Tristan’s note: This is a guest post from Steve Scott. Steve is awesome. He’s legit. He’s smart. He makes his living selling ebooks, and I actively read his blog. You should definitely check it out after you read this post and leave an amazing comment. Oh, and be sure to read my comment below (it’s the first one).
I follow a simple mantra: “If you have a blog, you have an eBook.”
This is an important phrase for any blogger who wants to make money. I feel you already have the seeds to success. All you have to do is turn existing content into a profitable income stream.
Write that ebook already!
What I find interesting is many bloggers don’t think they can *write* a paid eBook. Yet these same people produce quality content that’s well loved by readers.
In this post, I’ll show you how to create a profitable eBook. Even better – I’ll provide a blueprint that saves lots of time while doing it!
My goal is to help you overcome “eBook fear.” You CAN create a profitable information product. All you need is a plan:
THE Myth About eBooks
People freak out when they hear the word eBook. It’s hard to imagine writing hundreds of pages. And it’s scary to think about the effort it takes.
The good news is a successful eBook doesn’t have to be long. In fact, some of the best information products are less than thirty pages. The key here is to provide value – Not length.
Furthermore, some of the best eBooks target very specific problems in a niche. Often it’s better to create a short, low-cost solution than it is to publish a massive how-to course.
Here’s an example. Let’s say you already know the fundamentals of blogging. But you want more attention in the blogosphere. Which product would interest you the most?
- Blogging 101 – How to Build a Successful Blog
- How to Double…Even Triple… Your Blog Comments in One Month
Remember, you know the basics of blogging. So the first wouldn’t attract your attention. On the other hand, the second eBook promises a specific result you want as a blogger.
[Tristan's note: If I had a nickel for every time I've seen something like the first one, I would be a very, very wealthy man. Now that you've been warned, I will punch your blog in the face if I see you trying to sell that kind of ebook.]
My point is this…The second eBook isn’t very long. It’s a tightly focused report that provides a step-by-step solution. It doesn’t contain fluff material. Instead it teaches a fundamental concept for marketing a blog.
In my opinion, this can easily turn into a profitable income stream.
How to Profit from Existing Blog Content
It’s time to develop what’s called a leverage mindset. Look for additional ways to reuse content. Specifically you can turn previously published posts into small reports.
Start by looking at your blog content. I bet you’ve hit a few home runs! These are the posts that got a lot of comments, questions, and Tweets. An eBook is nothing more than an expansion of content that’s turned into a step-by-step process.
As an example, let’s examine three of Tristan’s posts:
- How to Guarantee 100 Comments on a Blog Post
- 31 Awesome eBook Ideas for Any Niche
- 101+ Killer Blog Post Ideas
If Tristan wanted to, he could turn each into a small paid eBook:
- How to Double…Even Triple… Your Blog Comments in One Month (Okay, I stole this from the previous example)
- eBook Empire – How to Turn Existing Content into a Profitable eBook
- Writer’s Block Assassin – THE Guide to Never Running Out of Blog Post Ideas
Okay…the titles need a bit of work. My point is you already have a potential eBook sitting on your blog. The trick is to turn the best ones into actionable information products.
YOUR Homework Assignment
I’m not going to let you off easy. Don’t read this post and think “it’s a good idea.” Instead, take action by completing this homework assignment:
- Look at your blog posts. Which ones generated a lot of *buzz* from readers? These are the posts with a high number a lot of Tweets, comments, and questions. Pick the five best from your blog.
- Ask a simple question: “Is there anything I could add to this post?” Figure out if there’s advanced information on this topic. Perhaps you could include a case study or blueprint. Eliminate any idea that can’t be expanded.
- Set up a survey with the WP-Polls Plugin. Ask readers and email subscribers to pick their biggest obstacle from this list. Keep running this poll; eliminating options till you have a winner.
- Collect notes and include relevant blog posts. Then flesh out the areas that need expanding.
- Write the eBook. My advice is to work on it every day. As an example, I dedicate over an hour each morning to my information product. You can accomplish a lot with continuous effort!
- Find a payment processor. The easiest solutions are E-Junkie and Clickbank. They make it easy to sell eBooks. Plus they don’t cost that much!
I’m not going to lie. This isn’t an easy homework assignment. You’ll have to work hard. Fortunately you’ve already created most of the content.
Just follow the blueprint I’ve just outlined. Identify the posts that get a high response and you’ll have the seeds for a profitable eBook. Good luck!
