Where are the landmines in e-publishing?

[RKramkowski]

I'm not sure whether this is the right forum, but here goes...

I've made a decision to get into ebooks to start with. Being new to this, what are the things to watch out for, make sure I do, or make sure I DON'T do? I want to get this off to a good start without too many false starts or shooting myself in the foot!

Some of the things I've already run across (buit don't have a clear or consistent picture of yet) include:

- How critical is format and having an e-cover?
- If format is critical, what works and what doesn't work?
- Not having a web page, how can I get teh word out and distribute it?
- Again, not having a website, how can I begin generating my own distribution lists?
- If I get one of those one-page web hosting sites for $14.95/yr., how much success will I have appearing in any search engine since it wouldn't be multi-page?
- What can I do to get some internet visibility for it?

I'm sure I have other questions, but being new to this, I don't even know what questions to ask yet.

Thanks,
Bob

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Bob,

You will need at least a one-page website (sales letter) to promote and sell your info product. A content site is even better, but not a must-have.

I would look at www.maxcovers.com for site graphics and product images - he does an excellent job at reasonable rates... and he's fast

[eBookWriter]

Hi Bob,

People do judge your eBook by its cover just the same as any print book. Some authors use just a flat cover version which is easiest to do. And it's really been the format I've most used. I must confess that I am a fiction author, so flat is what's generally wanted there.

Having said that, I do create 3D covers with RealDraw Pro 4. This program has a very nice book graphic and an easy method of designing your cover. No skewing to make it fit. CompactDraw has templates also, but you do have to skew for that one. Although, it wasn't as hard to do as I'd thought it would be!

eCoverFactory is another program I've used. I also own Kidino's DIY ecover program which uses Photo Elements 2, I think. Maybe it's version 3. . . you can use either. I have version 2. It's a little more work to making thism this way, but fun. I could never get the pages to fill in like he did though.

There are other programs, I've just drawn a blank as to what they are, just at the moment.

As for the format of the eBook itself, PDF or HTML are the two most used formats. There are a few others like Hiebook and MS Reader or .lit format, but you'll probably want to just stick with PDF or HTML at first. I do both, and have experimented with the other two I mentioned.

Most people will say PDF is best, everyone can open them with Adobe's free Reader. However, people who use some sort of eBook Reader or PDA to view their eBooks like HTML better. It seems to adapt better to the small screen size. You could do both, and make more people happy. My readers are pretty much 50/50, so I'll keep offering both formats.

I do use Acrobat -- I didn't have to pay for it, and you can get older versions for reasonable prices on eBay or Yahoo Auctions. Version 7 is the latest, I think. I have 5. Why bother? Because once the file is made, you likely will discover errors you'll want to fix. A simple compile program, to my knowledge, doesn't let you do that. You have to make your corrections in Word or WordPerfect or what ever flavor word processor you like, and recompile. Not fun, as the pages in Word or WP tend to wander off and you end up with a totally unprofessional looking document. It's critical that you look your manuscript over more than once to be sure your words are staying where you want them to be, just as much as you want to check for spelling and other errors.

There are other programs to generate PDFs but I haven't played with them.

I use Activ Ebook Compiler for my HTML eBooks. Ver 5 is in the beta stage. I have version 4.22 which is the latest stable version. There are as many HTML compilers as grains of sand on the beach, the ones most highly recommended are pricey. There are simpler ones, but I keep coming back to Activ Ebook.

You can offer your eBook in Word or WordPerfect, but I'd do that only if I were offering the right to change things in it. Or if I didn't care what they did after they paid me for it. I don't offer anything in this format.

If you don't want to be bothered setting up a website, consider creating a blog. There's plenty of free ones and you can offer your eBook for sale on one.

Join groups that focus on the subject of your eBook. Put links in your signature so people can go check out your offer. Use short excerpts of your book as articles and submit them to article directories. You never know who'll pick it up to use on their site or their newsletter. And if they do, they'll want more from you. Add a signature to those as well so anyone reading your article can find a link to read more and to buy your stuff.

Take out small ads on sites or in newsletters that run similar content as your book's subject.

Submit your eBook to eBook directories. Most are free to sign up at.

There are probably other ideas as well, but it's well past my bedtime, and my brain has opted to get there ahead of me.

If you got a one page site, you'd do for it all the same things you'd do for a multipage site. Submit it to seach engines, use links to it in your email and posting signatures, do pay per click campaigns, use traffic exchangers, exchange links with other people. Give away a rew copies for free to get some good reviews that will generate sales and help get the word out about your eBook.

