Write, Publish, and Market Your Ebook: Free Step-by-Step Tutorial

Some things to consider before getting started on your ebook are the following:

1. What should you write about?

2. Who will be your target audience? Is there a market for your ebook? Is that market overly saturated?

3. What will your ebook's title be? How about the subtitle?

4. How long will it be?

5. Will it contain graphics, pictures, and charts?

6. What about ebook design? Will you do it yourself or hire someone?

7. What will the cover look like?

8. How will you turn it into a .PDF, .EXE, or other type of file which you an easily distribute to others; that is, how will you compile your ebook?

9. Will you offer it for free?

10. If you're going to sell it, how much will it cost?

11. Will you offer a money-back guarantee?

12. How will you deliver your ebook to buyers and get paid?

13. How will you launch it?

14. How will you promote/market it?

15. Will you also publish a hard copy version?

photo credit: Svadilfari

Charlie Byrne from Early To Rise explains that it's not really about selling information--these days people are bombarded with information all day long--, it's about selling advice, ideas, original concepts, analysis, expert guidance, how-to pieces to help people solve their problems, and opinions people can trust.

In general, people buy ebooks to:

1. Make money.


2. Save money.


3. Save time.


4. Learn how to do something with the least amount of effort.


5. Attain fuller health (diet, exercise, and so on).


6. To learn more about their hobbies.


7. To have better relationships.

You're going to start out by generating a long list of possible topics to write about, as described in the module "Brainstorming Possible Topics For Your Ebook".

photo credit: KaiChanVong

Another option for finding a great topic for your ebook is to brainstorm a list of problems that people are desperate to solve, which is the approach suggested by Alexis Dawes in her ebook "Desperate Buyers Only".

She argues that instead of selling basic how-to information-such as an ebook filled with scrapbooking tips or one on how to take a great picture with a digital camera-you should sell to desperate people. That is, people with pressing issues they need to solve right now; people with problems that are clear, bothersome (hemorrhoids), and maybe even embarrassing (excessive perspiration).

These people are going to be running after you for a relief to their problem instead of you having to run after them to try and get them to purchase your ebook.

photo credit: Racchio

If you're going to write an ebook and your objective is to make a profit, then you need to find a market of people willing to pay for your knowledge in the topic you've chosen to write about. Before you get started on your ebook, you should conduct market research in order to determine the following two things:

1. Is there adquate demand for the subject you want to write about?
2. Is there too much competition?

You want to find a subject matter that is in high demand, but that doesn't have too much competition. The last thing you want to do is spend time and resources writing, publishing and marketing an ebook, only to discover that there's very little demand for the topic or that the market is already overly saturated.

Naomi Dunford from the blog "Itty Biz" offers some excellent advice on how to conduct market research in this blog post: Finding and Wooing the Market for your Ebook.

Some Tips To Apply When Assessing Your Competition

Your objective is not to find a niche where there's no competition. A lack of competition probably means that there are no profits to be made in that niche or, even if it could be a profitable niche, you'll to have to work very hard to educate the market as to why they need your information.

When looking at your competition ask yourself questions such as the following:

• Do the books available cover your subject matter well? Is there a gap in these books?


• Are the books directed at the same market you'll be targeting?


• Do you have a Unique Selling Proposition that would make your ebook standout from the books that are already available? Why would a book buyer prefer your ebook over what is already out there?

Read the reviews of the books in your niche that sell the most on Amazon. The people who review the books often provide excellent information on how to make the book better, which may give you ideas on how to cover an aspect of the topic that others have left out of their books.

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Seth Godin--marketing guru and best-selling author who's been called "the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age"--generously offers nineteen pieces of advice for aspiring writersn in his blog post "Advice For Authors".

Here's one of the things he advices, which is very relevant to ebooks:

"Don't try to sell your book to everyone. First, consider this: " 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school." Then, consider the fact that among people even willing to buy a book, yours is just a tiny little needle in a very big haystack. Far better to obsess about a little subset of the market--that subset that you have permission to talk with, that subset where you have credibility, and most important, that subset where people just can't live without your book."

By now you've chosen a topic you're passionate about, you've verified that there are people out there looking for information on your topic and willing to pay for it, and you've concluded that although there's some competition out there, there's enough room for your product. Now it's time to start writing.