Steve Scott runs a site that helps people achieve the Internet Lifestyle. Here he teaches the same techniques that he’s personally used to earn a full-time Internet income. To learn more, go read his blog: SteveScottSite.com
{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the great post, Steve! Man, I love ebooks…
I’d love to hear your thoughts on ebook pricing. I personally will never pay for an ebook that’s more than $30. And for the kind of thing (a short-ish ebook) that you mention in this post, I don’t know how much I’d be comfortable charging. I mean yeah, I could package a bunch of posts together, add some more stuff, and sell the ebook for $27, but I just don’t know if I’d feel comfortable doing that when most of the content would already be available for free on the blog. I think that $14ish would be about as much as I’d feel comfortable charging. But I haven’t done much research on ebook pricing and you undoubtedly know a lot more about it than me.
In general, I just feel that ebooks are overpriced, and that’s coming from someone who has bought a lot of ebooks.
(And to everyone else who might read this that isn’t Steve, I’d love to hear what you have to say about ebook pricing, too.)
Also, I bought a Kindle recently and freaking love the thing. I’ve been considering packaging my best posts into an ebook, adding a bit more, and selling a Kindle version on Amazon (in addition to a pdf version through e-Junkie) for a few bucks or less. I don’t care so much about making money that way; I just want to see if I can get some good traffic from Amazon!
Regarding e-Junkie… I’ve used it before and it’s SUPER simple to set up and the checkout process for buyers is super slick. And it’s dirt cheap, like $5 a month if you have 5 products or less. Highly recommended. I’ve never used ClickBank to sell anything.
And hmmm… I actually just thought of something else… I know this post is about ebooks. And I like the idea of taking a post or two and turning them into an ebook. But you know what I think I like even more (keeping in mind that this is pure theory and have never done it or really seen anyone else do it)? Taking a post or two and turning them into micro courses or tutorials with video and stuff. I can see myself having a store here on Blogging Bookshelf where each course/tutorial is $9 or something, and people can add as many tutorials to their cart as they want. I like video just because it has a higher perceived value (not to mention that it really can help clarify concepts and convey your message faster). In addition to the video, there could be infographics (of course), lots more links, and additional information to increase the value beyond what the original blog post was.
Thoughts?
Tristan,
Pricing is something I struggle with. 27$ seems to be a common number for a decent low-end entry. (there are psychological reasons why prices ending in -7- work best) But I have seen a lot -often with a ton more information- go for significantly more.
A lot depends (in my opinion) on the depth and breath of the knowledge. For the more “quickie” type of reports (12-20 pages with an original Idea, I would say something like 10-12$.
Most “bigger” books seem to go for 27 (as mentioned above)
Then of course there are the really in depth ones that go for significantly more.
It is hard to say what is best, I have been wondering myself for the one I have been working on… Which is pretty massive and detailed.
EBooks probably are over-priced, and I have bought a lot of them. I have even spent $100 for a few. But with giving away 75% commisions (which many do) the writers still are often not making a ton for their efforts unless sales are wild.
___
The Amazon traffic thing is a good point. I Think it is something you have to work at (like anything). I followed Brankicas advice (from one of her older posts) and put my blog on there. But I haven’t had any subscriptions.
Likely because I never mentioned it anywhere or did any promotion (not even on my blog)
I think the opportunity is there, but you would have to find a way to get a lot of positive reviews. (maybe ask your blog readers to go read positive comments) Few that do not come from you blog are going to chance to buy on Amazon are going to buy without seeing a lot of positive reviews.
-That being said, I have the guy feeling Amazon may be a bit of an untapped market that is not being exploited very well. I think if you can do a little promotion and get those 20-30 strong positive reviews, I think you could really have something.
_____
I actually go the other way. I have used Clickbank almost exclusively, but I have heard some good things about e-Junkie, CB is also easy to set up. It has great tracking and the prices are very reasonable, they just take a minor cut out of the people that buy.
Of course, affiliates get between 50-75% commissions, but this gives a reason for people to really get out there and push your stuff. If someone busts there butt to sell your product they deserve the large cut.
Like Amazon, CB also works well with having a large volume of sales. On of the important stats people look for is “gravity” which is (basically) the amount of sales made by different people over a few weeks time.
High Gravity=lots of different people are making sales, which in turn means to many that the ebook is converting, which means more people want to sell it. It is a good loop once you get into it. But getting those first sales and increasing getting people to sell with lower gravity on a newer product can be a PITA
____
As for your mini-course cart. I think that is an awesome idea. You give people a choice of picking -just- what they want. The prices are reasonable, specifically w/o an affiliate commission. And it should be too much more to take some existing content and expand it into a meaty instruction video or small ebook.
