I went on a well-deserved vacation last week and thought a lot about the direction in which my business is going. I teach people to write ebooks in 72 hours or less and build a 6-figure information business from the ground up. But sometimes I find myself getting bogged down with information overload and opportunities! I love what I do but I’m definitely ready to make some changes, so I reread The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris.

Suddenly I was reminded of something Jim Edwards said at my first Virtual eBook Expo (www.virtualebookexpocd.com/1) He said that rather than the idea that the information comes to you when you are ready to receive it, it’s been there all the time - you just didn’t see it because you weren’t ready!

And there I was reading Tim’s book and I couldn’t believe that I had read it before, because I didn’t do anything with the information the first time I read it - I just agreed, nodding my head and doing the same things I’d always done. Looking back, the truth was that I wasn’t ready to really make changes because I didn’t really “get” how much I needed to!

But when you persist and keep showing up and see what’s not working, eventually it’s like V-8 Juice! You see what you could have done that was good for you and now it dawns on you, and that’s when it happens! The light goes off and you make a big leap in your business.

So if you find that you’re not getting where you are trying to go, it may not be that you don’t have the information; it may just be that you aren’t seeing how to implement it or you just haven’t tried to implement it. Either way, the key is to keep showing up, keep listening and when you get stuck, get help. Whether it’s from a book, an ebook, a workshop, a homestudy course or a coaching program. This is true whether you’re trying to write an ebook, build your list, make more sales, or grow your business to the next level.

The bottom line is never give up, keep an open mind and the answers will come!

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com.

Virtually anybody who wants to create passive income through the Internet, anybody who wants to gain additional credibility for virtually anything they want to do, anybody who wants to start a business and anybody who wants to write a book and get the word out can benefit from creating an ebook!

eBook Facts:

The vast majority of ebooks that are either purchased or downloaded are never read and most people download ebooks for free. And it doesn’t matter, because virtually anyone can successfully leverage the power of ebooks, if you learn how. 
 
With ebooks you can:

- gain a following

- generate income

- build an email list

- test market your product

- expand your reach as an expert

- they are easy to create

- use it as a precursor to a print book, so it’s a good stepping stone

- AND you can go out and get feedback from people, so it’s a good first step towards a print book out there.
     
eBook Statistics:

Just to get your mind set on how vast this is there’s a website to check out if you aren’t familiar with it. www.gutenberg.org. 

It’s a very important website for the ebook world. They’re part of something called “Project Gutenberg” and their goal is very simple. What they do is they have a huge community of people that are putting public domain material on the website.

These are books that are out of copyright or are in the public domain that are now available for people to just go to at www.gutenberg.org. Just to give you some quick numbers here, I looked at their website and in one day 84,438 books were downloaded from one website, in one day. 

Brenda Jeanne Wyche is an affiliate of mine who recently ran a story promoting my monthly Q & A in Black Star News www.blackstarnews.com/?c=121&a=4735 and posted my eBook Q & A Monday, August 4th on her Meetup Group, the Money Makers Club smallbiz.meetup.com/792/ .

Participants of Meetup get to rate each “meetup,” and they rated my webcast with 5 stars (on a scale of 1 - 5, five being the highest.) I do this call once a month-the first Monday of the Month but next month that’s Labor day so it will be the second Monday of the Month, September 8th.

So if you’d like to join the next one, mark your calendar and go to www.theebookcoach.com so you’ll be sure to get the emails with details.

In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about Brenda’s club or hear this months Q & A follow
the links in this blog post.

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com.

I was working with a student recently who I’m teaching how to build a 6-figure income from the ground up. We’d already talked about finding your unique-selling position, finding your keywords, naming your business, using keyword-rich domain names and building a website. But she was just getting more confused as time went on because, as she said, she tends to “overthink” everything. So she went back to the research and became overwhelmed by how many people were in the niche she had picked.

So she started looking at other niches and that just confused her more! But as she spoke about them it was clear to me that they all over blended into each other and that what would make her unique was exactly that: blending the different disciplines together and then focusing on a particular sub-group of people within that niche.

Sometimes it hard to see your way out when you feel like you are in the middle of a hurricane! But it’s usually not half as difficult as you think. You need two things. a system and clarity.

If you don’t have a system you will end up reinventing the wheel. You’ll spend time, money and energy that you don’t need to spend and it will impede your progress a great deal. So figure out what it is you are trying to accomplish and find someone who has done it and has a system.

You should start finding clarity when you find a system. But you can also look to a discussion you can join on your topic or a mastermind partner or group. Start a group on Facebook. Find a mentor or coach. If you can’t afford that, join a club which has a lower price of admission. But get out of your head and connect or you will stay stuck. And that’s not a fun place to be!

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com

Whenever I talk about the 9 Biggest Mistakes People Make Marketing Their eBooks the first question is “What’s the biggest mistake people make?”. But I don’t think there is one correct answer to that question because it depends on where you are starting from.

