Follow these carefully and you will walk the path to the end comfortably.
Step 1: Find and focus on a specific target marketThe focus should not be on the combined millions of readers who read. It should be on a select group. Large corporations target the entire market as their products are used by everybody. However for a small online business to succeed the focus must be on a group of people who have similar interests and goals.
A large niche is also possible.A few examples of large niches:
Business Opportunity Seekers Small Internet Businesses Dog Lovers
Cat Lovers
Work at Home Mothers Bodybuilders
Martial Artists
and more...
Examples of more specific groups
Commodity Trader Real Estate Agents Racing Car Hobbyists and more...
The way to find out if you have chosen a correct niche is simple. A correct niche can be identified online consistently as a specific group. It is easy to obtain member lists or listing of people with these interests from the internet. The cost of obtaining these lists should be low or zero. The members can then be targeted. If you cannot find a list of members consistently the niche identification is incorrect.
Another way to find a niche is offline. Magazines are usually created for niche markets. You can also advertise in these magazines. The response from such print media would help your website greatly. Magazine can be found in any local bookstore. If you chose a niche similar to a magazine then you can use the magazine to get ideas. These ideas can be used for information products
Step 2: Find out what they wantOnce you have targeted a niche market you must know what the niche market wants. The needs could be varied ranging from products to software. It could be something as simple as an information video. You need to know exactly what the market needs because only then will the deliverable sell.
This market research can easily be done for free. The internet offers facilities online where you can talk to experts and customers. These are forums, discussion groups, chat rooms, mailing lists and newsgroups.
On observation you will definitely find that some things keep coming up again and again. You must ask question the users to find out more about such issues. You can also ask them how much they would be willing to pay if you delivered that product. We can ask for product specifications like color. Brand preferences can be identified. For example, if it is a collection of music what is the number of songs they would like? Who are their favorite music groups? Would they like lyrics also? Would they like live videos also? To put it simply, such questions help make a well-defined customer request. This is the way to know the future customer and his needs.
The following websites provide excellent discussion groups:
- Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com/
- Google Groups http://groups.google.com/
- Newsgroups http://www.dejanews.com/
- ForumOne http://www.forumone.com/
- Mailing Lists http://www.liszt.com/
A simple procedure is to list down around 3 to 5 keywords. These should reflect your interests. Follow this by searching these databases. You will soon find the groups whose interest lie in those specialized topics.
After you have done this you have to join those groups. Otherwise include them in your list of favorites. Spend some time with a few of these groups every day. This kind of market research will help you identify what exactly is needed by the customer.
As soon as you know what the customer will buy you can create the required internet concept. The requirements are defined by the customer and not by you. If you wrongly assume a product will sell based on your interests only you might end up with no business. However a customer defined businesses has a solid foundation and is sure to succeed.
An excellent and tested way to search the market is through keyword research. We have to find which keywords are searched the most on the search engine. Another way is to visit customer review sites. Let us look at both these methods one by one. 1) Keywords research
Overture's suggestion tool is available at the link given below: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestionThis tool help you find out the keywords that are most frequently specified by your target market. You can identify keywords that are not being used by the competition. This helps you identify the markets that are saturated where the business volume is likely to be low. This kind of analysis allows you to identify the correct segment to target.
The Overture keyword service helps you find the popularity of your keyword. This in turn helps you estimate the demand for your product.Another great tool which I highly recommend is WordTracker :
Wordtracker has compiled a database of search terms from various metacrawlers on the Internet. When you enter keywords, Wordtracker will tell you how often people search for them and how many competing web sites use those keywords.
Click on “Visit the Advertiser Center” Then click on “Keyword Selector Tool”
Now type the keyword you are searching for in the search box: “video games” in our example.
The Overture Search Term Tool returns a list of related searches. These searches include your term. It also gives a count that specifies you how many times those terms were searched in Overture in the last month.
In our example:
3865518 Video game
187804 Video game cheat
21596 Used video game
19887 Video game rental
If you compete in a saturated market you can do business only if you have a sharply defined niche. You should restrict your business to this niche as there are plenty of people working on business outside this niche.
Now you have a clear picture as to the how many times your keywords were searched for in Overture. Let us now get down to the concept of competition. If there is competition in your niche you need to know what the others are doing as well. This helps you define your own strategies and action plans.
Now click on (2) “View Bid Tool”
After this enter your keyword in the search box:
Look under the head of each advertisement that appears. If you look under the description of each ad you’ll see how much money people are biding on those keywords .The bid price is a good way to measure the competition in the selected niche. If the bids are very high it implies that it is expensive to advertise on this site and also in this niche. You need to find all keywords related to your topic and their combinations.
Let us try some keyword and combination tricks:
- Use both singulars and plurals
Races...
- Use all verb forms
For example: Car Race, Car
For example: Try, Trying...
- Use synonyms For example: House Loans, Home Loans...
- Combine two keywords into one without spaces
For example: Fast Food, Fast-food
This way you can advertise in a saturated market at a low price. This completes the keywords research process.
2) Check out consumer review website
We need to know customer opinion about competitor’s products. This helps us identify consumer likes and dislikes to develop and improve our product. Consumer review websites are the best place to find such information.
Check out these excellent websites:- http://www.consumerreview.com/
- http://www.consumersearch.com/
- http://www.epinions.com/
We have now completed the second step of finding and focusing on a specified target market.
You now know what the market wants. The demand is already established. The time has come to create the product that is required by the customer. The profitable market is ready for the product. Based on your research and exploration you are sure the product will succeed.
It is very simple to develop the e-Book yourself. We will now dive into the process of making a high quality e-Book. The entire procedure is explained in easy steps on the next chapter.
CHAPTER III: WRITE YOUR E-BOOKYou now know who the market is. You also know what they want. You know what they will pay for. So go ahead and make that product and cash-in that profit opportunity. For that we have to understand the methods required to create an eBook.
A definite often heard concern goes like this, “But Younes, I'm not a good writer? What should I do?”Rest assured - that concern will be resolved. It's not a problem at all. What we will see right now are a set of proven tactics. These will help you write your e-Book in a short time. No writing experience is required. These techniques require little or no money. Even if you don’t like to write we will show how you can still have an i
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