Get to it! :)
Tristan
The eBook pricing discussion should be another post – maybe even a blog-off with someone arguing for the less than $10 range, and someone arguing for the $30 plus range.
Here’s my thoughts.
Firstly the pricing model that we use as a baseline isn’t relelvant to eBooks. It comes from the publishing industry. What’s more relevant to eBooks is how valuable to you the information is.
As an example, there’s an eBook I know of that costs around $67 (I think – not totally sure), and is about 30 pages long. And this eBook teaches you how to avoid jet lag on transatlantic flights. (I don’t have it, but I know people who do and they speak highly of it). Now if you had to take a bunch of transatlantic flights in the next few weeks you wouldn’t think twice about spending $67 to avoid jet lag, would you?
So in my opinion, the price of anything (eBook, eCourse, etc) should directly relate to the value of the information inside the eBook. And not be governed by an archaic pricing structure that’s been imposed by multi-national publishing conglomerates.
Secondly – justifying the price of an eBook. You say that you don’t think you could justify selling for more than $14. I think you’re underselling the value of your information. Let’s take the eagerly awaited InfoGraphic eBook/Course that you’re working on as an example. I’ve not seen it – but if it does what it says on the tin and teaches people how to produce excellent infographics that they can use to increase the value of their blog posts, reports and yes, even eBooks, then why would you sell that for $14.
If you were teaching someone one on one to do this you’d charge a reasonable rate wouldn’t you? I think that if your infographic eBook/Course genuinely has value (and if your blog posts are anything to go by I don’t see how it can’t have!) then it’s worth way more than $14. You’re teaching someone a skill that could enhance the perceived value of their brand forever. Personally I wouldn’t think twice about paying $47 or more for an eBook that did that.
At the end of the day the people who will tell you whether your pricing is too high or not are your customers – they’ll vote with their feet. Or with their refund requests.
Thirdly if you’re STILL reluctant to charge what your material is worth, there’s an easy step to take to make it even more valuable to the customer. And that’s to add a step by step workbook. The one fault of most “business” books is that they are heavy on theory, and light on practical application. Why the publishing industry hasn’t cottoned on to this is beyond me – but there are books out there with truly awesome information, but no guidelines for readers on how to actually use and implement the information.
Add a detailed workbook to an ebook that teaches a valuable subject (e.g. Infrographics) and you’ve got a great package that WILL give value to customers.
The bottom line IMO is that if you provide value to your customers , you should charge a price that reflects the value the customer is getting. There’s also a correlation between the price a customer pays and how much they value the information they getting – so charging a higher price is actually also a way of making sure that more of your customers actually implement the material in your eBooks rather than leave it sitting on an HD gathering virtual dust.
I’ve got more thoughts on this – but don’t wanna do an Ingrid and leave a 2000 word comment.
A blog-off on this subject would be cool though! (See my post on Blog-Offs for more info!).
Paul
Paul,
What you said! LOL.
1. This would be the perfect topic for your, “Blog-off” idea
2. You make some great arguments for the higher prices of ebooks. It is what is in them that matters. I still think length has is a factor, but your point that it is WHAT you teach as much as what you say is a good one. If you have info that could make someone thousands of extra dollars or fix a huge problem (your transatlantic flight) It does quickly become worth a higher pricetag.
-Steve
Hi Scott,
Excellent little post you got here on Tristan’s domain :) I really love the idea of this and now you’ve just kinda given me that little push again. I have websites sitting in the top 20 but as we know, that’s doesn’t get e-mail subscribers or money rolling in.
I’ve been going through a tough time getting them upto top 5 but you bet your ass that when I get there, I will write an ebook or develop a niche site course which sheds the light on the ups and downs of creating these mini/niche/product/affiliate sites. Too many courses make it seem like you should be able to get one ranking within a couple of months and that’s bull!
So, uh, thanks for the boost again.
Moon you have an important piece (that i didn’t mention) down.
Being able to rank a page for competitive keywords on page one of Google. Of course, this has nothing to do with the EBook itself, but has everything to do with the sales.
Like I mentioned in my comment to Tristan, many affiliates want to sell products that convert. One way to get at least a little proof of that going is to “affiliate” for yourself. Of course for people to buy, they need to see it (you want a lot more than your regular reader) The best way to do that is to make a 1-2 targeted keyword niche sites specifically for your book. Rank that high for your keywords and you should hopefully get a couple hundred visitors a day, a few of which will convert and get the sales started, making the whole thing worthwhile.
