Blogs

So you've written an ebook. Now what?

Ebook writing, like book writing, can be a lucrative way to sell your products and services, as well as vary the offerings on your website.

The advantage of selling ebooks is that you can automate the process from start to finish. Once you've written your ebook, all you have to do is create a sales page, set up your payment processing, and you're in business.

You probably know already that you should write a press release, as well as articles, and submit them to the appropriate directories. These two techniques will help you get the word out about your new ebook.

However, have you considered these techniques?

1. Submit to Ebook Directories
There are at least 20 different ebook directories on the internet. This doesn't include the directories you can submit your ebook to if you are selling your ebook.

You can create a sample chapter or a sample of your ebook and submit it to the free directories. This will help you build backlinks to your website, as well as give your ebook a better exposure.

2. Sell on Lulu - http://www.lulu.com
If you want to use the real power of leverage, you can sell your product on Lulu. Lulu allows you to upload unlimited manuscripts for free and set them up to sell them. You can also offer a print version of your ebook, as well as audios or videos. This allows you to expand your product line very easily.

Lulu handles the sales process from start to finish for you and sends you a check each month, taking a 20 percent commission on each sale and you get the rest.

For a small fee, you can use global distribution and get your ebook in all of the major online bookstores.

3. Start an Affiliate Program
An affiliate program is another powerful form of leverage you can use to sell your ebook. By using an affiliate program, you can build your own sales force to sell for you. Although you will need to pay commissions, this is a passive form of sales for you, and you make money from the efforts of others.

When you use the right affiliate program management software, you can build valuable backlinks to your website. This will raise your rankings in the search engines and maybe give you some extra traffic and sales.

4. Get Reviews
This is actually a combination of affiliate programs and joint ventures. Depending on who you ask to review your new ebook, you could walk away with all of the profits.

Some sites are looking for new material to talk about, not join your affiliate program or joint venture. By finding reviewers for your new ebook, you can build backlinks, create a buzz about your new ebook, and further increase your network of passive traffic.

When looking for sites to review your ebook, use a site like Alexa to help you find high traffic sites on your topic. Search the sites for reviews and contact site owners.

You can also use the following sites to get you started:

Blog Critics - http://www.blogcritics.org
About - http://www.about.com
Bella Online - http://www.bellaonline.com

How you promote your ebook is up to you. The harder you promote, the more sales you are likely to make.

Whether you are writing an email to a client, or posting a new entry on your blog, the content of your writing is very important. Your goal is to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across. Next time you are pounding away on the keyboard, keep these ten tips in mind.

1. Cut out the clichés.

At this point in time, you need to remove the clichés. On a daily basis, I prefer not to use clichés. Did you catch those two? Refrain from using overused word combinations. Once a cliché is in fact a cliché, the meanings of the words get lost. Create fresh words that force your reader to think and absorb.

2. Start with a short sentence.

Small, captivating words will engage the reader. Use a sentence with a maximum of eight words to begin your document.

For example: “Huge, slimy lizards fell from the sky as Jeff and Erica ran across the wet tarmac.”

This sentence draws the reader in by beginning with a subject and verb. If you start with a noun, the urgency is lost.

“Jeff and Erica ran across the wet tarmac, as huge, slimy lizards fell from the sky.”

3. Expand your vocabulary.

The more your write and read, the greater your vocabulary will be. Using a thesaurus is a good starting point. Aim to use new words in each document you create, thereby expanding your vocabulary over time.

A great tool to use is Word of the Day. Sign up for sites such as this one to help increase your vocabulary.

http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday

4. Write now, edit later.

Write and edit separately and your words will flow without restraint. As soon as you edit and write in conjunction with one another, the two sides conflict. Try to spew the words out all at once, and then edit when the writing is complete. Sometimes it helps to wait a day or two to start editing with a fresh set of eyes.

Try this exercise: Cover your monitor and write! Keep your fingers busy and let your creative mind flow. Once you are finished writing, uncover your screen and begin editing. You would be surprised at the content you create without reservations.

5. Freewrite.

Dedicate 30 minutes everyday to freewrite and you will train yourself to generate spontaneous ideas.

What do I freewrite about, you ask? Anything and everything! A great time to do this is first thing in the morning. Once you wake up, grab a coffee and sit at your computer for 30 minutes and type away. Do not delete, backspace, highlight, correct or pause...just write what comes to mind. It will get easier and your content will improve with each day you do this.

6. Read, read, read!

Regardless of the genre or style you are looking to write in, the best way to train yourself to write well is to read in abundance. If you are looking to improve your blog writing skills, find a few blogs you admire. Print a few pages to read throughout the day - during your morning cereal, just before bed, etc. We are all busy people, but it is not hard to find space within your day to read.

7. Commas, semicolons, and periods, oh my!

Pay attention to punctuation in order for your words to flow and to eliminate confusing and embarrassing mistakes. It is easy to change the tone or meaning of a sentence with the absence or presence of a period or comma.

For example: “Lisa ordered a goat, cheese salad for lunch.” This sentence suggests that Lisa ordered a goat AND a cheese salad. With a quick deletion of the comma, we have a sentence that makes more sense, “Lisa ordered a goat cheese salad for lunch.”

For a great read on punctuation read Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

8. Read your work aloud.

Once you have finished writing, editing and reviewing your document, read it aloud. This will eliminate any awkward sentences and errors.

9. Reduce redundancy.

Which sentence works better?

           A. Remove unnecessary words

           B.Get rid of words that you do not necessarily need.

Both A and B provide the same meaning, but the first sentence gets to the point while the second sounds clumsy. Print a hardcopy of your document and slash away. Cross out any words that you can get by without.

10. Simple is best.

Express your views in a simple way to attract an audience. If you are creating a blog, you will have a wide variety of readers. Make sure to keep it simple. Not every reader has the experience or knowledge you do about your subject.

When I told my fiance today that it is Secretary on the Go's one month anniversary, he responded with a low groan. "Oh man, is this another thing I'm going to have to keep track of?"

He likes to play the part of the manly man, "I'm just not a romantic person", he says. Then suddenly I find myself sitting in a helicopter in Vegas with a shockingly gorgeous engagement ring staring at me. Or in Vista 18, happily staring down to the sparkling city lights of Victoria when I feel his fingers nervously clasping a beautiful stone around my neck.

It's not all about diamonds and helicopters though, it's about support. A surprise that tops his 'unromantic' ways is the billboard boasting Secretary on the Go to all passersby of the Save on Foods Memorial Centre. In an early morning fog Mark took me to the arena and told me to look up. There in bright lights flashed my cartoon self as Secretary on the Go!

Romance aside, this has been an incredible month. Secretary on the Go has really been ON THE GO. We have been writing, running, researching, and basketing! With new clients daily, we are meeting amazing people with interesting and successful businesses. We are proud to be part and to help out, and feel as though we are all partners and friends.

To thank all of our current clients and potential clients, we are offering a 25% discount on our To Do List Eliminator. Here is an example of a list we received from a client today that made me smile, so I just had to ask for permission to post it.

Submitted on 10/15/2010 - 17:37
Submitted by anonymous user:

Submitted values are:

Job Description:
1) Call my auto insurance company, let them know about change of
address
2) Call my dentist for new address
3) Find Halloween costume for me (6ft 2 - 200lbs) something funny, not feminine.
4) Call the bank, change of address
5) Edit my About Us page, rid it of any spelling errors.

This list was quoted at $100.00 and with the discount, our client will only pay $75.00.

Well, I'm off now to go shopping for a Halloween costume. Happy Friday!