21 Feb 2008 05:00:54 | Monique Harris
OUT - Giving away all of your valuable content.
IN - Selling it!
I've been selling information online for 4+ years now. Manuals,
e-books, special reports, etc. That's how I make my living. (And
"no" I'm not telling you this to brag, or make my operation seem
larger than life.)
I'm telling you so that you'll know that it can be done in a
consistent and steady manner. So that those of you who
constantly give your information away will understand that you
don't have to.
If your information is good... tried and trusted by readers...
then I advise you to build up the courage this year to sell it.
Start with a 15-20 page special report for $10-$30, if you don't
want to open the floodgates with anything big. (C'mon, you can
write a 20-page special report in less than a week!) Take $100,
secure a new domain, and pay for a few megs of Web site space
for a couple of months. Promote the heck out of your new report.
Seeing something small sell will give you the kick in the butt
you'll need to create and promote other infoproducts. The point
is you gotta start somewhere.
OUT - Publishing your own free e-zine.
IN - Syndicating your content.
You want the truth? Okay I'm gonna give you the truth. There are
too many e-zines in existence, ESPECIALLY in the business
industry.
Yes... in the past I recommended that you start your own e-zine
for promotional purposes. But after looking at how jam-packed
the market is getting, I'm singing another song.
The truth is you'll probably receive more attention getting your
articles seen in already established and well known e-zines,
than you will starting your own publication. (Unless you're
already a 'famous' personality who has a following.)
Content syndication - (allowing other Web sites and e-zines to
feature your articles) - gives you the power to be in several
places at once. Plus syndicating your content means you don't
have to worry about the hassles of running your own e-zine.
Where can you syndicate your content? Check out iSyndicate
, and The Syndicator
.
OUT - PDF.
IN - Wireless content.
Okay Adobe Acrobat isn't entirely 'out.' But there is something
that you forward thinkers may want to keep an eye on... the
advent of wireless content.
I was just over in France where it seems like everybody has a
digital telephone. I've heard that in China not having a cell
phone is like not wearing underwear.
And they don't just use them to talk. People are actually using
them to access information on the Net.
Granted I don't think I'd want to read a novel on my cell phone.
However certain types of content, like news or specialized data,
is currently being accessed by people with digital telephones
and Palm Pilots.
Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines... the next revolution
in digital information delivery is about to begin!
OUT - Selling your information retail.
IN - Selling your information wholesale.
This one's not completely out the door just yet. But again if
you're a forward thinker who wants to stay two steps ahead of
the competition, you'll give this 'IN' some serious thought.
The formula is very simple, and you've probably heard it before.
Instead of promoting your infoproduct directly to the consumer,
you sell the reprint rights to a small number of people.
They pay you $1,000+ for the privilege, plus they promote the
product for you. You get major money up front and your name is
still being circulated in a positive manner.
I tried this one in 2000 and quickly found out that you can make
just as much money - (if not more) - selling wholesale as you
can in the retail arena.
Granted, you could lose some profits in the long run. But if
you're in the game to make a quick $50,000-$100,000, this
technique has proven to be a winner for those authors who have
the guts to give it a go.
OUT - Self-publishers who look and act like they don't care
about their Web presence.
IN - Self-publishers who look and act professional.
If I were a reader looking for a good e-book, there would be
several sites that I would have no other choice but to pass. As
a somewhat savvy onliner, I have standards.
I never buy from online shops that don't have their own domains.
Perhaps I'm just a snobby curmudgeon, but there's something
really amateurish about hosting a business Web site in a freebie
online community.
I never buy e-books that have ugly covers. I tell my clients
that if they can't afford to hire an e-book cover designer for
$100-$200, then they shouldn't have a cover at all. In my
opinion, an ugly cover makes the book look 100 times worse than
no cover!
On the other hand, I do buy e-books that are described well on
the Web site, sometimes with a table of contents, or description
of each chapter. I do buy e-books from Web sites that have clean
designs, and secure credit card forms.
And if these things make a difference to me, one can only
imagine how other potential readers feel when they compare a
cruddy self-published authors site, to that of a big publishing
house.
If you want your work to be taken seriously... if you want
people to pull out their credit cards and give you a piece of
the pie, then show your prospects that you mean business.
Make sure your site design is clean, have a secure order form,
shell out a couple of dollars to have a great looking cover. The
investment you make in your business is almost always rewarded
with greater sales.
About Author :
Monique Harris is the editor/publisher of "Digital Publishing &
Promotion," a twice-weekly Webzine for authors, publishers and
promoters who wish to sell more books - (print and electronic) -
online. Visit her site at .