After that it is just the small matter of creating a really kick-ass product that people will love.
Easy enough, right? ;)
Hey Scott,
Slightly confused about your comment… mainly, “One way to get at least a little proof of that going is to “affiliate” for yourself.”
Are you talking about ranking a couple of pages for the products I promote or my own free e-book here?
Exactly what I’ve been trying to do in the last month… rank for a couple of keyphrase. OH yeah, so “easy” to do ;)
Okay,
CB Gravity (specifically) works off of sales per month in some complicated formula. But most importantly is that a few people are out there really making sales.
Now you could have a product on CB. -AND- sell it on your site using something like PayPal and not giving up the CB sale commission. Making a tiny bit more.
But if you also (like you are working on) have a few related niche sites ready to go, you can sign up to be an “affiliate” for you own product. You then sell it through CB. This at least gets a “start” on some sales to show a little gravity.
I you then network and try to get other people in your niche to offer it to “their” lists, suddenly you begin to gain a little traction. Gravity rises and people begin to get interested in this “new product that is converting”
Acting as you own affiliate is only a part of it, but it gets the sales (hopefully) started.
Then all you have to do is the backbreaking work of really creating something that is both “worth the price” and building links to those relevant keyphrases.
Nice and easy, right? ;)
Wow! Steve and Tristan amazing information and pretty timely for me :). I am working on my FIRST product, an ebook. I agree with Tristan on the pricing thing. Coz if I am going to use some posts that are already available freely on my blog, it won’t be fair to charge much. Even for $14, I am doubtful.
Anyways, guys can you write more on this topic? I could make use of it. In particular I would like to know more about Kindle publishing and kinda comparison between ejunkie and clickbank.
Cheers,
Jane.
Jane
I think you may be underselling yourself here. For sure, the information might already be on your blog – but in a years time when you’ve added 50 posts how accessible will it be. Will visitors to your website find it – plus it will be spread over a number of posts.
By compiling it into an eBook you can present the information in a more accessible format, add some graphics and perhaps some extra information to give extra value, and the opportunity cost for your visitors in terms of being able to access the information more quickly may be worth them paying $27 or more.
See also my reply to Tristan above. It’s not about what’s out there already – it’s about the value you are bringing to people.
Paul
Jane,
With the pricing of many eBooks out there 14$ seems reasonable. It is solid information. Perhaps sold on Amazon (where you get most of the money) a 7.99 or 9.99 might be more attractive.
I am sure i will be writing more about EBooks (as I am sure Tristan will). But like Santa Claus in “Miracle on 34th street” (I love Christmas movies) I am going to turn you over to some people who can help you very soon.
1. I happen to know Paul from onespoonatatime is working on an EBook about writing ebooks, which he plans on giving away as a free lead magnet. (not done yet…but getting there I think)
2. Brankica wrote a blog post not too long ago about the subject of Kindle Publishing, that explains it pretty well. It was geared toward “blog” publishing there, but a lot of the steps are the same.
http://live-your-love.com/kindle-publishing-blog/ ( I think Tristan wouldn’t mind this link to her blog)
Like I mentioned in comments above – I think the hard part with Amazon publishing is getting intitial traction through positive reviews. …But that is advice from someone who never has done it…so more of a guess.
3. The e-junkie/CB comparison is a good idea. I will have to look into that. In the comments above, Tristan gave his thoughts on Ejunkie and I gave mine on CB. But I am sure there is a lot more depth (and formality) to go over there. I will have to think about that one…It would make a great post….
Thanks Steve for the bunch of ideas and suggestions. I will wait for that “great post” :)
Jane.
Steve, I like the concept of taking existing content and expanding. There is plenty left on the table with some posts that can be expounded on much more in-depth.
Tristan, I must say, I love your idea. Isn’t it sweet how comments turn into brain storming sessions? I believe high quality tutorials will sell (unfortunately, low quality ones do already) and definitely meet a need.
Rob,
Absolutely! Many posts could be filled with actionable information and expanded 3-4 times the size without resorting to “fluff”.
For instance the idea of “turn your existing content into an ebook” which is pretty much a quick throwaway idea could be expounded into an ebook itself with detailed steps on how to do it!
-Steve
In addition, I also feel that ebooks can be overpriced. Especially when you jump onto Amazon and can buy a professionaly published book stuffed with 100s of pages on WordPress, Blogging, or whatever, for £10 or so ($20).
Of course this is from the consumer pov! As a produced I am planning to wrap up all my posts around my WP plugins and put them into a manual with a few extra goodies and a case study. Who knows what price I’d put that up for… one things for sure, it will be unique!
