• More Business Articles

  • How to Start an Internet Business in Five Steps
  • Internet Business Coaching
  • Make Money Online with Focus and Self Discipline
  • Free Stuff for Internet Entrepreneurs
  • Success Mindset Training
  • Organize Daily Work for Maximum Efficiency
  • Join My Blogroll
  • How to Get Other People to Do the Work for You
  • Entrepreneurship and Risk
  • The 80/20 Rule for Entrepreneurs

• Resources

  Small Business Grants
  SEO Copywriting
  
  

• Search

I want to begin by referencing Yaro Starak’s blog, Entrepreneur’s Journey. I’m alluding to his clever blog-name for this particular post, so I want to give credit where credit is due. If you aren’t yet familiar with Yaro’s work, check him out today!

*****

The following two-part series offers a closer look at how I became an internet entrepreneur and how I intend to continue developing a mindful online business down the road. Some of this post is personal in nature, but I believe many of you will find it illuminating. Reviewing personal history is a good way to take stock of how things are developing for you and to really consider if you’re headed down the right path. I hope this series inspires you to consider your own personal and business journeys…

The Path to Today
My career in internet business began by surprise. When I started my first online venture, I was still in college. Before the idea came to fruition, I never once thought, “Hey, maybe I’ll make a living online.” If you would have asked me about the potentials of running an online business at the time, I probably would have laughed and made some snide comment about “getting a real job.” Funny how things change.

In college, I took many classes and developed a wide range of interests. I focused my major studies in the English department. A lifelong love of reading and writing made that a natural choice. And the professors in that particular department were outstanding to boot!

While completing my college studies, a few things fell into place that definitely contributed to my current position today. First, during my final year I completed research on blogging as a form of discourse. I fell completely in love with the blogosphere and created my first blog (lost to posterity today). While engaged in this project, I also started developing a website for a student organization on campus. It was my first *real* crack at creating a website from scratch. There were plenty of hang-ups, but I learned a great deal about the web and some basics of computer programming. Someday I’d like to really dig in and learn more. I’m completely self-taught. I actually taught myself Basic Programming at 13 from some old texts my Dad always had on our bookshelves. That said, by no means do I consider myself a techno-wiz. Far from it. But I’m getting better every day.

As the end of my college career approached, I began thinking seriously about life after the 4-year degree. I thought a lot about graduate and post-graduate school, but the job market was bleak. Somehow forces beyond me came to the rescue…

I’ve always loved books. But I never considered making a profit from the hobby. Yet that’s exactly what I started doing several years ago – selling books online. I got my start by selling used books from my own collection. I used Amazon almost exclusively and saw great results! I was turning a small profit when it suddenly dawned on me that I could make a great profit by simply “scaling” the results. In short, with more books to sell, I would turn more profit.

At its all-time high, my online bookselling business was hedging close to $3000 per month. I was immensely happy.

That is, until my life took an unexpected turn - upside down. Just last year, my former wife and I separated. The separation itself was quite civil and loving. The differences that had developed between us were mostly circumstantial and had more to do with the paths we were chasing.

Despite my business success, I was still considering other paths. I wanted to pursue writing more exclusively and had strongly considered graduate schools across the country. My thoughts were not aligned with her desires to travel every summer as a working choreographer while remaining open to options for permanent work elsewhere. Our dreams were just not compatible any longer and neither of us wanted to stand in the way of the other.

With the separation from my wife came a separation from my business. I decided to liquidate the inventory. I sold the entire stock of books and washed my hands of the work I was doing. I began teaching writing classes at a local private college where I rekindled my deep passion for writing.

As time passed, my attention turned again to entrepreneurship and the internet. Initially, I tried to start everything over from scratch to rebuild my book empire. But something kept holding me back. Finally, I realized that returning to the bookselling was not the answer. There was some greater reason for my separation. I started asking fundamental questions about my life purpose. Writing kept coming up again and again. I wanted to write for a living. I wanted to share my talents with other people. But I also wanted to help other people develop their own talents to find greater success and happiness. I wanted to teach.

Everything started coming together. My first project was writing an eBook to teach other people how to find success in starting an online business. I knew others could really benefit from my inside experience in that world. And I wanted to share my knowledge in an accessible way. I wanted to create a partnership with my readers by giving them important information and a real sense of presence in the writing. As I was working to develop the first eBook, I also started this blog, the Mindful Entrepreneur.

If I could sum up my mission as an internet entrepreneur, I would do so in this simple statement:

I work to inspire other people to find congruence in personal, spiritual, and financial success. In everything I do, I strive to live congruently, to work with real purpose and intention in my business and personal spheres.

