How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck
(And Sell it From Your Blog)

Boost your income by writing and selling ebooks in almost no time
(how? it has to do with your blog).

I don’t even know what to say. If any offer on the internet deserves a 100% closing ratio, this is it. Great insights on how to make sure your ebook will connect with your readers and sell well! I haven’t read but the first 20 pages, and this alone is worth way more than you’re charging. Rock on man!

~ Christian

For consultants, coaches, freelancers, and other online entrepreneurs…

The Dirty Little Secret…

If there’s a dirty little secret to online business, it’s this:

Most of its practitioners are living just as “hand to mouth” as the poor slobs working in fast food.

One big interruption in your single income stream… and you’re in a tough place.

A very panicky place, and I know because I’ve been there.

Ask yourself:

• What would you do if suddenly you had a lull in client work?
• What if suddenly a client bails on you or doesn’t pay before you’ve started the next job?
• What if you get no new inquiries for over a week?

My name is Michael Martine, and I run a successful online blog coaching & consultancy business called Remarkablogger. Part of the reason why I’m successful is because I do more than just sell my time.

I sell products as well. My income is diversified. Even people who know hardly anything about investing know that diversification to mitigate loss is a smart move. What’s smart for investing is also smart for your own income streams.

Selling Ebooks: It’s So Simple

And one simple way to accomplish this is to sell ebooks. Why?

• Ebooks sell even when you’re sleeping or doing client work.
• Low-priced ebooks are also a great way for clients to warm up to much larger purchases from you.
• Most of your existing clients will nearly always buy your products.
• Ebooks can be produced for little time or effort.
• You don’t need to be a technical genius.
• You don’t need to be a designer with expensive software.

Just adding ebooks into your mix will boost and smooth out the rough spots in your income. Just one ebook selling for $19.99 and selling a paltry 3 copies a week can net you $9,355.32 over the course of 3 years. An extra 10k is nothing to scoff at. Try the math at 5 copies per week. And still that’s nothing, when you could easily sell 3 – 5 copies a day or more. Three copies sold a day at $19.99 comes out to $15,592.20 per year.

And that’s just one ebook. What if you offered a few more? At higher price points?

Not too shabby!

Why I Created this Book

I created this book because you asked me to.

I sporadically get enough emails and social messages asking about how I have created my own ebooks that I felt the best thing to do was to teach you how I do it. If you are a coach, consultant or freelancer, you can easily bump up your income by adding in a new sales stream from ebooks. At the very least, you can use an ebook as an incentive to grow your email list (just like I do and it works like a machine, getting me sign ups every day).

Paid and free ebooks are terrific lead generation tools, end of story. Plus if you’re selling them then you’re making more money than you were before. Seriously, you almost can’t even go wrong. You’ll sell something.

However, if you’re pondering the idea of selling ebooks to boost your income, you want to do a little better than “something.” And you probably have some concerns, which I’ll get to in just a sec.

What’s funny about this particular book is that I wrote the bulk of it over a year ago but then it just sat on my hard drive… not helping you.

I had forgotten all about it.

But a few days ago (March 2011), I rediscovered it and set to work on it. Twenty-six new pages and three new chapters later it was 77 pages worth of pure win (1 cover and 1 table of contents, so actually 75 pages of raw content).

As of this writing, March isn’t even over, yet, and I’m already coming out with the next version, which features some expanded and rewritten areas, plus an improvement to the design and formatting (all you “printers” out there can rejoice!). The new version has more content but fewer pages (a little easier on your fingers and your printer).

Why the title? Because anything that made hyped-up claims of being “killer” or whatever would probably just be too hard to stomach and I would’ve felt silly doing it. So “not sucking” seemed like a pretty good idea that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Who This Book is For

If you are a consultant, coach or freelancer, I’m sure you’ve experienced some pretty scary dips in your income from time to time.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could smooth out those dips?

…And do it with something you already know how to do (write)?

…And do it in a way that doesn’t drain your already stretched calendar and resources?

If you said “yes” to those questions then I’m positive you’ll benefit from this book so you can create and sell ebooks.

Coaching, consulting and freelancing are very heavily reliant on information. These kinds of online businesses can do well when blogging, social media and email are the main marketing channels used to get leads. Selling ebooks which compliment the content marketing and the services provided is a win-win for everyone:

• You make more money.
• You even out those scary random (or perhaps seasonal) dips in your income.
• Ebook buyers have now signaled to you they’re willing to buy from you, so you can further your relationship with them and receive a greater customer lifetime value down the road.
• People who buy inexpensive ebooks are signaling they may be interested in higher price-point items, since they’ve already demonstrated they find your work valuable.
• For someone who doesn’t need or can’t afford your personal services and yet has a need your knowledge can fill, an ebook may be the perfect solution. Without an ebook to sell, you’re leaving money on the table. A lot of money, actually.