Jezza,
You make some great points. There is definitely room to debate the topic of EBooks being overpriced.
Look at Pauls response to Tristan for the “other side of the coin”
As for professionally done books on amazon. It sort of depends. Many of those books are heavy on theory and light on practicality. For an ebook that is also heavy on theory, i would agree 100%
But if you have one specific need. Perhaps Tristan’s infographic idea. A step-by-step guide on how to make killer infographics may not be something you could find on Amazon.
If that is the case, what is the value of unique information that will give a shot-in-the arm to your internet business and teach you something you can use forever?
That decision is likely a personal one and will vary from person to person but it is a valid reason for a hefty pricetag.
Of course as your “consumer” I want it all as cheap as possible too. ;). But I have (two times over the past 7 years) paid over 1000$ for hefty courses that teach one hell of a lot. The price-tags were steep. -Some- of the information was stuff I could have found with time, but the immediate boost these two gave to my business were worth it.
Of course that is not for everyone. I would be hesitant to even try to “sell” these to people. But the information is the key.
I learned pertinant stuff I was able to turn around and use immediately. In turn it increase my sales, conversions and made me more money.
If you are able to use and put information into immediate action for positive results, pricetag (within reason) may not matter.
Just some food for thought
Wonderful article, Steve. Finding your best blog articles and expanding them to a short-ish ebook is really a great idea and it will help us to create or write any number of ebooks. When it comes to charging these kinda ebooks, I think we can keep it below the $10 mark so that the price won’t look too much for a newbie blogger who is looking to get some ebooks for gaining knowledge.
Price has become a huge topic in comments for this post.
For a newer blogger starting out, yes perhaps 10ish is a decent starting price.
As mentioned above in comments a few times, a critical factor is the uniqueness of the content. Something really and truly original may be worth more than “your” version of how to get more traffic. Regardless of how much better someones version may be.
That being said, I realized there is an option I missed. Free.
Now wait, how did we go from 10-30$ to Free?
Simple. Using it as a lead magnet. A good free offer will generate a lot of lead magnet traffic, hopefully both increasing your blog readers and building up your email list.
Building email lists is a subject I ping on all the time, I am surprised I didn’t think to mention that use for your Ebook before.
It’s really great idea to work on your own ebook. By checking the most popular post of your blog you can simply find out which thing is really entertaining your readers and they really want to read. After that you can add some thing new and valuable while creating your ebook. Well it’s very simple but still hard working to create a good ebook.
Riya,
Yes, creating an ebook does not have to be extremely difficult.
Not to say it is “easy”
But it is not something that people, who right regular “quality” blog posts should think is “out of their reach”
It can be done and many people overestimate the difficulty.
Nice tips for making an ebook from the blog posts. Blog posts can really result in high quality ebook content.
Thanks Ricky,
Blog posts certainly can make up the core of a good ebook.
-Steve
Steve,
I needed to read this even though I knew it already. I have been getting stuck in the gate with my e-book. I know have some direction again.
Glynis,
LOL, I know what you mean. I have been working on my newest ebook for a long while.
It is a mammoth one, not the quickie I am talking about here. (80k+ words)
But it certainly has helped to to sometimes read articles that get me invigorated to write again. Even when you do ‘know’ what they are saying.
Good luck with your new ebook effort!
-Steve
Tristan, this was great!
I’ve been thinking about writing a few ebooks recently as I believe my older audience might actually read them. The obvious wasn’t so obvious until reading this blog: take my existing blogs and turn them into ebooks!
I’m on it. Will get going and thank you!
David,
Awesome! Anyone who has blogged for while should surely have multiple ebooks within them. Just get out there and -do- it.
Glad to get you going. Good luck on your new EBook!
-Steve
Hey Steve,
That’s a great idea, especially doing the poll to find out which post(s) to expand on and areas to cover. Asking readers to pick their obstacle is feedback gold!
I’ll have to look over my posts. I don’t normally write tutorialish posts, they’re more about my experiences.
My wheels are turning. Thanks!
Peggy
Peggy,
Well I know you have done tutorialish ebooks, like your PLR one.
Normally I really do promote actionable tips for ebooks. After all the “tutorial” style is what many people want.
An idea though… since you HAVE an actionable ebook and your blog posts are more about “experiences” you could weave multiple blog posts (with added connection info) into a storyline.
Something like:
On Writing: A year in the life of a PLR writer.
