www.Sales-Are-Up.com

Self-Publishing – Understanding The Downsides

Sales System Coach — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:20:01 +0000

We have all heard how great self-publishing is, how it can give you control of your book and at the same time increase your profits. But can something really be this good? Are there any downsides or disadvantages of going into self-publishing? The answer is yes, everything has its pros and cons.

Everything is in Your Hands

If you have decided to go for self-publishing, then you should be ready to multitask. Compared with traditional publishing, they have editors, printers, layout artists, cover artists who are available and ready to work for them anytime. But in self-publishing you have to handle all of this. If you cannot do it all, you have the option to get or hire somebody who can. It will cost you more, of course. But even if you outsource, you will still need to oversee it and make sure that it meets your standards.

Time can be a major problem for some self-published authors. There are some writers who have part time day jobs and will need to fit self-publishing schedule to their time. Even marketing and promotion falls into your hands.

Costs

In traditional publishing, the writer can get as much as 5 to 10 % of the sales. But in self-publishing, you can increase the profit to as much as 50 %. The downside is that you have to subsidize everything beforehand. It is a risk. You can spend about $5,000 for self-publishing, but you cannot guarantee that you will recoup any of your investment.

Most of the times, you will need to get a distributor since book sellers are not really that willing to buy books directly from the author. The author will then have to give discounts to the distributor and the bookseller, and this will diminish your expected 50 % profit. Another problem that needs to be taken into account in the planning process, is what happens if the books don’t sell that much. Aside from less profit, some bookstores will return the book and ask for a refund. Many self-publishers would be advised to draft a contract that would not allow returns and refund, especially if retailed at a special or discounted price.

Competition can be tough. Readers may not flock to buy your book. You will need to give them a reason to buy your book over buying other books dealing with the same topic. Here is where marketing and publicity become crucial. And you will have to spend on that, too.

The Reputation

Another problem that self-publishers encounter is the reputation and credibility of being self-published. There are some readers who do not regard self-published books highly. Sad to say, some people are extremely biased against self-published authors, thinking that just because major publishing houses have refused the author, it means the book is not good enough.

The Writer

They say that a book is like a writer’s own child. It would be difficult to criticize and disparage your own kid, right? Because authors have to do everything, including editing, it can be difficult to be objective all the time. They can protect parts that are not really important or aesthetically weak. They can have difficulties letting go of some parts which are totally insignificant. That is why we have editors. But if an author decides to be his own editor, then there can be biases.

Self-publishing is a risk, you can spend a lot of money but the returns could be low. But, come to think of it, everything is a risk. And risk is part of success.

So, if you believe you have something worthwhile to share with others and that self-publishing may be the best option for getting your creation out into the world, then best of luck and go for it!

If you are interested in learning how to create your own profitable information products, then check out Product Profits Club – an online membership site where members learn how to develop info-products and software, including advanced modules on product research, outsourcing, promotion, pricing strategy and generating publicity. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Product Profits Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Product Profits Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

Web Business Builder

Self-Publishing – Three Self-Publishing Models

Sales System Coach — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:10:04 +0000

With the emergence of modern copiers and sophisticated printing technology, many authors are now opting to get into self-publishing rather than to stick to conventional third-party printing. The reason is obvious. Authors like the prospect of having to stick to their own creativity and style, without the need to please and fill the standards of publishers and editors. In terms of revenues, self-publishing is also promising greener pastures compared to the conventional kind of publishing.

Not known to many, self-publishing has been around even during the start of the industry’s long and winding history. The practice has taken several forms through the years. These days, there are three major kinds of self-publishing that are adapted by authors, namely, vanity publishing, subsidy publishing, and true self-publishing.

In reality, vanity publishing is pejorative. The practice is that a publisher contracts with an author without giving much regard to the quality as well as marketability of content. The term is called such because in this arrangement, publishers are basically appealing to an author’s vanity, which mainly is the desire to become a fully-fledged published author. This kind of self-publishing is usually most attractive among new writers.

Vanity presses exist under the guise of subsidy or joint venture presses. However, in this arrangement, the author agrees to shoulder every cost of publication. He also agrees to take all the existing risks. Publishers have nothing to lose in vanity press deals. They would earn money from the fees they would collect from the authors (yes, the authors pay publishers fees for publishing their work). Many experts are advising writers to stay away from such presses.

