How to get published online
Even if your best friend owns a top publishing company, giving you an immediate “in”, this does not guarantee publishing success.
First, you have to write a quality book that has a clear target audience. And your book must answer a common problem or need that audience shares. Then you have to develop a marketing plan, and stick to it for at least two years.
Even before writing anything, you should have solid knowledge of your field. You need to know what else is out there. Essentially, what is the competition for mind share? Yes. This is marketing 101. But somehow people think it doesn’t apply to publishing because writing is an ART.
So now you need to plan your book carefully. The construction and organization can be just as important as the writing. Think this through. Seek help and review from others who you trust. Do all this before you write.
So you know what comes next. Write write write. You need to create your book. Your masterpiece. You need to create this art. I don’t know what writing and revision process works for you, so I will just say use whatever process works for you. You probably know what that is. So use it. And get moving. Pump it out.
When your done with your ebaook, revise it one more time. That’s right, revise again. Even when you think it’s done. Once it’s released you can’t pull it back. So you need to go a little further than you thought you needed to. Again, if you can get a review of it, that’s even better. Nothing is better than objective feedback from a disinterested party.
So, you think you’re finally ready to stop. Just one more time. Go through it. Yes, it’s painful. But you are almost there. Now you’ve finished. Now stop. Take a break and step away from the computer.
You’ve finally written your ebook! Pop open the bubbly! Give yourself a night out on the town!
So now you’ve given yourself the needed credit for finishing this large body of work. It took some serious time. So good job. Job well done. Now what do you do?
Ebooks are an entirely different way to publish your work online. This is an entirely new industry. Now you need to know how to target this work to the right audience. You need to make sure the people who need this information will get it.
The problem, in terms of actually seeing any profits from your ebook, is that the market is overwhelmed with ebooks, and many of them are not worth the time it takes to download them. Just because the ability exists to easily produce an ebook, doesn’t make it good writing.
Assuming you have determined that you do indeed have a quality product that answers some question or need of your target audience with NEW information, how do you know how much to charge for it? Rule number 1: Set a price for your book equal to its value. An under-priced book will only give the impression that your book isn’t worth very much.
One great way to think about price is to think through the amount of time you put into the product. While not always a perfect metric, there is generally a relationship between how much time went into something and the value of that product. Another consideration is just how difficult pulling the information together really was. This is an important factor. Pulling together information that everyone has access to will not be as valuable as pulling information that is extremely hard to get your hands on. More reading for you
Once you’ve figured out a price that is high enough to convey the value of the book, but not so high as to be out of the reach of your target audience’s mean budget, then it’s time to offer it for sale on your website. To attract sales, you will need to develop a promotional campaign, particularly if you are an unknown author.
You can turn to many sources for help on self-promotion. There are many pre-made plans that you can grab off-the-shelf if you are not confident in building your own custom plan. If you do use someone else’s plan, make sure it’s specifically for ebooks. Site
Don’t underestimate the importance of powerful sales copy. If you don’t have the experience with sales copy, hire someone who does. Again, don’t underestimate how important that is. It’s easy to dismiss, and you’ll be sad you did.
Use graphics in your promotional materials. Beautiful graphics have the power to instantly convey the quality and value of your ebook. Graphics can also convey the amount of valuable information the book contains, and your careful attention to detail. Professional graphics sell professional books. They reassure the customer that the product is what it claims to be.
Consider excerpting chapters for articles. You can offer these tidbits for free on your website as a sort of demo of your book. Include an order form for your ebook at the end of the excerpted articles.
Now it’s time to put the download link out there. Consider free give-aways and extras to encourage sales. Everybody feels good about “free” things. Even if they are not really of any cost to you. The fact that you found them and that they might be helpful, will help sales.
To review: Make sure your book is a quality product. Make sure it is relevant and current. Develop an effective marketing plan that includes excellent sales copy and excerpted articles. Then offer your book for sale, and wait for your audience to discover you!
Main Points: The Free money, The Business Home Blog