Since this will mostly be “experiences” and will have huge chunks taken from you blog you may be able to put it together fairly quickly and it could be a very interesting lead magnet.
Going a different way than many other people will set you apart from many of the other “how to’s”.
Of course it also is great for your personal branding.
Just an idea.
-Steve
I’ve been thinking of doing this with one post I have. An SEO post with over 300 really good comments which I’d also add. I just can’t figure out how to do that properly.
Dennis,
Hmmmm,
I would have to see the post to offer specific comments.
300 comments sounds like it is a winner topic.
I don’t know if I would “directly” include the comments, though. What I would say is first add to the basic post topic. Surely there is a “little more” actionable info you can add.
THEN.. look over the comments. Find ways to expound on the questions asked in comments. If someone gives actionable additional tips make sure they are included.
A well loved, 300+ comment post sounds like the perfect material for what I am talking about, though. :)
Hi Steve & Tristan,
Awesome stuff Steve! You’ve actually inspired me to get off my a*s and get going with my ebooks. Not that I’m lazy, they’ve just been on the back burner for some time and it’s time to complete them.
I love the fact that you gave a homework assignment. Its a true test that you understand that knowledge doesn’t mean anything if you don’t take action on it; and sometimes requesting action from others is the best way to get them in motion. ;-)
Will let you know how it goes. :-)
Michelle,
Awesome. I am glad you find some inspiration! :)
Of course, the hard part is still ahead though. Getting out there and doing it. I am sure you are capable, though. I have checked out your blog from time-to-time and I know you are a good writer.
Now get to your homework assignment, young lady!
Interesting insights and a great concept indeed. Top marketers will usually say that one of the best ways to make money online is by having your own product. eBooks is definitely one way to go, specially if you are not a developer or a tech-savvy kinda guy. And I agree with you that there could be a lot of information that is readily available in our own blogs that could be easily turned into an ebook or something similar, specially those ” pillar” articles and of which generated a lot of buzz. The problem as you said is not just liking the idea but taking action on it and make it happen.. this is though part, although necessary as an ebook will not write on its own.
Like Tristan, I do have my blog on Kindle for quite a while now (maybe since inception), and I was surprised to see that I actually have a good amount of subscribers. In addition, pricing an eBook is also something I would definitely be interested in. Can’t figure out how people come up with prices such as $27, $37 etc… Why not a nice even round number? Say $10, lol
Yup, the only way to do it, is to do it. The core of an ebook may be in a “pillar post” or as I like to call it an, “MVP”. But it doesn’t write itself, there is still a lot of work to do after that!
As for specific price points, I have read in the past. (it has been a bit) about the reasons for price points.
The basic idea is that people round down. $19.99 psychologically seems like a lot less than 20$.
People have begun to become saavy to that and often just round up in their thinking. In numerous tests people studied the same products for 14,15,16, 17,18, 19 or 20$ (or similar figures)
14 may sell better than 17…but by a very fractional margin. 17 however, sells a statistically significant amount better than 18, 19, 20.
so by ending in 7 you get as much as you can from the whole dollar amount (7,17,27, 37, 47)
I think subconsciously may people sound down to the whole number. (IE think 10$ for 17$ product)
The price differences may not make “all” the difference, but it is one of those ways to get the “most” from your product without sacrificing sales.
____
Plus everyone does it, so it must be cool…right?
Steve
Cool post. Totally agree with you. Plus you can add extra value by adding extra ‘post’ length information, graphics, maybe a workbook, and other bonuses. Once you’ve created 100 or more blog posts you’re sitting on virtual real estate. (Peggy once used the term “my words are my virtual real estate” in a comment over at my place – loved that phrase! I’m so going to steal it from her and make it mine – (evil laugh))
paul
(Sorry for the comment bombing Tristan!)
Paul,
Right on. Added value!
There are so many things you can do to add value.
Virtual real-estate is a great way to put it. I certainly agree, Peggy has a killer turn of phrase there and quite apt.
At 100 posts you have a lot of land to “build” on (to continue the analogy) It is just a matter of taking the foundation that you get when you target your most popular ideas and using it to build that dream-home/ebook.
Alright, I bent that analogy out of shape a little, but you get the point I am sure.
Hi Steve,
How do you overcome the objections I suspect many readers have to the purchasing of e-books. I read a lot of books, but I go through a vetting process to determine if I want to purchase the book.
I’ll skim through it in a book store before purchase (knowing that I can always return it), I’ll read reviews (editorial and consumer) on Amazon before purchasing on-line. And some books I won’t purchase but will read a library copy. Knowing that anyone with minimal technical skills can write an e-book, I guess I’m looking for ways to establish the same comfort/confidence level with the purchase of e-books that I have when buying a traditional book.