Related Articles:

• 10 Steps to Writing an Ebook - Part 1
• Keeping a Business Journal
• What is a Mindful Entrepreneur?
• The Tipping Point

I wanted to share this with you right away…

A new visitor to my site, Martin Neumann, has a tremendous web resource available over at www.epublishingdaily.com

Martin’s blog offers visitors insightful updates on the constantly evolving world of information publishing and product sales. Here’s a quick sampling of some must-reads:

• $11,875,783 earned from 1,692,964 eBook Sales
• It’s All About Repeat Sales
• For Small Online Businesses, PayPal is Still Your Buddy
  

The blog, like the rest of the site, is witty and well written. Definitely worth adding to your RSS reader.

But the greatest thing about ePublishingDaily is not the blog, it’s…

Related Articles:

• 10 Steps to Writing an Ebook - Part 1
• Creating Passive Streams of Income
• How to Write a Focused Blog
• The Tipping Point

In yesterday’s post, I gave an overview of the first five of ten steps towards creating an ebook. I am getting closer each day to launching my first publication (stay tuned) and want to show you how I did it in 10 easy steps.

To view the first 5 steps from yesterday’s post, click here.

Before we get started with step six, here’s an overview of the five steps covered in the previous post:

1. Brainstorm a topic

2. Outline the book

3. Write & edit each chapter, one at a time

4. Develop ancillary materials

5. Create appropriate bonus items

And now, the next five steps:

6. Format the book layout

Although you’re writing an ebook, readers will still want their book to resemble a traditional text as much as possible. Choose consistent font styles and sizes to give a “print published” look to the downloaded file. I advise selecting a readable font such as Arial, Trebuchet, Calisto, or Lucida instead of the standard Times New Roman. Also, modify margins for easy reading. I use 1” top and bottom margins and 1.25” left and right margins.

You can add other finishing touches for that professional look. Use headings and footers on each page just as you find in the typical paperback. I simply include the book title at the top of each content page and copyright information in the footer. You want readers to know they’re reading a book and not just a computer file.

7. Design a book cover

There are several options for designing an ebook cover:

• Hire a professional graphic artist with ebook experience.
• Price: $100-$500+
• Buy software to create your own ebook cover.
• Price: $25-$75+
• Create your own cover with templates.
• Price: your time and patience

Many ebook authors swear by the cover. I have yet to personally experience this part of the sales process. For now, I will launch my ebook with a cover I designed myself. I am not a graphic designer. I simply used my basic knowledge of a Mac graphic design program to make alterations to an ebook template. In the future, I may invest the $60 to purchase a program from Logo Creator.

8. Setup a merchant account

To sell your book, you’re going to need a payment processing method. Unless you’re tech savvy enough to create your own, chances are you’ll want to sign up for one of the online merchant programs. Here are three services to consider:

• Clickbank
• It’s about $50 to start a Clickbank account (one-time fee). From there, Clickbank takes 7% of each sale. A trusted merchant solutions service, many ebooks are sold through Clickbank because of its reputation and general success. When I launch my product, I’ll be using Clickbank for processing credit card transactions.
• PayPal
• Most of us have heard of Paypal. (Many of us have accounts!) With Paypal, sellers can process credit cards and accept direct deposits from another Paypal account. The major downside of Paypal is the need for an account. The major upside: low processing fees.
• Marketer’s Choice
• If you’re looking for complete account servicing, Marketer’s Choice may be the way to go. With many payment plan options (ranging from $30-$80/month), MC will enable autoresponse email, payment processing, digital delivery and a range of other offerings. The digital delivery function is especially popular with new sellers. MC completely enables product upload and downloads for quick customer access.

For those just getting started, Paypal is a good choice to keep costs low. Clickbank is an excellent way to pay slightly more but increase your overall sales potential. Marketer’s Choice may be reserved for the internet beginner and/or the sales pro.

9. Write and publish a sales page

When marketing your ebook, you’ll want to send customers directly to your sales page. This should consist of an independent website that immediately opens with a lengthy sales letter. Many argue that your sales page is the determining factor in the success of your ebook. If you have a strong page with great copy, you’re more likely to approach the 1-2% conversion rate goal. You might choose to write this page yourself or hire a professional copywriter.

10. Develop and execute a marketing plan

Once all of the product pieces are in place, it’s time to spread the word. In my upcoming ebook promotion, I will be using Google AdWords to advertise my sales page. I have a current plan that will drive a goal number of visitors to my site each day. I then hope to turn a small percentage of these shoppers into buyers.