But You Have Concerns

There’s nothing exactly surprising about the premise, is there? I mean, this is really kind of a no-brainer.

But if you’ve never done it, before, you may not even know where to start, or you’re worried your ebook will suck and no one will buy it.

Maybe you  already have an ebook written, but it’s just sitting there on your hard drive, not making any money for you, not helping anyone.

So, what’s stopping you?

Time

If you’re like most people selling services online, you’re already busy writing content for your blog, spending time marketing yourself on social media, and performing actual client work.

How are you supposed to find time to write and sell an ebook?

Well, that’s a good question.

If you’re running a business selling your expertise and advice, constantly writing blog posts and doing social media marketing essentially for free then you are doing a lot, but without a lot to show for it.

With that in mind, you can see how switching to low-effort, high-impact tasks would be smart. How can you not have time to set up a passive income stream to pull in an extra thousands of dollars a year?

Saying you don’t have time to write an ebook and sell it
is like saying you don’t have time to make money!

In which case I would at least wonder why you bother to be in business at all. How do you not have time to make money?

Nevertheless, it’s true that carving out a big chunk of time to write an ebook doesn’t seem possible right now. I get that.

So I don’t doubt you would be surprised to know that you can write an ebook in very little time. With just a little bit of careful planning, you can just keep doing what you’re already doing, and then spend a few hours putting together your ebook.

The secret to this is in something you already have: your blog. In my book I’ll show you how to intelligently harness that power to save tons of time. You’ll be able to make ebook after ebook with hardly any time spent on writing the content–at least, that’s what it will feel like.

Small Audience

You may believe that your audience is too small for you to make a lot of money selling ebooks online. And you might be right! My answer to this is another question: So what??

Right now you’re not making any extra money selling ebooks. So even if you sold just one stinkin’ ebook that would be money you didn’t have before.

Selling something is better than selling nothing, and you’re already selling nothing, so anything would be an improvement!

Also, not every ebook needs to be sold. There are very compelling reasons to give them away in the right circumstances. What are the reasons and circumstances? My book will tell you everything you need to know, but basically it revolves around the idea of giving something away in exchange for an email address to build your email marketing list.

This tactic works like mad when done correctly and you won’t have a small audience for long. A lot of people really screw this up, though. In my book I tell you one simple step most people don’t take and it kills their subscription rates.

High Class Design for “Ramen Noodle” Prices?

Unless you’re already a designer, you probably don’t feel too confident in your design skills. You don’t have any fancy-schmancy design software.

You know people really do judge a book by its cover, and of course you want your ebook to be easily readable and coherently put together. Can this be done with a “ramen noodle” budget and little technical expertise?

Absolutely.

You know what I use to create my ebooks?

Freakin’ Microsoft Office!

They look great and have gorgeous covers. I use the same tools you have on your computer. The difference is that I know the software. I spent over a decade as a software trainer, which is how I was able to figure this out and also why I can teach it to you so easily.

(I’ts not about knowing complicated stuff, it’s about knowing the right stuff and being able to explain it in plain English.)

You know those cool 3D pictures that make it look like a real book (like at left)? I’ll share with you my secret weapon for creating spectacular “hero shots” of your ebook.

Here’s what i loved in your book… it made the whole process seem very doable by tying it back to blogging. And I love that you called a secret .

EXCELLENT content in the Write to Teach section – and much needed in the online world.

Love that you direct people to a tool they already have – Word – instead of saying you *must* have InDesign or something that is completely intimidating. Would have loved pointers to Word templates – maybe some of your own to drive people back to your site? Or offer them for sale?

You made the “how to do a cover” totally accessible, too. That one vexes many of my clients and they spend more than they have to.

Great info on selling. Totally great.

I’m having a hard time finding anything to critique! Seriously, I’ve bought a ton of infocrap and this is worth at least $47 and, if implemented, waaaaay more than that.

Thank you, Michael!!

~Laurie

What’s in the Book

Are Ebooks Dead?

An examination of the prematurely declared death of ebooks. Let me put it this way: ebooks are about as dead is blogging is. You’ll discover exactly how not dead ebooks are and why.

How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck

The namesake chapter reveals what sucks about 99% of all ebooks and how you can avoid that suckage entirely. Learn the qualities of both good and bad ebooks (p. 17).

How to Write a Killer Ebook in No Time Flat (And Where to Get the Content)

How will you find time to write ebooks? What should they be about? Both of those questions are answered here. I’ll give you a hint: this is one area where bloggers have the advantage over everyone else. Okay, I’ll give you two hints: the method I show you in the book is how I create all my ebooks (p. 18).