Riley
Riley
I’m sure Steve will get back to you later, but I’d like to dive in here with some thoughts if I may.
Firstly that’s a great question.
Secondly, that burden of proof as it were is on the seller to establish. Most eBook sellers have a 30 day refund period – so if you buy something and it’s not very good you should be able to get your money back.
Thirdly – and not many people seem to know this – if you buy via Paypal, you have a 60 Day period during which you can ‘start a dispute.’ Now I’d only do this if there’s a good reason, but faced with a Paypal dispute most sellers will just turn around and give you a refund because they don’t wanna be poked into by Paypal. (Paypal has its pluses and minuses – from a sellers point of view the ‘dispute’ process heavily favours the buyer, from teh buyer’s point of view this of course is excellent).
I think Steve is talking about bloggers creating eBooks mainly, as such their audience should already have a good idea about the bloggers expertise and authority. And be able to make the kind of judgement call you are talking about based on their reading experiences with the blog. For example, Tristan’s mythical Infographics book – when he finally gets it out I’ll purchase it on the day of release. And that’s whether its $7. Or $77. Because I will get value.
If you are new to a blog that is selling an eBook, then browse around the blog before you buy. Read some of the posts. If you’re still not sure email the blogger who’s selling the book, tell him you;re interested but not sure, and ask for a short sample. How the blogger responds to that will tell you a lot about the blogger.
If an eBook is on Kindle, most Kindle books give you the opportunity to download a sample first. So it’s the virtual equivalent of browsing. Plus you can often see into the book and see sample pages, the table of contents etc.
I’ve bought plenty of eBooks – and I think the only ‘difference’ for the buyer over a physical book is that it’s much harder to go into a bookstore and ‘impulse buy’ a book that you like the cover of, and read the blurb and maybe a couple fo pages. In that sense, buying information in eBook form tends to be a more considered decision. At least for me.
Hope that helps.
Paul
Thanks Paul. That was a very helpful, informative answer. I really appreciate it.
Riley
As Paul said…great question.
I think the first part is that some people never will get over it and never will by. That is just a fact of life.
This is balanced out by people who read TONS of ebooks.
You make a great point that editorially specifically and quality generally it is hard to put the same investment in an ebook done by “john Q public” as by an author who has gone through the whole editorial process and seen a book to print.
My first argument will be timeliness. EBooks should be fresher.
For most authors have to have the original idea. Shop it around. Find people who are interested. Go through the editorial process. Get it printed. Schedule marketing. Then it has to get published and garner attention.
By the time all of that is done, chances are a year has passed by.
(I have never published a print book, I am making an educated guess here)
A year in some niches means nothing, so this may not always be a huge point. In anything associated with technology, though, this is forever.
Even by someone who takes time and effort an ebook will undoubtably not be as “polished” as a print book should be. But the info should be far more actionable, relevant and current.
My second point is one I see Paul has made. Refunds. If an ebook does what it states i don’t get refunds. But the industry standard is ClickBank which has an aggressive refund policy.
Like Paul stated, if an eBook fails to deliver, the refund process is not too difficult.
—-
You mentioned browsing the topic in a bookstore. (I know what you mean, I love to do that myself)
For one thing what Paul said is true. Many eBook authors have blogs, you -should- be able to get an idea of the writing style/skill/content level by reading a few blog posts.
I do my best to give quality in this area for that reason.
Personally I have also been working on my major ebook for a while. MY plan is to offer one of the 8 chapters 100% free. Not even an email opt-in required. Since the book is 80,000 words, that free chapter should have more info than many EBooks and will hopefully show the value of that rest of the book.
____
EBooks the future. Lets face it; print books are dieing. I have been an avid reader my entire life. I sometimes even really enjoy the “smell” of a new book, but all publications are heading towards digital. There may still be a “publisher” of some form. But I would suspect it publishing may become more of a servicing/marketing service 10-15 years from now.
—–
Ebooks are easy. I can use my Kindle to read books any-where and everywhere. It is very handy.
Again, Paul already pointed out the point of sample chapters (etc.) associated with ebooks
_____
All that being said, I can understand your reticence. And those of your readers.
There is a lot of people who post ebooks that are substandard, at inflated prices. Perhaps they really do contain those “essential nuggets” of info that make the pricetag worth it. Perhaps not.
I have read quite a few print books that really didn’t deliver on the promise I held in them at first too, though.