The process is basically as follows:

A. Create a structure for your ebook.

B. Conduct research.

C. Write your ebook.

D. Edit your work.

Each of these steps is explained in detail below.

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The best way to create a structure for your ebook is by developing a table of contents and then an outline. Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale co-authored an ebook titled "How to Write and Publish Your Own Ebook in 7 Days", in which they suggest that you write the sales page for your ebook first.

This will help you to focus on what your ebook needs to include to appeal to its target readership. Once you have your sales page--which is basically a list of the benefits that your ebook will provide to your readers--it's going to be the basis for your table of contents.

The next step is to create an outline from your table of contents, with chapter headings and the points you want to make listed under each heading. Some people prefer to create a mind map instead of an outline.

A mind map is a graphic technique for representing ideas, using words, images, symbols and color. Basically, you write down your ebook's topic at the center of a piece of paper. You draw branches leading out from the central issue, and smaller branches leading out from these. The branches are organic and free flowing, instead of being structured and rigid. The first level of branches represents the main benefits your ebook will provide to your readers and each will correspond with an individual chapter. Add only a few words per branch.

Then, from each main benefit you're going to branch out into supporting facts, anecdotes, resources, and so on. It's important to use color and images when creating mind maps to further stimulate both memory and imagination.

photo credit: Philippe Boukobza

If you're stuck deciding on what to include in your table of contents you can use "The Alphabet Method" suggested by Jimmy D. Brown in "30 Writing Tips for Ebook Authors". Basically, you go down the alphabet and think of events, people, items, and verbs that start with each letter. For example, if you're writing a book on "How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night" you could list the following:

• A - Atmosphere


• B - Bath


• C - Consistent bedtime routine


• D - Diaper change


• E - Eating/Nursing

Here are some tips for writing your ebook:

• In your introduction answer the following question: What is the ebook's purpose?


• Keep your readers in mind as you write. Are you giving them value? Envision your ideal reader and ask yourself what they would want to know about this topic. Are you making the reading experience easy and enjoyable for them? Make decisions about the content, form, and style of your ebook based on your understanding of your readers' expectations.


• Break up the length and structure of your sentences and paragraphs to make sure that your writing doesn't become monotonous.


• Give your readers' eyes a break by leaving sufficient white space.


• Indented quotes and examples, as well as section and sub-section headings, will help you keep your reader's alertness.


• Will images and/or diagrams help you get your point across?


• Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered.


• Find a font that's easy to read and stick to that font family. You don't want to use too many fonts and get "the ransom note" look.


• Get a good dictionary and Roget's thesaurus.


• Judy Cullins explains in "Write Your Own Ebook or Other Short Story Book - Fast" that you should open each chapter with a hook that grabs your reader's attention. You can do this with a few thought-provoking questions or shocking facts that relate to your readers' problems. In addition, each chapter's title should be clear, concise, and compelling.


• Cullins also advices that as you write you keep in mind "Essential Hot Selling Points for Each Chapter". This will help you write more focused, compelling copy, and it will help you get ready to market and promote your ebook even as you're writing it.


• Add quotes that are relevant to your subject.


• As William Zinsser advices: "[T]he secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what - these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence."

Make sure to edit your work. Writing that is filled with spelling or grammatical errors is like a road filled with speed bumps. Your goal should be to provide a smooth reading experience for your readers. Here are some points to keep in mind while editing your work:

• Check for grammatical, spelling, or stylistic errors. In addition, make sure that the ebook's organization makes sense, and that you transition well between sentences, paragraphs, and sections.


• Insert examples and explanations where the information is unclear or incomplete, and take out irrelevant information.


• It's ideal if you can give yourself a break between writing and editing-maybe even for a couple of days--so you can look at the document with fresh eyes.


• Try to get three people you know-who are well read and well educated-to go over your manuscript and get their input in terms of organization and content. Ask them to point out any spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors. You might even consider hiring a professional editor to go over you work.

In the article "How to Come Up With a Great Title For Your Non-Fiction Book", Susan C. Saffron uses the following titles of best-selling print books as examples:

• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (by Malcolm Gladwell)
• 
  
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (by Timothy Ferriss)


• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (by David Allen)

She explains that they each have a title and a subtitle. The title gets your attention, and it often makes a promise: such as the promise of a 4-hour workweek. The subtitle is longer, more descriptive, and it contains benefits or the solution to a problem: we all want to be more productive while having less stress in our lives. In addition, try to elicit an emotion with your title.

