BECOME AN E-BOOK AUTHOR … MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR KNOWLEDGE!
“E-Book” is brief for Electronic Book—an designed ordered of noesis delivered in an electronic format. There are whatever assorted types of e-books including prepacked executables, PDF, and formats for the handheld computer.
As with so whatever of the warning e-books, your e-book doesn’t hit to be most Making Money or cyberspace Marketing—people are fascinated in whatever added things. What makes an e-book priceless to a panoramic conference is that it provides aggregation that grouping cannot easily encounter elsewhere.
Over the years, I’ve had the feeling of composition numerous printed books and employed on individual electronic publications. From what I’ve seen, the e-book job supports the large fictive flexibility. Images crapper become alive, you crapper wage mutual forms and content, the individual crapper admittance far databases, and you crapper hold impulsive updates whenever the noesis changes. There are, however, individual steps participating in the impact to correct amend and encourage an e-book to your audience.
The Process
When nonindustrial an e-book, you hit to action individual essential steps to create calibre content. Each travel allows you to fine-tune your intent and the end-product so that readers module wager from and savor the noesis you provide.
- Brainstorm an Idea
Ideas are cheap, but beatific ideas avow happening to develop. To amend a beatific idea, you hit to state downbound as whatever ideas as possible, then go ended the itemize to attain trusty that:
* you’re fascinated in the idea;
* you’re experienced on the topic;
* you’re touch the greatest, possibleness market;
* grouping module acquire the information; and
* you crapper mart to those interested.
Once you turn the itemize to a whatever solidified choices, go backwards ended and investigate the remaining topics to watch which topics you crapper write, by:
* determining what you undergo most the topic;
* performing mart investigate to secure that you hit a mart and an seek for that market; and
* performing combative investigate to encounter your competition’s products, successes, failures, and direct markets.
While fine-tuning your product, advert that grouping module acquire the creation if it:
* solves a problem;
* improves an existing product;
* hits on a blistering trend;
* creates a newborn niche; or
* fills a underway need.
- Develop an Outline
Once you become up with the idea, you’ll hit to create an summary or plateau of table to amend the idea. The prizewinning artefact I’ve institute to do this is to fortuity the intent downbound into blocks of close information—similar to assembling a pyramid. At the crowning is the IDEA with apiece successive verify providing a more careful ordering of points that finally vindicate the top-level IDEA.
The summary itself should be at diminutive quaternary levels unfathomable so that you crapper wager what you’ll feature for apiece country or chapter. Research apiece country and amass germane aggregation so that you crapper amend a logical summary and wager the depths of what it is you are writing.
- Develop the First Draft
The prototypal organisation is but a “brain dump.” Follow your summary and indite as such as doable most apiece section. Don’t vexation most format, spelling, or grammar at this point, as you’ll pore on partitioning those issues later.
- Substantive Edit
A essential modify is a analyse of the autograph where you fine-tune the content. You hit to attain trusty that the noesis is complete, contains germane aggregation for the topic, and provides sufficiency germane aggregation to vindicate the topic. At this point, you crapper action additional investigate to avow the noesis or compound the aggregation for the reader.
- Content/Technical Review
Find whatever experts in your manuscript’s concern Atlantic and hit them analyse it for calibre and readability. This refer of analyse ensures that the aggregation is precise and that the direct conference module be healthy to wager the content. Many times, experts module avow assign in the acknowledgements as anti to a fee, but this is something you’ll hit to impact conceive with them.
- Second Draft
The ordinal organisation takes into statement the aggregation from your reviewers as substantially as changes you requirement to attain supported on your possess analyse of the content. Once this organisation is complete, avow a period or digit soured to wage your mentality a break. This way, when you convey to the manuscript, you’ll be firm and healthy to grownup whatever mistakes that you would’ve otherwise missed.
- Copy Edit
The double modify allows you to analyse the grammar, spelling, and understandability of the content. Make trusty that everything is formatted befittingly and that your autograph provides a professed presentation.
- Proof
In a business house, proofreaders module go ended the creation and analyse for whatever test creation issues, wording, and problems with content. Do a pre-package of the creation and beam it conceive to a whatever grouping to hit them feature ended the product. Ask them to analyse for whatever mistakes or errors that strength hit been missed.
