Why Write an eBook?

It's not true that everything that has been said has

already been written. Since that unfortunate axiom

came into use, the whole universe has changed.

Technology has changed, ideas have changed, and the

mindsets of entire nations have changed.

The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an

ebook. What the publishing industry needs are people

who can tap into the world as it is today - innovative

thinkers who can make the leap into the new millennium

and figure out how to solve old problems in a new way.

Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original

thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information

to the millions of people who are struggling to figure

out how to do a plethora of different things.

Let's say you already have a brilliant idea, and the

knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write

an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your

computer staring at a blank screen wondering, "Why?

Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my

ebook when it's so impossible to get anything

published these days?

Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is

entirely different than publishing a book in print.

Let's look at the specifics of how the print and cyber

publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why

you should take the plunge and get your fingers

tapping across those keyboards!

Submitting a print book to conventional publishing

houses or to agents is similar to wearing a hair shirt

24/7. No matter how good your book actually is, or how

many critique services and mentor writers have told

you that "you've got what it takes," your submitted

manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a

boomerang instead of a valuable mine of information.

Perhaps, in desperation, you've checked out

self-publishing and found out just how expensive a

venture it can be. Most "vanity presses" require

minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and even

that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some

presses' minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies.

And that's just for the printing and binding. Add in

distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and -

well, you do the math. Even if you wanted to go this

route, you may not have that kind of money to risk.

Let's say you already have an Internet business with a

quality website and a quality product. An ebook is one

of the most powerful ways to promote your business

while educating people with the knowledge you already

possess as a business owner of a specific product or

service.

For example, let's say that you've spent the last

twenty-five years growing and training bonsai trees,

and now you're ready to share your knowledge and

experience. An ebook is the perfect way to reach the

largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.

Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will

help you make a name for yourself and your company,

and establish you as an expert in your field. You may

even find that you have enough to say to warrant a

series of ebooks. Specific businesses are complicated

and often require the different aspects to be divided

in order for the reader to get the full story.

Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of

the ebook scene. You may want to build a whole

business around writing and publishing ebooks.

Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are

thinking of setting up a website to promote and market

your ebooks. Maybe you're even thinking of producing

an ezine.

One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks

is to find information about how to turn their

Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And

these people are looking to the writers of ebooks to

provide them with new ideas and strategies because

writers of ebooks are usually people who understand

the new cyberspace world we now live in. Ebook writers

are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the

strategies of promoting and distributing ebooks. The

cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be successful

so that more and more ebooks will be written.

You may want to create affiliate programs that will

also market your ebook. Affiliates can be people or

businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell

your ebooks. Think about this? Do you see a formula

for success here?

Figure out what your subject matter is, and then

narrow it down. Your goal is to aim for specificity.

Research what's out there already, and try to find a

void that your ebook might fill.

What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or

an ebook about caring for elderly pets? How about the

fine points of collecting ancient pottery?

You don't have to have three masters degrees to write

about your subject. People need advice that is easy to

read and easily understood. Parents need advice for

dealing with their teenagers. College students need to

learn good study skills - quickly. The possibilities

are endless.

After you've writtten your ebook

Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once

you've finished writing it, just as it is with print

books. People will hesitate to buy any book from an

author they've never heard of. Wouldn't you?

The answer is simple: give it away! You will see

profits in the form of promoting your own business and

getting your name out. You will find affiliates who

will ask you to place their links within your ebook,

and these affiliates will in turn go out and make your

name known. Almost every single famous ebook author

has started out this way.

Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook

is to make it interactive. Invent something for them

to do within the book rather than just producing pages

that contain static text. Let your readers fill out

questionnaires, forms, even crossword puzzles geared

to testing their knowledge on a particular subject.

Have your readers hit a link that will allow them to

recommend your book to their friends and associates.

Or include an actual order form so at the end of their

reading journey, they can eagerly buy your product.

When people interact with books, they become a part of

the world of that book. The fact is just as true for

books in print as it is for ebooks.

That's why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they

provide a forum for people to learn and make sense of

their own thoughts, but they can also serve to promote

your business at the same time.