In reality, many writers/authors are willingly and knowingly entering such deals because they are in principle putting more importance on having their work commercially published rather than on gaining profit from it. To some, vanity press is a stepping stone, more of a springboard into the tight publishing industry. Experts believe most published materials through vanity presses fail commercially because content is criticized by skeptics, distributors, and even readers. This could be because the quality is not judged by an independent body prior to massive printing.

Subsidy publishing is almost like vanity publishing only that in this arrangement, the publisher agrees to contribute some to costs, specifically in adjunct services like editing, warehousing, distribution, and in part, marketing. However, such adjunct services are most of the time minimal. In the long run, the commercial publisher possesses and owns the book, but the author gets royalties for every copy sold in the market. It is also a standard practice that subsidy publishers keep some rights in the book. Lastly, authors are given minimal say and control over other production aspects like cover design.

True self-publishing is the best option among all three. This is real self-publishing. In this setup, the author takes care of everything, from writing content, marketing, storage, distribution, and all other publishing aspects. Every right to the book is owned by the author. The books are registered as the author’s intellectual property, with the author getting all the right to enjoy the proceeds from sales.

In the long run, true self-publishing is deemed most cost effective because the author could have control over variable publishing factors. He or she could also enjoy more freedom in terms of style and earning.

Web Business Builder

Self-Publishing – The New Frontier Of Literature

Sales System Coach — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:00:03 +0000

Smart marketing and an entrepreneurial spirit have propelled many self-published books to become best-sellers. Modern examples are ‘Life 101’ by Peter McWilliams and John Roger, ‘What Color is Your Parachute?’ by Richard Bolles, and ’50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth’ by Julie Bennett and John Javna.

Self-publishing, according to many in the modern literature sector, has been afflicted by a so-called stigma of amateurism. However, this attitude is regarded nowadays as a thing of the not-so-distant past. The reason being, that many self-published books have proven time and again that they can be deserving of praise and respect from even he harshest book critics.

Within some of the more entrenched and conservative publishing hubs and conventional literary centers, this kind of stigma may still surround self-publishing, but to many of those who are willing to embrace change and progress, it is becoming more of a timely wake-up call for numerous trade houses, writers, and book agents alike.

To some experts, most writers today still do not fully realize how advantageous self-publishing actually is. The practice could potentially stand to become a way of making good and timely content more available and accessible to the masses. To some writers, print-on-demand (POD) is very unlikely and self-publishing is offering much more opportunities, especially for first-time writers and book authors.

As always, authoring a book or written material for the first time can mean going through a baptism of fire. Getting into self-publishing arrangements can be a tough decision to make. Many new writers still prefer to first try a more conventional approach to getting published, which consists of initially approaching an agent, waiting patiently for responses, and then possibly dealing with the harsh and bitter reality of rejection. Self-publishing can be a ticket to getting published without having to undergo the normal ordeals of publishing. It is not surprising that more writers and authors are deciding to self-publish despite all the risks and challenges involved.

Most self-publishing arrangements call for authors to assume full or a greater part of the publishing costs. Some publishers may be willing to give assistance and facilitation, but these will incur a variety of fees and service charges. If you are planning to self-publish a book or manuscript, don’t enter into any self-publishing arrangements with your eyes shut just because you really want to see your work published.

Many professional writers are also now encouraging more beginners to consider self-publishing. Their argument is that self-publishing helps to empower writers about marketing ideas, platform building, promotional strategies, and provides practical life experience on what it takes to manage the process of getting a book written, published and sold. Some experts say that it is the author’s responsibility to not only breathe life into their books, but also drive interest in getting them read. According to this point of view, therefore, if a book doesn’t sell, it could be inferred that the author is not really trying. This statement can be considered especially true for self-publishing authors.

In summary, self-publishing can be a viable way to create, achieve and maintain a highly successful book writing business or career. The world of publishing is undergoing major changes and self-publishing may just evolve to become the new dominant paradigm. Achieving success with self-publishing can be challenging, but it is an option worth considering, especially for aspiring authors with limited financial resources, or for those who tried more traditional publishing routes and have not yet found success.