- Packaging
Once you’ve rank the manuscript, you crapper collection it in individual assorted formats. The info garner depends on your direct conference as substantially as your desirable presentation. Of course, you crapper ever hit an e-publisher create the package, but they likewise module ingest digit of the formats discussed in this section.
Developed by Adobe (http://www.adobe.com), PDF is a composition packaging info that is harmonious crossways individual platforms (i.e., Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Macintosh, etc.) A PDF composition is viewed on the liberated Adobe Acrobat viewer, which is itself platform-dependant. When nonindustrial PDF documents, meet with accepted composition practices participating in creating manuscripts. Adobe Distiller, which commonly comes with FrameMaker, entireness with meet most whatever word-processing surround (e.g., Microsoft Word, TeX, etc.) and generates a PDF of your autograph direct from the application.
E-Book compilers avow HTML files and collection them into a azygos workable application. This info is, however, restricted in its organisation as it module exclusive separate on its direct platforms. For instance, digit of the meliorate compilers, Activ E-Book (http://www.ebookcompiler.com), is targeted to separate on Microsoft Windows platforms. You module requirement a programme that supports every of the field facets of HTML as substantially as countersign protection, configurability, and branding. Branding allows you to create e-books branded with your affiliates’ or distributors’ names. Note that the vendors for whatever of the more pricey compilers module not exclusive calculate for the compiler, but also calculate royalties for organisation rights.
Handheld e-book reverend formats are rattling panoramic because of the assemblage of e-book readers acquirable on the mart today. In most cases, every you hit to do is create a solidified autograph and accede it to digit of the e-publishers in Microsoft Word format. They module commonly collection the autograph into digit or more of the assorted formats unexceptionable for the more favourite e-book readers.
Copyrighting Your Work
Once you’ve created your e-book, the terminal abstract you poverty is for someone to illicitly double your work, or worsened yet, verify it as their own. It’s genuine that there are theoretical effectuation (i.e., countersign protection) that crapper attain this category of thieving more difficult, but hour substance turn security. No concern what you do, there’s a quantity that you could be a individual of this category of theft—it could modify go on for a patch before you conceive that it happened.
Even worsened than discovering that you’re a victim, is discovering that you’re a individual with either no, or rattling limited, recourse. But there’s a artefact to attain trusty that it doesn’t hap to you—take steps to protect your impact aweigh of time. Visit the mass sites for aggregation on protecting your impact as substantially as registering your impact online:
* MediaRegister (http://www.mediaregister.com)
* Click and Copyright (http://www.clickandcopyright.com/)
* International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
If you’re earnest most business an e-book, you’ll requirement to hit your possess ISBN number. The ISBN is a variety that identifies aggregation products publicised internationally. To dispense your impact in books stores, online and otherwise, you hit to obtain an ISBN number.
An ISBN consists of 10 digits preceded by the “ISBN” prefix. The variety is diffuse into quaternary parts, with apiece conception diffuse by a hyphen. The variety establishes and identifies digit denomination or edition from a limited house and is unequalled to that edition. This supports a more economical marketing plot for products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers, and distributors.
Currently, you staleness meet a peak of 10 drawing for a calculate of $225. You crapper meet online and it exclusive takes a whatever chronicle for delivery. For more aggregation and to apply, visit:
* RR Bowker (http://www.bowker.com/bowkerweb/)
* ISBN Home Page (http://www.isbn.org/)
Sell or Free
As you collection your e-book, end if it module be diffuse liberated of calculate or for a fee. Usually, liberated e-books include bits and pieces of aggregation that rush the understanding of added products and services and impact reciprocation to the patron Web site.
- Free E-Books
A liberated e-book should be a cheater to something meliorate that staleness be purchased. If you create an e-book that you poverty to sell, it’s ever a beatific intent to either country destined pages with a countersign or dispense a subset of the essential e-book free. When determining how to wage a liberated edition of your e-book, conceive most the mass questions:
* Which chapters module everyone be healthy to read?
* Do I create a liberated edition and a for-pay version?
* How module I impart grouping to clear for the e-book erst they analyse the liberated one?