Also, make sure that you test both your title and subtitle. A great example is Tim Ferris' book, "The 4-Hour Work Week." He intended to call it "The Vagabond Millionaire." However, after testing the market online, he found that "The 4-Hour Work Week" is what his target market wanted.

Here's an interview Leo from "Zen Habits" did with Tim Ferris in which Tim talks about selecting the title for his book: "Publishing 2.0: Tim Ferriss on "Using a Viral Idea to Create a Best-seller". Notice that he emphasizes the importance of devoting a large chunk of your e-book creation time to choosing the right title.

photo credit: ShashiBellamkonda

1. If you have Photoshop on your computer, here's a simple tutorial that will help you create a great looking ebook cover: "Tutorial: How To Create An Ebook Cover With Photoshop".

2. Another option is to purchase an ecover generator-such as Ecover Generator Software--with which you can create an unlimited amount of ebook covers.

I asked Launch Coach Dave Navarro for his opinion on the "Ecover Generator Software" and he answered that he uses it, but that he recommends that you get your first cover made by a professional. Then you can tweak the source Photoshop file for future ecovers using the "Ecover Generator Software". There are several other ecover generator products on the market. If you choose to go down this route, pick the one that best fits your needs.

3. A third option is to consider hiring a graphic designer to design your cover. Ask around for referrals of good graphic designers. In addition, you can find graphic designers at freelance sites: the major online freelance sites are Elance.com, Guru.com, oDesk.com and RentACoder.com.

In fact, you can hire a graphic designer to design your entire ebook, not just the cover. Here's a great article by "The Men With Pens" titled "Does Your eBook Design Stand Up or Fall Flat?" which explains the many design possibilities for ebooks.

Once you create a graphic for your ebook cover you can have the graphic converted to a three dimensional (3-D) image by using Photoshop or one of the various ebook cover software available.

4. I've created a couple of ebooks, including the cover page, using MS Word 2007. To insert a cover page using Word you simply go to the Insert menu and select "Cover Page". You're presented with a series of pre-formatted templates. Choose one, click on it, and it's automatically inserted at the start of your document. Easy!

Instead of a PDF Maker you can use an ebook compiler. Most ebook compilers will create an ebook by compiling an HTML page as an .EXE file. The one you select will depend on how many features you want and how professional you want the product to look.

Ebooks can be created as web pages using HTML. You can set up an ebook as a collection of web pages which a customer can view after receiving a password and login code. In effect, this method turns your ebook into a password protected web site. If you're looking for an ebook compiler here's an article that rates several of them: "Rating Ebook Compilers".

You need to decide what rights you want to keep regarding your ebook. That is, do you want your ebook to be copyrighted or do you want to use a Creative Commons license?

Copyright gives the author of an original work exclusive right to that work for a certain period of time, after which the work enters the public domain. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization which seeks to provide an alternative to the automatic "all rights reserved" copyright and allow more leeway for creative works to be shared and built upon. It's sometimes referred to as a "some rights reserved" copyright.

Creative Commons

If you're offering your ebook for free consider getting a Creative Commons license. With a Creative Commons license you keep your copyright but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit, and only under the conditions you specify. Seth Godin makes a good case of why you should go down the free ebook route in his blog post "You Should Write an Ebook".

Here are some more reasons why you should consider going down the free ebook route:

• If you write something worthwhile that catches on and your ebook is free, it will be spread far and wide by others.


• With a free ebook you get your message out there. Think of a free ebook as a way to build a foundation.


• Let others get a sample of your work by offering a free ebook so they can decide if they're willing to buy the ebooks you offer for purchase.


• Free ebooks are a great way to increase subscribers to your blog.


• If relevant, you can include affiliate links within your ebook; if someone buys products through your affiliate link you get paid a commission (that is, there are ways to make money from an ebook even if you give it away for free).


• You can also write an ebook on a topic that's related to an affiliate product you sell on your site. For example, I sell the Silva Life System on my blog, which is the world's best-selling and most effective meditation program. I could write an ebook about meditation and all of its positive effects and give it away for free to encourage people to purchase the Silva Life System.