Web Business Builder

Self-Publishing – Some Common Obstacles

Sales System Coach — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:50:03 +0000

Book publishing is not an easy activity and business. These days, the number of readers who invest in books is significantly declining because of the popularity of the Internet. Expect publishers, therefore, to become stricter when it comes to accepting manuscripts and books for publishing.

It is basically getting harder to impress publishers these days. If you are determined to become an author, you should consider turning to self-publishing.

Self-publishing your book or manuscript successfully, however, is not going to be easy. In fact, it could be as hard, if not much harder, than traditional book publishing. If you aim to become an author through self-publishing, you are bound to require more perseverance, marketing knowledge, skills and effort. It will take much more for you to be able to launch your book, make it sell like hotcakes, and succeed.

Like everything else, the road to self-publishing success will not always be paved for you. Most of the time, expect to face difficult challenges. There are many common obstacles that are often faced by authors who take a shot at self-publishing. Here are just some of those:

Gathering enough money to fund your self-publishing initiative is the first obstacle you will need to address. Because you are publishing your own work, no other entity, business or group of people (outside of family or friends) will be able to subsidize you or shoulder your costs. It is important, therefore, that you plan your budget and have money to support your endeavour.

Although we often hear about the successful authors who risked everything and put all they had on the line before "making it", this is an idealized rare occurrence. Do not spend all you have in self-publishing your own book. You can never be sure whether you will be able to recoup your investment. It is not wise to obtain a loan to fund your book if you have not done an exceptional amount of research and have sufficient proof that there is more than a reasonable demand for your intended product. The financial aspects are always the greatest challenge for self-publishers.

The second obstacle is the stigma about self-published books being amateurish. You can’t blame the critics for generalizing on this point. Most of the time, self-published materials are of inferior quality. This may be because of the fact that the content did not pass through the scrutiny of editors and publishers, who set very high standards for book publishing. Third-party scrutiny and criticism can really help bolster the quality and appeal of books.

Then there are the obstacles and challenges of promotion and marketing. Your book needs to be treated like any other type of commercial product, and should be targeted to a specific audience or readership. How will people learn about your book if you don’t promote it and make a fuss about it? Like everything else competing for attention in an attention-deficit world, you have to establish and raise awareness about your book with others. Doing this can be difficult, especially if you don’t have money to spend on marketing and promotional strategies. When planning your book publicity strategy, you have to develop lists of book reviewers and editors who may champion or critique your content. Most of them won’t do this service for free, regardless of whether they will ultimately say positive or negative things about your work.

Minor obstacles that are not dealt with at the outset, can develop into greater problems later. Bookstores are usually not used to dealing with small publishing firms, so how could you expect them to deal with independent publishers like you? Such stores usually only trust in dealing with major publishers, wholesalers, and distributors. And to be sure, there is intense competition in this area. You have to expect that there will probably be many other authors like you who are also aiming to make it big in your specific niche market, especially if there is good money to be made. An influx of self-published books could make yours just another among the crowd.

If you have the determination, the confidence, and the drive to succeed, then by all means consider self-publishing. Do not let such obstacles prevent you from doing so. But remember to be practical and realistic and don’t ignore feedback from the market.

For more help on how to create your own profitable information products, check out Product Profits Club – an online membership site where members learn how to develop info-products and software, including advanced modules on product research, outsourcing, promotion, pricing strategy and generating publicity. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Product Profits Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Product Profits Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

Web Business Builder

Self-Publishing – Fueled By Many Different Reasons

Sales System Coach — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:40:04 +0000

Different authors have different reasons for self-publishing. If you are aiming to write and publish your own book, you should make it a point to check out your own motives for doing so. You have to make sure your motivations are strong and valid so you can get on and possibly achieve success. You will need to have plenty of gumption also, because the process can become exhausting and financially draining.

If no publishing company is willing to take chances on you, you could opt to self-publish your own book. Be ready to shoulder all the costs and take care of just about everything, from writing, to editing, to publishing, and marketing.

Here are some of the most popular reasons why authors prefer self-publishing.