If you’re writing an ebook before creating a website then the biggest mistake would be different than if you’re starting, for instance, with a website.

If you start with the ebook the biggest mistake is not doing the research before you write a single word. This is critical. You should be looking at your marketing before you start writing because who wants to spend all that time writing an ebook only to find out that no one wants to buy it?

Unfortunately too many people get all enamored with an idea and then they just start writing it because they are excited and want to do it-or because it “came through” them. This is particularly true for people who are spiritual and into meditation and using intuition to guide them. Now there is nothing wrong with that as a starting point but not the best way to insure that you will write a profitable ebook!

A much better approach is to listen to you intuition then check it out in the real world. Is there a market for it? Is it something people want to buy? Is it something people generally go online to buy? Why would they buy it from you? And why would they buy it right now?

Always make sure you can satisfactorily answer these questions before you move forward.

Once you have checked it out and feel that there is a market, then and only then should you start writing your ebook, otherwise it’s like jumping without looking-you could be courting disaster!

To listen to The 9 Biggest Mistakes People Make Marketing An eBook And How To Avoid Them Teleseminar go to: www.theebookcoach.com/9mistakests and you will receive the replay line as soon as it is available.

You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com

There was an article in Saturday’s Los Angeles Times Calendar Section on the frustration that new authors face when their stories don’t fit the mold that publishers are looking for.
And their disappointment around the fact that it’s so difficult to get a book into a bookstore even when you try to follow the rules and do what’s expected of you.

But as difficult as it can be, many new authors still resist going the independent route and releasing their books in ebook form for many reasons. Some don’t want to dilute the “bookstore experience”, and the joy of discovery they feel in a bookstore. And, many authors believe that books have more prestige than ebooks and are what my friends Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski (established book authors) call “book snobs”. And some other’s believe that once they are able to get a publishing deal that the publisher will market it so they don’t have to. So they don’t have to “bother” with the Internet.

But the publishing industry is changing and a lot of publishers not only recognize the power of the Internet but are encouraging their authors to use it to promote their books. The Internet has changed the game forever.

With costs rising and book sales dropping, the Internet is a very powerful way to get your work out into the market place.

And, the advantages of doing this are great. First of all, you can build your own fan base and start to make sales on your own. You make a lot more money from an ebook than from a book-
a book that sells for $14.97 or $16.97 in the book store can sell for $27 or $47 on line and it’s almost pure profit-and that profit goes in your pocket not the publishers!

And it’s very inexpensive to create an ebook so anyone can do it; you don’t need the deep pockets of a publisher.

But here’s the best part about it for authors. When you build a fan base and you make a lot of sales online, the publishers will take notice and want to publish your book! A good publisher would be crazy not to want your book after you’ve proven that it’s a winner!

Not only that but even if you got a deal while you were putting your Internet business together, you could still double your profits by having it available both online and offline as one of my
colleagues has done.

So if you are an author new or not, you might want to consider learning how to market your ebook online. You will have publishers knocking down your door plus you’ll make a lot more money and you’ll reach a lot more people once you do get that elusive book deal!

And as for the “bookstore experience” -those people who want that experience will have a better shot at getting it because you took the initiative and built your own online publishing business first!

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com

There are a lot of benefits to writing ebooks including increased visibility and expert status, the ability to reach a worldwide audience with your message, the ability to turn prospects into paying customers with that message; and then being able to leverage that relationship to help you sell even higher-priced products.

But writing an ebook is not enough. To maximize your sales you have to exert some effort and that means developing a relationship with your target group in three key areas.

1. Potential customers need to know you.
2. Potential customers need to like you.
3. Potential customers need to trust you.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

1. Potential customers need to know you.

Potential buyers have so many choices on line that they don’t know where to start. And they are afraid, understandably, of the possibility of fraud and deception not to mention sub-par products.

And because of the nature of the Internet where so many sites are faceless, people need to know you or feel that they know you before committing to a purchase, especially if they have never heard of you before. Naturally they will want to learn more about your background and qualifications.

And for most people it takes 5 to 7 times of having contact with you before they will be ready so you have to give them ample opportunities to get to know you. Writing articles, publishing a newsletter, blogging, posting in forums, giving teleseminars and using social media sites are some of the approaches that are very effective.

2. Potential customers need to like you.

As people get to know you and start to benefit from your content, they will become more open to your guidance. It’s important that you be yourself and allow your personality to show through. This will help to solidify your bond with your subscribers. They will look forward to your newsletters, blog entries, teleseminars and other forms of communication and you’ll be establishing a connection with your market.

That connection will play a key role in the future of your business and its success. Getting people to like you not only lowers their buying resistance, it also opens the door to the third vital area.