• You can use the last page of your ebook as a mini-catalog of the ebooks that you have for sale and of affiliate products you sell on your site.


• One option is to offer a free ebook if people sign up for your newsletter. That way you're building a list of people whom you can email with future offers (which is what Seth Godin would call "permission marketing").

Copyright

The rights typically attached to the holder of a copyright include the right of attribution, the right to reproduce the work, the right to distribute copies, the right to prepare derivative works based upon it, and the right to sell the work.

If you choose to copyright your ebook-and you're in the United States--you can visit the U.S. Copyright Office's Web Site for information on how to copyright your work. Basically, copyright exists from the moment the work is created. However, you have to register your work if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.

photo credit: woody1778a

Even before you start writing your ebook you should create a Paypal account. Paypal is an e-commerce business which allows money to be transferred between e-mail addresses.

Creating a Paypal account is quick and easy. You don't have to pay anything upfront, although you will be charged a small fee for every book you sell. For example, my ebook "How to Be More Creative - A Handbook for Alchemists" costs $25.00 and Paypal keeps $1.03 each time I make a sale.

Don't wait until you're ready to sell your ebook to open your Paypal account. The reason you shouldn't wait is because Paypal needs a few days to verify your bank account information. People who purchase your ebook will not be able to download it until your Paypal account is verified. You don't want to get emails from purchasers complaining that they paid for your product but did not receive a link to download it.

Once money is deposited into your Paypal account you can transfer it to your bank account with a simple click (the money may take up to three days to be available in your bank account depending on your bank's policies).

photo credit: Anh Thai

You can get a shopping cart and ""buy now" button at E-junkie for $5.00. In addition, there are no transaction fees, but they'll charge you a flat rate of $5.00 every month, regardless of how many ebooks you sell.

Once you register with Ejunkie you upload your ebook from the admin panel and you'll get BUY NOW and ADD TO CART / CHECKOUT buttons. All you need to do is to paste either of these button codes in your blog or web site.

When someone purchases your ebook using the Ejunkie buttons on your site the payment gets sent directly to your Paypal account-which you set up in Step Eight of this tutorial--and Ejunkie sends the purchaser a link so that they can download the ebook they just purchased. You can even prepare a customized message that will be sent to the purchaser along with the link to download your ebook.

E-junkie also provides you with a URL where your affiliates can sign-up. You get absolute control over the percentages you offer to your affiliates.

photo credit: j.reed

You're going to have to devote lots of time to marketing your ebook: it doesn't matter how good your ebook is, it will not sell itself. Just as you devoted time and effort to planning and writing your ebook, you need to devote time and effort to creating a comprehensive marketing plan.

Here are fifteen ways to market/promote your ebook:

1. Pre-sell. Your marketing plan should include pre-launch promotional efforts to start building anticipation for your ebook. This can include writing blog posts related to your topic leading up to the launch, offering free video clips, posting a sample chapter of your ebook, and so on. By getting people excited about your ebook even before it's available for sale, you'll be way ahead of the game.

If you would like more information on how to effectively pre-sell your ebook, Dave Navarro and Naomi Dunford have an ebook titled "How to Launch the **** Out of Your Ebook".

2. Create a compelling landing page for your ebook. Your landing page should clearly communicate the problem your ebook will solve, or the need it will fill. Make sure that you take the time to write a benefit-rich headline that speaks directly to the reader's self-interest.

In addition, your landing page should also direct your prospects to take action. That is, to purchase your e-book, opt-in to your newsletter, subscribe to your blog, and so on.

For a great series of tutorials on how to create killer landing pages, click here.

3. Get at least 3 to 5 testimonials. This tells visitors that someone other than you found the content of your ebook to be useful.

4. Give away free copies to bloggers in exchange for reviews of your ebook or interviews with you about your ebook. This will give your ebook more credibility, expose your ebook to other bloggers' audiences, and provide backlinks to your ebook landing page. Jonathan Mead from "Illuminated Mind" did that here.

5. Create a squidoo lens about your ebook. My squidoo lens, "How to Be More Creative", was created to market my ebook.

6. Write guest posts on the topic of your ebook. This exposes you to a wider audiences and also builds backlinks to your ebook landing page.

7. Include your ebook in your email signature box. My email signature now reads as follows: Marelisa Fábrega, author of "How to Be More Creative - A Handbook for Alchemists".