An author is rejected by any major publisher because of several obvious and logical reasons. First, he could be unknown to the book industry. Face the truth. Most successful book authors are celebrities or icons in their own fields. No publisher will be willing to gamble on an unknown, because readers would not be easily open to reading content from nobody.

Second, the topic could be obscure.

An author may feel good about an issue, but most other people think it is irrelevant and boring. On the other end of the spectrum, a highly controversial topic for a book is also avoided because no publisher would ever want to face legal hurdles and battles for any unknown author. The subject could be of interest only to a small percentage of the population, thus making it unfeasible from a financial point of view (i.e. not enough returns projected from sales).

Lastly, the author’s writing style, genre, and grammar is simply rejected.

Another reason for an aspiring author to go the self-publishing route is that he or she desires complete editorial and artistic freedom. The author may not agree with any modifications required by the publisher.

It is fairly common for many writers to resist criticism and suggestions for change, especially if they think these would be destructive to their work, or damaging to their ego.

The author may also be aiming to take complete control and own full rights to the intellectual aspects of the book. The author might feel he or she needs to make sure the rights, sales, database, and fame of the book remain theirs. Then, he or she could be motivated by the low overall publishing expense of the book. Or, they could also feel more confident and comfortable with the idea that they are publishing independently.

If authors did not have a resort like self-publishing, the history of the book publishing industry would probably have been quite different. Some of the most unforgettable booksellers worldwide were classics that originally had been published independently by authors. Examples are the phenomenal ‘In Search of Excellence’ (Tom Peters), ‘The Joy of Cooking’ (Irma Rombauer), ‘Spartacus’ (Howard Fast), ‘Poems’ (Oscar Wilde), and ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ (Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield).

To sum it up, remember that self-publishing is not an entirely new practice. In fact, it has been around, though in different forms, since time immemorial. These days, self-publishing is logically increasing amid further advancement of the modern-age publishing technology. With the emergence of desktop publishing systems, xerography, the Internet, and print on demand, self-publishing is becoming a clear phenomenon in the changing publishing industry.

But are you cut out for it? Not all authors have what it takes to survive and make good in having to self-publish a book. Before you get into such an endeavor, be wise to think once, twice, thrice, and many times over. As the old saying goes, expect to succeed, but have a plan in place in case things don’t work out as expected. Good luck!

Web Business Builder

Self-Publishing – Avoid These Mistakes

Sales System Coach — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:30:02 +0000

Even if this is your first time self-publishing, there is no excuse for you to commit mistakes. Committing mistakes with your self-published book can project the perception that your work is made in an unprofessional way and this can significantly hinder your success.

Here are some mistakes which you can easily avoid:

Poor Writing

Whenever we write, it is natural to miss a punctuation, or make a spelling and other typographical mistakes. But to allow these mistakes to appear on your book, will make your appear very unprofessional. Just imagine readers reading the blurb page and finding mistakes which could have been avoided if you only had somebody review it for you before printing and distribution.

Another thing that you have to consider is the flow of organization and thought. If your book is disorganized then it can be difficult from someone to read and understand it. You have to make sure that you have a good detailed outline to help you with the writing. If you are having difficulties writing and think that you need somebody to help you out, then you can get a co-writer or an editor to check your work.

If you are writing a story or novel, remember that continuity is important. There are some writers that would miss this out, for example, if your protagonist has hazel eyes, then make sure that his or her eyes stay the same color throughout the story unless it is significant for the story to change it. Avoid giving incorrect information and details. Also, avoid putting wrong captions in pictures and graphs, if you decide to use these.

Inadequate Book Editing, Formatting And Layout

You have to invest on the formatting of the book. Book sales can be significantly affected by a bad cover or a bad title. You may need to get a book designer to do your book layout and your cover. Booksellers recognize that jackets and covers are very important in clinching sales. So do not sacrifice in getting a professional to do the cover design.

Aside from the cover, another thing that can affect book sales is the format of its contents. There are different formats, you can check books from your shelf or you can go to the library to look at some. Things that you need to take note of are page distribution among the title pages, copyright pages, dedication pages and the start of the first chapter.

Lack Of Promotion, Marketing And Distribution Plan

Okay, so let’s say you have produced a good book. It has been checked for mistakes, wrong spellings and typographical errors. Now, you have to come up with a good marketing plan. It is important not to miss this important point. Some self-published authors have overlooked this thinking that having a good book on their hands would be good enough. But how will a book sell if readers do not even know it exists?