3. Potential customers need to trust you.

It may take a little time for you to build trust with your market. But when people get to know you and like you, they will start to trust you and this is key. Once they trust you, they will accept offers not only to attend your events both on and off line, but they will be more open to purchasing your products as well as other people’s products that you recommend.

One way you can foster trust is to offer a free ebook or a preview of your ebook. This shows you are confident about your products and puts prospects at ease. When people are satisfied that your product can solve their problem, save them money, time, or deliver what they are looking for, and they know you, like you and trust you, you will have a customer for life!

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com

The key to writing an ebook is creating an outline. That way you can lay out the chapters and the points you want to make in each chapter and see what you have to work with before you start writing and lose your way. You may even discover that you are trying to cram too much into one ebook and you may actually have enough material for two or more.

I look at my outline like pieces of a puzzle. You want the pieces to fit together so they connect seamlessly.

If you don’t do the outline first what happens is you have pages and pages of content and then it’s a lot harder to move them around. I remember one time before I created my system-I had all the pages laid out on the floor in 3 rows and I pasted them together. Then I had to read the whole thing and recut and repaste as I moved things around and it took forever.

When you create the outline first, you can cut and paste and move pieces around on a single computer page or two at the most and it’s a lot easier.

So create your outline first and don’t write a single word until you are absolutely sure that you have
everything in the right order. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy and you’ll be much happier with the results!

Do you have any great ebook writing tips or comments? Feel free to share below.

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address. You can also get 9 free secret ebook tips to making money online and a complimentary subscription to the eBook Profit Secrets Newsletter with articles, Q & A’s, tech tips, free stuff and more at www.theebookcoach.com

Are you starting a business to help homeowners with their mortgage problems? Or do you have an existing business but your domain name doesn’t reflect your mission or excite potential customers? Helping people solve their mortgage problems is a HOT business right now but without a great domain name you could be losing a lot of business to your competition!

We have the perfect solution: www.homesaversolutions.com

We bought this domain name several years ago when we were buying, fixing and selling houses. And we looked into the business of helping homeowners but it just wasn’t right for us. We held it thinking at some point we might do something with it but now we’re sure, we aren’t going back. So it’s available.

It’s listed on Godaddy.com under domain auctions. We are asking $5,000 which in this market is a steal! The minimum bid is $1,000. This domain name could be yours today! So go to www.godaddy.com now and make us an offer!

If you have any questions you can email us at:
ellen@theebookcoach.com

When I got on the Internet in 2003 and decided to start an Internet business, my only experience with computers had been writing lyrics. (I’m a Grammy-nominated songwriter turned eBook Coach.) And I resisted using a computer for my songwriting for a long time.

And as for the Internet, I didn’t understand it and did what most people do overpaid for a useless website that sat there!

But to get back to songwriting, for me writing on pads of paper, using a pen, and rewriting on sheets and sheets of paper were all part of the spiritual experience of writing a song! But then I got on line and couldn’t fathom how I ever wrote without a computer! Each time I wanted to change a word or a line I could just cut it out and put in the new one. With paper I had to write out the entire lyric each time I wanted to change something! It suddenly seemed archaic!

So what does this have to do with having a business on the Internet? Well, this morning I was listening to Adam Urbanski’s social networking series And the subject was Twitter. I found myself feeling overwhelmed and my eyes started to glaze over as Coach Deb explained the steps I should take to start “twittering” and why I should. (My understanding was that it’s great to connect with movers and shakers quickly and for search-engine optimization)

But, it sounded complicated and all I could think was…another piece of technology to learn-I was just getting excited about getting on Facebook and letting people know what I’m doing when I’m doing something worth talking about and it was sooo easy! But that too had been a mystery to me until Mari Smith showed me how on my our call at The Virtual eBook Expo 2 .

So why was I feeling such resistance? Because it was something new, something different, something I hadn’t tried yet. And something I wasn’t sure I could do. I work at home. I rarely use a cell phone-only for emergencies. And I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never text messaged!

Plus I already have enough pieces of technology at my disposal to frustrate me! In fact, right now my recording equipment isn’t working and earlier today I was having trouble getting online to write on this blog! My husband bought me an IPOD last Christmas and I still don’t know how to use it!

But here’s the bottom line. once I get over the fear, and I find the right person to show me how to do what it is I want to do or see a need for, and I start to understand what the technology can do for me, and the mystery is removed, it’s always exciting. And, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

The key is finding the right person to teach you what it is you want to learn and taking baby steps. Try one new thing. Don’t try to do everything all at once. And if it gets too overwhelming, take a break, go for a walk. play golf, or do yoga. Get away from it until you can come back refreshed and try again. Because once you learn how to use it you’ll be thrilled with what you can do and it will empower you to keep trying new things and moving forward in your business!

If you found this post useful considering subscribing to The eBook Profit Secrets Blog by going to the upper right hand corner of the page and putting in your email address.