8. Use Twitter. Tweet about your topic frequently so that people identify you as an expert in that subject-matter. Remember that social networking is about helping others first, and then they'll want to help you. So make sure that you're providing value to others on Twitter and that you're not just broadcasting your ebook.

9. Create an affiliate program so that others market the ebook for you. Make sure that you offer affiliates a nice percentage of the commission and that you give them marketing tools to help them promote your product. Have at least a 125 x 125 banner to offer affiliates, and preferably give them a selection of banners to choose from. You can see the description of my affiliate program here.

10. Build a mailing list. On average, people need to see a marketing message seven times before they'll take action and buy your product. A newsletter is a great way to keep your message in front of your audience. At the same time, by giving them quality information on a continous basis you build your credibility and create trust.

11. Write articles about your topic and send them to article directories. Three of the best article directories are Ezine Articles, Go Articles, and Article Dashboard. In addition, here's a list of the top 21 article directories.

12. Publish excerpts from your ebook. Giving people excerpts of your ebook is the equivalent of Amazon's "Look Inside This Book" feature. Excerpts let people get a feel for your ebook, the quality of your writing, and the type of information they can expect to find inside. You can also create a "teaser" ebook and give it away for free. In your "teaser" ebook you should provide lots of value and leave people wanting more.

I published the introduction to my ebook in the landing page, and I also published an excerpt that did not make it into the ebook because of length considerations. You can also also offer tips related to your ebook's topic, offer a free ecourse, or create a video.

13. Find a Joint Venture Partner. Joint venture partners are basically the big players in your niche who you can really leverage to boost your ebook sales. Your joint venture partners should get perks such as higher commissions than your affiliates, exclusive marketing tools, and so on.

14. Create scarcity or a limited-time offer. For example, you can offer your ebook for 20% off during the first 60 days after it's first launched in order give your offer some urgency and encourage people to act now rather than later.

15. Offer freebies. People like to feel that they're getting a lot of bang for their buck, so see if you can offer a bonus or something extra to anyone who buys your ebook. This can be a free report, a free consultation, and so on. Again, you can offer a free report to "the first 50 people who purchase" in order to encourage quick action.

photo credit: quartermane

photo credit: Arturo de Albornoz

Are you interested in writing an ebook but would like someone to coach you during the writing process? Good news, I now have a coaching program.

The writing coach program is $250 per month--payable in advance through Paypal--for one to one and a half hours of coaching each week. This includes the following:

• During the first week of the coaching session we will set objectives and weekly goals.


• Proofreading of the material you've completed during the week.


• Response to your weekly updates offering support and advice on how to overcome any obstacles or hurdles you may be facing.

The work is done by email (or chat via gmail). If you'd like, we can also use Skype to talk over the phone. If you're unfamiliar with Skype, you can download it for free here. Then add me to your contacts; my Skype name is "marelisafabrega" (without the quotes).

* Three proven frameworks recommended by top creativity experts that will help you to generate ideas and find solutions to problems.

* Learn how to move sideways to solve problems by taking different perspectives, questioning your assumptions, and trying different points of entry. Stop trying to solve problems by digging deeper in the same hole.

* Create a "toolbox" of creativity techniques you can use to solve just about any problem.

* Discover the secret formula behind the amazing creativity of the world's most famous product design firm.

* Get lots of ideas on how to break out of your routine to look at problems and challenges with fresh eyes.

* Find out how to play your way to new ideas and laugh your way to solving problems.

* Learn how to approach almost anything creatively and how to see life as a series of opportunities for everyday creative acts: whether you're deciding what to wear, fixing dinner, or entertaining your child. The world-renowned psychologist Abraham H. Maslow called this kind of creativity "self-actualizing creativity".

* This ebook will teach you the secrets to get your ideas to reproduce like rabbits.

* Discover how to use visual thinking to get unexpected results (it's how Einstein developed the theory of relativity).

* Learn the traits that highly creative people share (it doesn't matter if you don't have these characteristics now, just fake it 'till you make it).

* Join the debate: is creativity work or inspiration? Learn how to skyrocket your creativity by answering that it's both.

* Learn tips on how to turn your ideas into reality.

* Get step-by-step instructions on how to enter the most effective creative state there is: the flow state.

* Discover even more ways to get your creative synapses firing.

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