You have to make sure that you have a well-planned advertising, marketing and launching plan. If you think you cannot pull it off, then do not hesitate to get an experienced person to help you out.

Aside from marketing, some self-published authors also tend to make mistakes in distribution. Make sure that your target audience gets to have a chance to buy your book. Some authors overlook online distribution. There are cost-efficient online distribution channels where you can have your book made widely available to a targeted and hungry audience. the internet is becoming a convenient place for people to buy stuff that they want and need, so don’t overlook the online sales and distribution channel for your product.

Another thing that self-publishing authors should not forget is getting ISBN numbers. Actually, this is an easy thing to do. There are several websites that can give you instructions on how to buy ISBNs from RR Bowker, the U.S. ISBN agency.

Self-publishing requires a balance between all aspects of the project, from conception to success. To be successful with your book, you do not have to just only write an excellent book but make sure you maximize opportunities for your potential readers to be able to get acquainted with it and buy it.

Web Business Builder

Print On Demand – POD And Self-Publishing

Sales System Coach — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:20:02 +0000

Have you heard of the phrase ‘print on demand’ or POD? This practice, also called PQN (print quantity needed) and short run printing, is giving another definition to what is currently called in the book industry as self-publishing. These days, most authors who are considering getting into self-publishing deals are more likely to end up getting into arrangements with POD companies.

To better understand POD and self-publishing, it is be appropriate to first briefly review the traditional book publishing process.

There are many people and unknown writers who dream of someday being called a real book author. For these individuals, getting their work published could mean the achievement of a dream. Unfortunately, book publishing is not an easy and smooth road. It is paved with disappointments, rejection, and failure.

In traditional publishing, writers generally have to approach publishers who could publish their work for commercial release and distribution. It is not as easy as it seems, however. Before any book is published, it has to be approved first. Publishers have been in the industry for quite some time. They have a knack for telling which materials could be accepted and taken up successfully by the consumer market. Thus, they often reject any manuscripts that they perceived as not being commercially appealing to readers.

In general, if publishers do not like an author’s book, the material will be turned down (i.e. rejected). Publishing would then be very difficult, unless the writer stays determined and motivated and does not give up. The next viable and practical option they have, is self-publishing. You should know that although the concept is simple, in practice it is not as easy as it seems. When you decide to publish your own book, you must be ready to face many challenges and assume all the costs and risks.

You could consider subsidy or vanity publishing. In both kinds, a writer is be required to pay fees for book publication. In other words, if you are a writer who wishes to have your book published for mass release, you have to pay the publisher to make it happen. In turn, you can have your book published as it is, without any editing and interference from editors and publishers. However, you have to assume full responsibility for how it fares once it is commercially released.

If your book has not been professionally reviewed or edited by a third party prior to going into print, you cannot be sure whether or not it will be perceived as being amateurish by the public. This may cause you to incur losses which are greater than the potential profit you could generate. To minimize risks of loss, you could decide to turn to POD for self-publishing.

With POD (Print On Demand), you submit your material to a POD company, who then takes care of printing out copies of your book whenever there is a demand (e.g. a purchase or order). Your material could be in printable formats like text files, Microsoft Word document, or even RTF. Whenever an order for your book is received, the company then prints a copy for the buyer. In this way, the need for warehousing and massive printing costs are avoided. Every copy you print is actually sold.

What most authors love about POD is that they retain their independence. Some people may view this as a disadvantage because books that are not properly edited and handled by well-known publishers are usually disregarded by critics as being amateurish. This can lead to a significant disadvantage in the market place, as many book readers will usually not consider reading books that are not endorsed or promoted by some recognizable publisher.

Still, if you have tried to get your book or manuscript published and been unsuccessful following the traditional route, then perhaps it is time to consider the avenue of self-publishing. Good luck in your new venture!

Web Business Builder

Information Products – Understanding The Basics

Sales System Coach — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:10:01 +0000

Information products, generally known as reports or e-books, are one of the most profitable products you can sell online. There are many reasons for this – development price, printing costs (or rather lack of printing costs) and ease of distribution. Internet users have become very accustomed to e-books and short reports as a form of online product, and are more than happy to pay for the information they want.

