<p>E-books make great promotional tools. You can use them to <br />showcase your expertise, build your client list, or sell them on <br />your Website for some passive income.<br /><br />But how do you go about creating one? Where do you start?<br /><br />-----<br />Start With a Problem Your Clients Have<br />-----<br /><br />Before you begin writing, think about a problem your clients and <br />prospects want solved. <br /><br />This may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many would-be <br />entrepreneurs skip this step, opting instead to sell something <br />they themselves like and think everyone else should want.<br /> <br />So find out what problem your prospects and customers want <br />solved within the grounds of your product or service, and then <br />show them how to solve it. <br /><br />For example, if you're a professional organizer, you could write <br />an e-book on how to organize a home office. If you're a <br />copywriter, you could create an e-book on how to write a sales <br />letter that makes more money. <br /><br />-----<br />Break It In To Steps<br />-----<br /><br />Make it easy on your prospects by breaking the topic into <br />simple, easy to follow steps. This will not only make your e-<br />book easier to write, but easier for your prospects to <br />understand. <br /><br />-----<br />Create a Compelling Title<br />-----<br /><br />It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just tell people exactly <br />what they're going to get by reading your e-book. Here are a <br />couple of templates you can use to create simple yet powerful <br />headlines: <br /><br />"How To" <br /><br />"How to" works great in titles. Examples include "How to Win <br />Friends and Influence People," the hugely popular <span style="cursor: hand; border-bottom: #0066cc 1px dashed">Dale Carnegie</span> <br />book. This is one of the best-selling business books of all <br />time, based in no small part on its title.<br /><br />"(Number) Tips/Steps to (Benefit)" is another great model to use <br />in titles. For example, our professional organizer above could <br />write an e-book called "7 Steps to a Clutter-Free Life".<br /><br />-----<br />How to Create an E-Book Without Writing a Single Word<br />-----<br /> <br />By now you might be saying, "That sounds great, James, but I've <br />never considered myself much of a writer. And besides, with <br />everything else I have to do to run my business, I just don't <br />save the time. Can I still create an e-book that builds my <br />client base and makes me money?"<br /><br />My answer to that is, "ABSOLUTELY!"<br /><br />Here's 3 ways you can "write" your e-book without writing! <br /><br />#1 Hire a Ghostwriter<br /><br />This is the perfect option if you're pressed for time or hate <br />writing. A professional writer can create a high-quality <br />product while you keep serving your customers. And often for <br />less money than an hour of your time is worth. I do this for my <br />clients all the time. <br /><br />#2 Interview an Expert<br /><br />This technique is an easy way to put together a quality e-book <br />fast, especially if you're not an expert on the problem your <br />prospects want solved. Just find an expert on that subject, set <br />up the interview, ask them some questions, and let them talk. <br /><br />You can sit down with them live and use a tape recorder, or talk <br />with them over a recorded conference line. Transcribe the call, <br />and you're done! Lots of conference call services will even let <br />you host and record calls for free.<br /><br />And don't worry about finding an expert. It's not hard. People <br />love talking about themselves and what they do, and such a <br />recording can be a wonderful promotional tool for them as well. <br />Just offer them a recording of the call to promote to their <br />prospects and customers.<br /><br />#3 Bundle a Series of Related Articles <br /> <br />If you're already writing articles, taking a dozen of them on a <br />related topic and bundling them into an e-book is a terrific way <br />to create an instant info product for yourself. I help clients with this all the time as well.</p><p>Just add a table of contents, do some light editing, and poof! <br />Your very own e-book!<br /><br />Of course, you'll also need the ability to convert your e-book <br />into a PDF file, but that's easy and free. I use PDF995 <br />(<a href="http://www.pdf995.com/"><span>www.pdf995.com</span></a>), but there are plenty of other PDF creation <br />programs out there. Just do an Internet search for 'f*ree PDF <br />converter'. <br /><br />Well, there you have it. A few quick tips for creating your <br />first e-book. Now get out there and do it!<br /><br /> </p>
2008-05-08T17:09:45Z
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how-to-easily-create-your-first-e-book
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2008-05-11T20:56:37Z
2008-05-11T20:56:37Z
<p>Want to write an e-book to promote your business, but you don't consider yourself a writer or don't think you have the time? Guess again!</p>
How to Easily Create Your First E-book
0
2009-02-24T09:44:19Z