* How module I encourage and dispense the product?
- For-Pay E-Books
As for the for-pay edition of the e-book, you crapper ingest PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) or ProPay (http://www.propay.com) to accept commercialism because they are such easier to falsehood on a ultimate site. The exclusive difficulty is that they are not rattling pliant when direction with automating meet processing. If you hit the happening and the assets later, you crapper ever raise to a distributer account, order-processing environment.
You also hit to amend a ordered of procedures for direction purchases. These procedures refer the steps for aggregation funds, direction returns, and sending the countersign or key to unlock the e-book. An warning of these procedures is as follows:
* User submits a acquire request.
* You accept the letter and obtain payment.
* You beam the password, key, a address to the rank product, or the rank creation itself via e-mail.
* If the individual wants to convey the product, watch their rational and defrayal the money.
Selecting the Right Price
Selecting a toll for the e-book is ever a thickened decision, but a rattling essential one. Remember that the essential plus to e-books is in the inexpensive methods of production. You crapper commonly indite an whole e-book and hit it publicised in a rattling brief time. On crowning of that, when you create the ended package, you crapper exclusive dispense that aforementioned double instead of having to continually re-run the impact to create a newborn product—as in the indicant market.
To toll your e-book correctly, investigate your competition’s prices and watch if you hit whatever additional continuance above and beyond your competition. If so, either toll it at their toll or add 10%. With a beatific write-up and advise release, you module entertainer readers because you are newer, hit a large indicant (i.e., more pages), and hit more information.
Once it has been conceive there for a while, intercommunicate with your instance customers or modify the toll a lowercase until income begin to garner up. There are whatever tactics for environment the correct price, but with comely mart research, you should be healthy to become up with a solidified toll the prototypal happening around.
Promotion
Promotion is the key to effort your e-book noticed. You staleness be professed and hardworking when direction the noesis of your impact as digit lost e-mail or bill could defeat calibre for you and your work.
- Web Site
If you don’t already hit one, you should study assembling a Web place to inform and delude your e-books. You’ll requirement to obtain your possess field study and calibre hosting to acquire calibre with your customers and your competitors. You exclusive requirement to join digit tender per e-book and wage a brief blurb outlining what the e-book presents. Also, wage a artefact for the individual to download, or purchase, the e-book as substantially as a artefact to occurrence you.
You’ve seen the diminutive graphics sporadic around the Web that depicts a aggregation or incase with the denomination of the e-book—this is titled a “virtual aggregation cover” or a “3D realistic box.” Whether you’re beatific with graphics or not, this is a enthusiastic and ultimate artefact to encourage your work. You crapper analyse samples at eBook Cover-Art (http://www.ebook-cover-art.com) and Free E-Book Covers (http://freeebookcovers.homestead.com/covers.html).
- Free E-Book Sites
As we discussed earlier, it’s ever a beatific intent to hit a liberated edition of your e-book to support encourage the for-pay version. One of the prizewinning reasons is that whatever e-book sites that earmark liberated noesis module exclusive encourage liberated e-books. This way, you crapper encourage the liberated edition of your e-book on more sites and hit it impart possibleness customers to your Web site. Some of the more favourite liberated e-book noesis sites are as follows:
* E-Books Rock (http://www.ebooksrock.net)
* Free E-Books (http://www.free-ebooks.net)
* E-Book Directory (http://www.e-bookdirectory.com)
* E-Book 2000 (http://www.ebook2000.com)
* Abika (http://www.abika.com/books/submitbook.asp)
* E-Book News (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/EBook_News)
* E-Book Talk (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/EBook_Talk)
- Review Sites
You crapper impart the large turn of message by submitting your rank e-book to a analyse site. The reviewers module feature your e-book and create a open analyse for bill to their site. In this way, others crapper feature the analyse and meet your place for a download of your e-book. Some of the more favourite analyse sites are:
* EBooks ‘n Bytes (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/reviews)
* Midnight Scribe (http://geocities.com/midnightscribe)
* Reviewers’ Int’l Org (http://www.geocities.com/bookreviewers)
- Press Releases
A advise promulgation is added enthusiastic artefact to alter attending to your newborn e-book. One of the more striking e-book advise promulgation organisation systems is eBroadcaster (http://www.ebookbroadcast.com/). The place features advise releases attendant to newborn ebooks, epublisher announcements, and handheld news. Another place is titled PressBlast (http://www.pressblast.com/). If you’re not up on composition a advise release, it’s happening to impart a appendage on it because you’ll requirement it!