As everyone has something they know more about than others, this puts you at an advantage. Let’s learn more about how you can profit by creating an information product.

Here are the basics to creating an information product. First, pick a main topic, something you’re at least somewhat familiar with. Next, search online and find any forums, communities, or question boards that deal with your topic (or a subset of your topic). Read through some of the questions that are asked, and attempt to nail down a specific problem that many people need the answers to. Research the topic more, discover the answers and other, related information that may be of use to these people. Open Microsoft Word (or something similar) and write your report, e-book, or whatever you’re creating. If you are a programmer, you may actually be tackling problems by creating a program to do so. Complete your product, place a sales page online, and drive the people who want the answers in your product to your site.

If you are creating an e-book or short report, you may well wish to create it in Adobe .PDF format. This is simple enough, as there are several free or inexpensive options (just search for "free pdf creator" in Google. I use PDF995, which is free, easy to use, contains no watermarks or penalties for not registering, and creates a professional product. If you already own Adobe Acrobat, so much the better! Users are far more accustomed to downloading a PDF than a DOC file, and many people don’t have Microsoft Word, nor realize that there is a free DOC reader available online.

If you are creating a software package, debug it until the point where you can’t break it to save your life. You may not get a second chance to maintain your buyers, and if your program crashes or appears unstable, many of them may immediately request a refund. They may also be wary of any products you release in the future. Make sure your program is stable, works properly and answers the basic needs of your target users.

Finally, always offer a refund policy. Many people will not buy without one, as they don’t know you from John Doe and have no way to know if you are peddling gold or peddling crap. A refund guarantees, in their minds, that there is no risk involved with purchasing your product. In my experience, refund requests are nonexistent, although if you do not satisfy your customer with your product, I’m sure refunds would be more frequent. However, even really terrible products have a relatively low refund rate, so always offer one.

Good luck with your product creation, and I wish you success!

Web Business Builder

Info Product Creation For Dummies

Sales System Coach — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:00:03 +0000

The best way to make money online, bar none, is to have your own product to sell. Of course, it helps if that product is something needed, and if your niche is willing to shell out money for it. There are some important factors to look at when creating a product. Let’s take a look at how you can come up with your own wildly profitable product to sell online.

First and foremost, the biggest mistake most product creators make is creating a product first and attempting to find an audience second. You should actually go about this in reverse. Find a market, with an audience of thousands of people who want something, and then create a product to fit their needs. This is a simple tip, but the most important one as far as having a product that is profitable. Thousands of unwanted products sit online everyday and never make a sale. This problem could have been remedied with a little research first.

Secondly, try to find not only a market that wants something, but a market that wants it desperately! Information products do especially well on this point, and many of the most successful products are merely those that were marketed correctly to a desperate audience. As you may know, internet marketers are desperate to make money online. When was the last time you spent $97 on an e-book to help you do so? Teens and adults who suffer from excessive acne are desperate to learn about what lifestyle changes or miracle cures are available to clear up their skin. Someone worried about a pregnancy, a wedding, or a divorce would be desperate to get quick access to answers to the questions they have. Pick a desperate (or an irrationally exhuberant) audience and supply them with the answers they want, and your product will be a winner!

Finally, be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. Maybe you found a market for some information that is simply not within your knowledge zone. Spend a couple of days researching that topic, via Google, online forums, professional help articles, and through any other means at your disposal. What you will find is that in most cases, you can gather the data you need from many different sources and then piece it together into one cohesive product fairly easily. It’s not that most buyers couldn’t do the same thing, but they’re paying for the convenience of instant answers and not needing to research ad nauseum. If two days of research yields you ten years of product profits, isn’t that a worthy investment?

So keep in mind, the most important part of product creation is to discover a product that needs to be created! Find a market that is looking for something, and fulfill that need. Then begin your online marketing efforts, and watch the cash flow in! I wish you luck in your endeavours.

