Archive for E-Books – Page 4

Start an Expert Ebook with an Outline:
11 Steps

Experts-Stuart-MilesAre you an expert? Then you need to write and publish an expert ebook. Now. Before your field gets flooded with too many on the same topic (if it isn’t already). Trust me on this one.

Just as business blogs caught fire in 2004-2005, expert ebooks are what smart professionals use as a key marketing tool to get found, get known and get clients.

If you’re an expert and want to get found online, there’s no better way than to give visitors to your website or blog a free report that shows your expertise, builds credibility and starts conversations.

An expert ebook is a longer version of that report and can easily be sold on Amazon. Traditional publishing barriers have fallen. All that’s standing between you and published author status is a little time and work. So let’s get busy. Here’s why:

This is one of those opportunities on the rise. Don’t miss being on the early crest of the wave.

  • The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) reported U.S. wholesale ebook sales for January, 2010 were $31.9 million, up 261 percent from the same month a year earlier.

  • Ebooks are now outselling hardcover books at Amazon, selling 180 e-books for every 100 hardcovers. Read More→

How to Write an Expert Ebook

Computer and EbooksI get calls from executive coaches and consultants who want to publish an ebook. They ask me for help, to ghost write either for or with them.

The answer is yes: in certain fields, I am a ghost writer. I read a ton of books on leadership, and study how the big sellers on Amazon are written in this category.

Some people have clear ideas of what they want to say. They may even have an outline. Some have already published books themselves (“Never again!” some say). But most don’t have an outline, a story, a message, or a clue.

But they’re right about one thing: If you’re an expert, you should publish an ebook. It will help you get found, get known, and get clients.

I thought I’d put my best steps for writing an expert ebook into a blog post here, and create an ebook later. If I were  to write an ebook about how to write an expert ebook … how would I do that? What would I say?

First, remember that writing an ebook is not the same thing as publishing one. Two separate activities…

  • Each are important and each need a lot of time and expertise
  • Not everyone should write their own book
  • Not everyone should publish and market their own book
  • Decide which you want to do and outsource the stuff you’re not good at doing

If you want to write a book, start asking yourself some hard questions: Read More→

How Blogging Is Like Playing Tennis

Blogging for your business is like playing tennis: you read the environment, deliver key shots, get ready for the next post, respond to feedback, and try to stay on target.

I play tennis with an “excuse champion.” Every time she misses a shot, she blames her racquet, or her strings, the ball, the sun, wind, or some body part. She’s quite creative.

I often wonder what would happen if that creativity were channeled into focused attention to the ball and her strokes. If you’re thinking about all those other things, surely you can’t be ready for the next shot…

I’ve got clients who are excuse champions. The biggest excuse they use for not blogging enough is they don’t have enough time. While that may be true, (who does?) but it’s also true they don’t blog enough because they don’t have a journalist’s mindset.

A journalist is curious about people and events and can’t wait to share information with others. I just read a fabulous article over at The Content Factor and here’s what they wrote about why some professionals stop blogging and why they shouldn’t: Read More→

The B2B Manifesto: Trust Building Comes First

How good is your “trust-building?” I just read this term in a new digital release: The B2B Manifesto, just published by Velocity Partners in the UK.

Think about it. Before you can convert readers to clients, before you can get them to download your digital information and build your list, you’ve got to build trust.

The B2B Manifesto: 5 Imperatives and 6 Staples for Winning the Battle for Attention: page 19:

“You need to leverage trust-builders into each step of the (buying) journey:

  • case studies
  • awards
  • data
  • testimonials
  • analyst support
  • proof points”

I don’t think enough of you do a good job of trust building. Maybe you’ve not been properly taught or missed class that day? As for myself, I’ve never thought about “trust-building” as a defined goal, I’ve just always assumed I was doing it every step of the way. But am I? Maybe not as well as I could. Are you? Read More→

Content Marketing Institute Gives Best “How-to” Tips…

There are two great blog posts over at the newly launched Content Marketing Institute blog. If you’ve haven’t subscribed to this yet, do so. It has great promise for becoming THE place to get updates on how to “do” content marketing.

Here are the two posts I paid the closest attention to so far (although I probably should read the others as well…):

The Content Marketing Institute is the brain child of Junta42 founder Joe Pulizzi, who has managed to gather some of the best and brightest marketers who are experts in content marketing tools and tactics.

The idea is to have a place where marketers can learn the “how-to” tips that bring the best results and save time, energy and money in doing so.

Time Saving Tips for Smart Blogging – a Tutorial

Just finished this new video clip from iFlashVideo. If you want a quick way to upgrade your business blogging skills to get better results, this program's for you: Time Saving Tips for Smart Blogging.

How to Hot-Sync Your Knowledge to Your Audience

Computer-laptop-connected-to-brain-clipping-path How can you monetize your "intellectual property?" I put that in quotes because it sounds so fancy and official. Seriously, you probably know a lot and there are people out there in the world who would pay to know what you know.

We can hot-sync a lot of things, but not our brains. So how do you sell what you know? I guess the questions are:

  1. What would people pay money to know, that you know like the back of your hand?
  2. What's the best way to teach what I know? (text, video, audio, slide pics?)
  3. How would I format and package that knowledge? 
  4. Who are the audience of raving fans for this knowledge, and where do I find them?
  5. How much would they pay to learn this?
  6. What systems and programs do I need to format, deliver, market and sell this puppy online?

"Puppy" is a much friendlier term for "intellectual property," don't ya think? There's more to this 'monetizing of knowledge' than just writing an ebook and offering it for sale. There's a couple of things to notice these days… (in case you've been too busy to notice yourself:)

Read More→

Business Blogging in Under 30 Minutes a Day

Image-in-a-box-white180x193 Are you getting results from your business blog? Like new leads, new clients, new sales? Here's how to learn smart business blogging quickly and painlessly.

A business blog is the best way to get found, get known, and get clients, but it takes most people way too much time.

Read More→

3 Big Blog Bloopers: Which of These Errors Do You Make?

Broken_heart2 Over the weekend, my eye caught the attention of an email with the words "brain," "memory," and "Valentine's gift." I slapped my forehead, what was I thinking? I forgot to buy something for "Attila the Hunney,"(my favorite husband), so I quickly read the email through.

It turned out to be a plug for someone's blog and ebook, but I checked out the blog anyway. Here's what I found, and I hope you're not making these common errors too.

Once I arrived on the blog, I was disappointed to find it was all about the author and her stuff. I really thought she was going to offer me some memory tips, but instead she asked me to buy her book. Not one tip, not even a tiny one to entice me… to make me want to buy her book.

Here are three common errors people make all the time on their blogs and what you can do about them.

Read More→

Content Marketing for Online Profits – Video

Here's my video description of the new ebook I released last week, Content Marketing for Online Profits. I have to ask your forgiveness for my amateur video which I shot myself with an inexpensive Logitech Web cam, on a Sunday morning at home.

My intention was to write a polished script and do a better job than this, but I've run out of time. The important message is that if you haven't done so already, please click this link to register to gain access to Content Marketing for Online Profits.

It's an online learning program brought to you through MyKnowledgeGenie.com, which is quite amazing in itself. Check it out and let me know what you think.