Any good marketing method needs a plan. You will want to measure the ongoing success (or failure) of your marketing. By tracking the development of your results, you can keep your finger on the pulse of your ebook sales. Remember to think outside of the box, too! You might find cheaper, more effective ways of getting attention (for example, writing online articles or creating a blog).

*** *** ***

There you have it! The complete “10 Steps to Writing an Ebook.” Sure, there are many other side points along the way, but following each of the 10 steps will help guide you in the right direction. Your first time around will be a learning process. Once you’ve mastered the system, you’re well on your way to making a living as an ebook author!

Just rinse and repeat….

Tags: ebooks | write ebooks | info products

Related Articles:

• 10 Steps to Writing an Ebook - Part 1
• Creating Passive Streams of Income

I am nearing completion of my first ebook project and would like to share my experience to help make sense of a complicated process. Like any other new project, the first time is always a challenge. Looking back on the process, I can identify 10 clear steps I followed along the path. As the saying goes “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch; yard by yard, life is hard.” The same must apply to the “step-by-step” model.

So, here are the first five steps (I’ll post the next five tomorrow) of the 10-step ebook plan:

1. Brainstorm a viable/doable topic
Coming up with your ebook topic is no simple task. The first time around, the topic may be a no-brainer. If you have specific experience with something that others would pay to learn more about, that’s your golden egg.

But if you’re looking to develop a topic for the market, more research is involved. I would start with a tool like Google Trends. Do quick searches to find out what topics are hot on the internet. Even if your idea is already obvious, you’ll still want to think about how you will “spin” or market the ebook. Often, books and/or ebooks are already available on the subject. Like any business marketing plan, your job is to find your unique offering. In simple terms: what sets you apart? That’s your selling point.

2. Outline the book
I strongly recommend writing an outline for your book right away. Even though I don’t always advise my writing students use outlines, I believe they are absolutely essential for writing a book. This will likely be your first big writing project. You’re going to need a plan for getting from page 1 to page 100. Trust me, it’s too easy to get lost along the way.

Your outline doesn’t need to be too involved early on. Start with simple chapter titles followed by a handful of important points to be covered. Some will be fine with this kind of skeleton guide, while others will need more detail and supporting points. In my experience, the more the better. When your mental energy is low and you’re in the middle of a writing session, a detailed outline can be just the thing to put you back on track. I also enjoy having the option of jumping from chapter 2 on Tuesday to chapter 7 on Wednesday.

3. Write & edit each chapter, one at a time
When you start writing a chapter, don’t start until you finish at least a solid rough draft. Once that’s complete, move on to another chapter before beginning your editing process. It’s beneficial to allow for some time between writing and editing, at least 24 hours. Also, allow plenty of time for editing. When I teach writing courses, I always remind students that the best writers spend 50% of their total writing process time on revisions. Remember: you’ll only write words once, but you’ll edit them many times over before the work is complete.

4. Develop ancillary materials
While you’re writing the book, jot down ideas about how you’ll supplement the content with other materials. But don’t actually write these materials until you’re finished with the book – and I mean finished. The “Table of Contents” is one example of a document supplement you’ll want to create. If you try to throw the TOC together before you’re actually finished… well, you get the idea.

5. Create appropriate bonus items
Other supplements might include the crucial “bonus items” that act as the supporting actors to your ebook star. I believe ebook sales are greatly supported by the infamous “bonus items” awarded to online buyers. Throwing in an extra ebook on another subject is a classic approach to stuffing the sale. You might also throw in mentorship emails or other exclusive access to the author. The best bonus items will be those that sweeten the pot without distracting the buyer from the featured product.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll look at the final five steps. Here’s a preview:

6. Format the book layout
7. Design a book cover
8. Setup a merchant account
9. Write and publish a sales page
10. Develop and execute a marketing plan

Click here to read Part 2 of this series.

Tags: ebooks | write ebooks | info products

Reader Toolbox:
Online education  and  online college courses can help you brush up on your business knowledge.    Search for information on grants for education so that  a new degree wont break the bank! Browse a large selection of degrees here!

Related Articles:

• 10 Steps to Writing an Ebook – Part 2
• Creating Passive Streams of Income

Springer - a major science/tech book publisher - recently announced that it will donate over $1 million worth of eBooks to universities in the New Orleans area.  The donation is part of a growing effort to help restore the area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

This is not only a fantastic charitable act, but also a great example of how eBooks are transforming the publishing world.  Although Springer specializes in science texts and resources, it will not be long before we begin to see eBooks catching on in other sectors.  I’m certainly not suggesting that dusty books with *real* pages will ever disappear completely. 

Check out the eBooks demonstration video at the Springer site. 

Tags: ebooks | hurricane katrina | information products

← Previous Page —