Web Business Builder

Info Product Creation – Making Money With Electronic Publishing

Sales System Coach — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:50:02 +0000

Modern technology has made it easier for anyone to consider self publishing their own ebook or electronic book. Because of technology and low costs associated with marketing on the internet, you can not only create, but also sell your own ebook for a price that makes it extremely accessible to your readers while still being profitable for you.

Fortunately, there are many excellent guides available on how to create a profitable ebook.

Creating your own ebook can be very profitable and highly rewarding, especially if you create product that ends up making consistent sales for you.

Before all this can happen, however, you need to research the market and find something that people would be interested in paying money for. This may not necessarily end up being a topic that you are knowledgeable about. In this case, you should consider hiring the services of a professional freelance writer (called a ghostwriter), to research and write your book.

I realize that this may not sound like good advice to you if you are someone who believes that the ebook has to come from your own knowledge or expertise, but if you put your ego aside for the time being and look at yourself as an "online publisher", then it makes perfect sense, since the role of a commercial book publisher is to:

A) Identify a viable commercial opportunity in the market place

B) Capitalize on the opportunity they have identified by sourcing or commissioning a skilled author to create a product that fulfils a market need

You now have two strategies for creating an electronic book:

Become an ebook author and write the ebook yourself
Become an ebook publisher and hire someone to write the ebook for you.

Several years ago, I decided to create and sell an ebook after going through a $2,000 course on how to make money online creating and selling ebooks with a business partner.

The basic method taught in this course was as follows:

Find a potentially profitable niche market to test
Test the marketplace to see if your idea for an ebook (or other information product) passes the test (i.e. a specific set of filters to determine viability and probability of success)
Create a downloadable (i.e. digital or electronic) product or choose a primary affiliate product to promote online
Sell your product with a direct marketing sales page

After following the system and creating a list of about 20 potentially profitable niche markets in Step 1 above, we found that only one niche market passed all of the specific filters set out in the training program. This niche was something that neither my partner or I had any knowledge about or expertise in.

So, we decided to outsource the creation of the product to a professional writer.

After posting the work on elance, we ended up finding someone who we felt confident to go with. We then provided the author with a specific brief of what the ebook had to cover and 30 days later we received a finished 80 page ebook, professionally written, formatted and edited. Total cost came to around $1,000.

Because neither my business partner or I were saddled with the task of researching and writing the book, I was able to get the sales letter written and completed by the time our writer had finished writing our book.

I had also created an account with Clickbank.com to handle all payment processing activities for our ebook while waiting for the finished product to be delivered. One of the great benefits of selling digital products through Clickbank, is that if accepted, your product becomes instantly available for thousands of affiliate marketers to promote.

Because we decided to outsource the creation of our information product, we were ready to start selling it as soon as it was completed.

After three months of promoting the product, my business partner and I decided to go our separate ways. I bought my partner’s share of the business and just let the website promoting my ebook run on auto pilot, as I moved on to different projects.

This ebook has been selling consistently since may 2005. In fact, I recouped my investment in the first 12 months and since then, I have been making a profit on auto-pilot. Since I pay 60% commission to affiliates who sell my product and Clickbank handles all payment processing (including payment of affiliate commissions) and product delivery, I don’t really do anything, except collect payments and answer an occasional customer email.

Now, I can probably hear you thinking "if I don’t know anything about the subject matter of the product I’m promoting, how can I tell if the ebook is any good?"

Simple. just look at the refund rate of the product (Clickbank has a strict customer protection policy that allows all product buyers up to 60 days to decide whether they are happy with their purchase. If they are not happy, they automatically receive a full refund on their money). If the ebook was no good, people would just ask for a refund and get their money back.

As it happens, I have sold thousands of copies of my ebook since 2005 and have only had about 5 refund requests during all this time (the main reason for the refund being that the buyers thought they were getting an actual physical product delivered to their home address, instead of a downloadable electronic book). This means that my ebook is actually pretty good (I have also done customer surveys with buyers and all of those who responded confirmed that they were very happy with my product).

So, there you have it! You can author and publish your own ebook, or you can commission someone through elance to write one for you. You can be a successful ebook publisher and generate a nice income stream from selling information products online, even if you know nothing about the subject of your ebook. I have done it and so can you! Good luck with your new venture as an ebook author or online publisher and I hope it is wildly successful for you.

Web Business Builder