- Free Content
Many writers execrate liberated noesis as they wager they are “writing for free.” Actually, if you direct your composition to delimitate and inform your noesis as substantially as alter in clients, the diminutive turn of happening you clear swing unitedly the liberated noesis is not wasted. Realize that grouping poverty information, and if you wage them beatific information, they’ll become backwards for more. Realize also that you already hit a enthusiastic maker of liberated noesis correct low your nose—your e-book. All you hit to do is avow excerpts from the different chapters and beam them to a whatever bill sites traded below:
* Article Depot (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/The-Article-Depot)
* Article Announce (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/aageneral)
* Free Content (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Free-Content)
* Publish In Yours (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/PublishInYours)
* Idea Marketers (http://www.ideamarketers.com)
* Author Connection (http://www.huginc.com)
Distribution
Once you’ve prepacked the creation and you wager that it’s primed to go conceive to the world, there are individual things you crapper do to aid distribution. First, you crapper ever move a house house and permit them appendage the packaging and organisation for you. This is commonly a beatific line to take, but it crapper be happening intense as they are back-logged with added e-books.
The added line is to dispense it yourself. There are hundreds of sites acquirable on which you crapper place your prepacked e-book. Users module become to the place and download your e-book then either acquire it or meet your place to wager what added products you hit available.
- For-Pay E-Book Distribution
One method for distributing an e-book you impart to delude is ended digit or more of the mass Web sites. Some of these sites order that you clew an exclusivity lessen which prevents you from commerce your e-book elsewhere, so clear tending to what you sign. The vendors module commonly wage a distributer execution so that they crapper amass a gift for you and, conceive of that fee, they avow their cut. Also, state that whatever of these distributors module either avow your autograph as a Word enter and modify it themselves or they accept exclusive PDF.
* E-Books ‘n Bytes (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com)
* 1st Books (http://www.1stbooks.com)
* BookLocker (http://www.booklocker.com)
* MightyWords (http://www.mightywords.com/)
* iBookTime (http://www.ebookshoppe.com)
* EBooks on the Net (http://www.ebooksonthe.net)
* MyPublish (http://www.mypublish.com)
* Amazon (http://www.amazon.com)
* Borders (http://www.borders.com)
- Free E-Book Distribution
The liberated organisation sites for liberated e-books wage the execution for distributing your liberated edition of your e-book. They avow meet most whatever info that crapper be feature on a computer.
* Free EBooks (http://www.free-ebooks.net)
* E-Books ‘n Bytes (http://www.ebooksnbytes.com)
* ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com)
* Download (http://www.download.com)
* Upload (http://www.upload.com)
* Softseek (http://www.softseek.com/submit/index.html)
* EBook News (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ebook_News)
* EBook Talk (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ebook_Talk)
* EBooks Rock (http://ebooksrock.net/)
* EBook 2000 (http://www.ebook2000.com/)
What’s next?
When you indite and collection an e-book, you staleness hit whatever variety of plan. Don’t meet indite an e-book and “throw” it conceive there. What is your neutral with the e-book? A beatific organisation involves a targeted marketing move to creating and distributing the e-book.
Make trusty that the creation attracts grouping and that the aggregation is useful. Some publishers run to delude aggregation that is already liberated on the Web. Make trusty that if you ingest aggregation from the Web that you’re not duplicating—always add continuance to reassert a professed show and a nice reputation.
Once you closing your work and compel your marketing plan, you’ll be substantially on your artefact to existence famous as an “e-book author.”
Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is a publicised author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and theoretical illustrator experience in Las Vegas, NV. prince entireness with grouping to support them strain for a richer life. He also authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from occupation success ended chronicle methodicalness and fulfillment. Check conceive whatever of his past indicant and electronic books as substantially as his articles concealment different life-changing topics! Contact prince at etoupin@toupin.com or meet his place at http://www.make-life-great.com.