How to Write to Teach

Here’s where you get to take advantage of my decade in software training and all my professional training on how to effectively teach and create learning materials. This is important, because it’s exactly in this area many ebooks miss the mark (p. 22).

Formatting & Structuring Your Ebook for Success

The hidden difference between an ebook your customers love and one that gets closed only moments after first being opened isreadability. And readability is closely tied to formatting, which–surprisingly–is tied to structure. Format your ebook the right way (p. 32).

Package to Impress, Format for Easy Readability

What often stops people from creating ebooks is they have idea or skills or software for how to create the cover. How do you make one of those cool 3D product shots? Learn ninja tricks for ebook formatting that don’t require a lot of time or fancy-schmancy software to make your ebook look professional (p.32).

Getting Your Ebook into the Hands of Readers

Here we cover distribution and selling. Find out exactly how to set up secure digital downloads and how you should determine pricing. Find out about how offer context plays an important role in pricing and how your self-image relates to pricing and what effect Amazon’s Kindle is having on the market (p. 37).

Should You Write an Ebook if Your Blog is Small?

Discover what to do if your blog only has a handful of subscribers and how to know whether or not you should be selling your ebook or giving it away (the answer may surprise you) (p. 45).

How to Get Reviews and Feedback on Your Ebook from Big-Name Bloggers

A practical guide for getting others to review your ebook in order to boost traffic and sales. Find out what triggers other bloggers respond to… and what turns them off from accepting your proposal (p. 55)

Promoting Your Ebook on Your Blog

This is where this ebook really shines, because there are unique elements involved when you have a blog. Find out what to do and not do to promote your ebook from your blog (p. 62).

Should You Have a Dedicated Domain or Sales Page?

Another technical and practical hurdle related to bloggers is covered: the sales page (or… not). One possibility you have before you right now, but how do you know what’s best and why? And if you decide you need a separate sales page, how do you create one if you’re not a web designer? It’s easier than you think (p.62).

I’m sure I’m repeating what other folks are saying here, but Michael does make his book exceptionally readable. There’s no blogging guru bollocks. He just says stuff as it is. Which means that I feel inspired to actually get on and finish my goddamn book rather than just think, “well, it’s alright for you, Mr/Ms Expert”…

I’d say more, but, clearly I have work to do and suddenly I see what!!

~Christine

More Than a Book – Audio Version Included

Audiobook lovers rejoice! Included with your 65-page Adobe PDF ebook file is the full audio version in the form of multiple mp3 sound files. These will play on any computer or media device such iPods and smartphones. They are high-quality recordings, read aloud in dulcet tones by yours truly (people say I have a great voice, so I figure I should put it to good use).

Each chapter is an audio file and together they are like an album. You could listen all the way through, make a playlist out of them in your media player, or listen to them individually.

More Than a Book, Redux – Video of How to Create Gorgeous Ebook Covers Like a Ninja

On page 32 of the book I have an entire chapter called Package to Impress, Format for Readability. In it I tell you how you can create awesome ebook covers with no fancy software and no design skills. But I thought I could do one better by showing you how to do it step-by-step in a screencast video.

The video is in the mp4 file format which will play in any common media player such as Windows Media Player or iTunes. The video is 10:24 long and in 1280 x 720 HD 720p. You’ll be able to see everything clearly without distortion even at full-screen.

Get Everything Now for the Extremely
Un-Sucky Price of $19.99

 

I could just as easily sell this ebook package for $49, but I would rather more people be able to afford it and benefit from it so they can start creating their own killer ebooks and start selling them (you can buy higher-priced stuff from me later if you like it, LOL).

I wanted this ebook, audiobook and book cover video to have a “you’d have to be an idiot not to buy it” price, so it’s available for you to download now at the extremely un-sucky price of $19.99.

Package includes:

• 65-page PDF ebook How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck (And Sell it from Your Blog)
• Full audiobook in mp3 format
• 10:24 Ebook Cover Ninja Tricks video walk-through in 720p HD

 

The “Keep it Anyway” Guarantee

If you somehow manage to completely avoid getting anything helpful out of this tome of wonderment and sparkles, just let me know within 60 days and I’ll gladly refund your $19.99.

The best part? You don’t have to return the product! 

‘Cuz it’s digital, get it? Never mind…

 

 

P.S. – If you send me a copy of the next ebook you write after buying How to Write an Ebook that Doesn’t Suck, I’ll take a quick look at it for you and offer some feedback on it for no charge. Yes, this is generous, but not entirely unselfish of me because it will give a great opportunity to see how people are implementing on what’s in the book so I can improve it. That’s good for you and for me.