You could always get a hosting plan that would allow you to build a more content rich site down the road. You may not think you're capable of such a feat, but trust me, once you get into it, it can balloon. My first site was about eight pages to start back in the late 60s. Now it's nearly one hundred pages, and still growing.

I hope I've helped in some small way. My eyes are closing, though, so I'll stop right here . . .

Anita

[jbsmith]

Hi Bob, good to see you are learning as much BEFORE making the mistakes that so many of us already have.

Based on more than 8-years developing information-based products - online and offline as well as years of coaching others here are my watch lists:

1. Make sure you have a topic that is in-demand. Too many people write things they want to without first researching and testing their market for "hot buttons" that will lead to a winning topic and title.

2. Related to #1, have an end result in mind for your reader. That is, people don't read information products for pure entertainment, they expect to use the material to achieve a specific goal or end result. Make sure your information is positioned in such a way to achieve an end result for your reader

3. Test multiple titles - your title becomes the sole tool you have to create interest and draw attention to your product and sales site - make sure its intriguing and hits the mark

4. Put your own "angle" on your information. So you've identified an in-demand topic leading to a tangible end-result for your reader, now its up to you to put your stamp on the "system", "method" or "plan" you provide to get them there. This will be your Unique Selling Proposition - setting you apart from competition.

5. Professional cover is important - also get matching banners and a large flat cover designed as well (you can use the large flat graphic as the title page in your MS Word/PDF ebook) I like Vaughan Davidson over at killercovers.com

6. Make sure you write compelling sales copy with a strong headline, your unique selling proposition, lots of benefits, testimonials, and a compelling bundle that includes some unique bonuses.

Feel free to see a number of articles on starting and building your infoproduct business here: including a recent video on 2 common areas new infoproduct marketers make overly difficult - including how to simplify your business.

Cheers...

Jeff

[Elizabeth]

[RKramkowski]

Hi Elizabeth...

In general, yes, I intend to write my own ebooks. But I wouldn't discount finding other ebooks that need a good rewrite or reformatting (or both). I could also see myself taking a book with pretty good content but that is out of date, has lots of fluff and not much detail and enhancing it. While many people say it is just faster to write your own, I find it is often faster for me to revamp something that already exists.

I have another post on this forum regarding reseller rights and private labels and how to tell when I'm purchasing a private label book that I can truly modify.

Thanks,
Bob

[Elizabeth]

Hi Bob,

Having just written my first e-book and am getting ready for the launch, I still have many questions about the marketing aspect. Good for you for getting an early start to seeking out the answers!

I think that for starters, you really need to focus on what your target market is, what product you want to sell, and whether or not your product is likely to sell within that market, and why. You can waste a lot of time if you are trying to sell something that isn't going to sell to begin with!

As a newcomer to this business, I sought out and purchased the e-book of an acquaintance of mine, Fabio "Fabman" Marciano, called The One Minute E-Book. You can find it here:



Fabio does a really good job, I think, to take a beginner step by step through some of the basics of writing and publishing your own ebook. I used to print out part of his ebook and read it while I was riding the train into work each day. Others times I wrote on the way into work each day.

Fabio's ebook goes into things like format, ebook programs, covers, etc. and a lot more.

You will need a website to sell your ebooks. I've bought a domain name on Godaddy.com and am using Website Tonight to design mine. I'm getting help for the copy (i.e. my sales letter) on a copywriter's forum.

Learning this stuff can be overwhelming. I'm having to really focus on taking it one thing at a time.

Regarding reselling items, I bought 4 or 5 ebooks last year that I found out about by being on Fabio's email list, which were offered through a third party. I have yet to work on them, because I have at least two other projects that I want to do before I start those. They were fully written ebooks that I can modify any way that I want, and resell under my own name.

I think that, once you start writing your own work, start buying some ebooks, and start networking within the industry, you'll get a better feel for what a "good deal" is, in terms of reselling. Learning about what sells and what doesn't from others will also help you in creating your own products.

As a start, though, I'd get Fabio's ebook. As a beginner, it was easily worth 5X what I paid for it.

Elizabeth

[Lynn Terry]

I can second that recommendation for The One Minute Ebook! It really makes the whole process simple (even if you dont have a topic yet!) and it gives you a good outline to follow (and all the technical tips along the way).