_____
Finally there are reviews. I almost hate to bring this point up. It can be misleading. There are many affiliate marketers that will call a “turd” a “diamond” to make sales. I can understand why people would be hesitant to read reviews. I find three types of reviews to be really worthwhile.
1. Amazon. I have always been continually impressed by Amazon “stars” and how much i generally agree with it. The only think is that I personally ignore it if there are less than 50 reviews (too easy to game a few reviews) past that i think you start getting real quality reviews… even on ebooks offered there.
2. People you trust. Some people out there are not “full of it.” Even if they stand to make an affiliate sale they tend to only recommend ebooks they have personally vetted. That doesn’t mean YOU will enjoy it too. But it increased the likelyhood there is some value
3. Word-of-mouth: This is sort of like 2. If someone you respect repeatedly has powerful things to say about an ebook there is a better chance it could be viaable
So to recap my ramblings, good reasons to think of ebooks, in spite of some of the failings people could possibly see in them:
1. Timeliness
2. Exactness of information (teaches you only exactly what you need to know)
3. Refund policy of major vendors like paypal and CB
4. Sometimes sample chapters are available
5. Reviews
6. Ease and portability
Whew!
Hope that answers it all
Steve,
Another great answer. For me, I really think a large part of it (if I’m honest with myself) is just habit and inertia. And you really make a compelling argument about the timeliness of the information (that’s the closer for me). Really appreciate your well thought out and comprehensive answer. Thanks Steve.
Riley
Hey Steve,
First of all, thank you for writing the awesome article. The idea of turning my old posts into e-book have been hanging around in my head for a while (especially because I wrote those post 1 and a half years. And I did generate a lot of buzz (actually my visitors did it) for those posts. I have also been thinking about converting all my posts into an e-book. Anyway, I did write an e-book (I am guilty here ; I wrote one like the one you mentioned – a general guide. But, I did say that it was a newbie blogger’s guide. Right now, I am thinking about taking the last few chapters of the e-book and making another one ; the last few would be really helpful to an upcoming blogger. This idea came to me when I was thinking about the e-book audience. Most of them were newbie bloggers. But I also want others to read that portion. As an e-book writer, do you think it is ok to do it ?).
Your blueprint will be really useful to everyone. When I was writing my e-book, it took me over 6 months to finish (apparenlty, I had the problem of procrastination. But the big gaps in writing helped me to think of newer ideas and to modify the old ideas).
Anyways, I thank you writing this post. Hope you are having a great day !
Jeevan Jacob John
Jeevan,
Your idea of reworking the last few chapters for a new ebook is a great one in my opinion. It would be far more directed and even if someone read both it would be unlikely that there would be “too much” duplicated info.
The way i see it even your most loyal fans are unlikely to remember everything you have written. (or even read it all). It is your content so you really should make the most of it and repurpose it where possible. Obviously doing that online has negative aspects with duplicate content, but recylcing with at least a light rewrite and additional content for another ebook is a great thing.
These serve as awesome lead magnets or even perhaps as a lower end priced ebook
Anyhow…good luck and thanks for the comment!
Hi,
Well, See Darren he have 7 days ebook and 31 days blogging ebook they are not such big like a lot of pages, they are well described and just to the point information.
Its hard for readers as well to read a lot many pages with no valuable information.
I think keep it straight to the point and short and simple should be main aim rather then prolonging it.
Regards
Now that is a really valuable post. I totally agree with what you have said and the suggestions you make are worth implementing. I am just posting a series of posts on my personal blog, an a-z, and you have just given me a great idea! Thanks.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Glad to give you a little bit of inspiration Mandy. Best of luck with your idea! :)
Hi Steve,
Wow. First off, you’ve made a believer out of me. For quite a few weeks now I’ve considered making an eBook or three out of one of my blogs but never really figured out how to go about it and the task just seemed way too daunting. Now I can see that while yes, there’s still a lot of work I have ahead of me, I’ve already DONE the truly daunting task: write my heart out!
Not only that, but you’ve helped me see that where I might’ve had just one good eBook, I actually have several in my blog sitting around waiting for me to do something about it. It’s in a popular niche now that I think about it, and everyone loves genuine; I’ve been nothing if not genuine on my blog!
I solemnly swear I am printing this post and taking notes, and will get started on this immediately. I’m already awake until 5 or 6 am each morning (it’s the only time I have to work on work and homework: while the baby sleeps), so what’s an extra hour tacked onto that? Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to feel any *more* exhausted or sleep-deprived with a baby in the house, so I’m sure I won’t notice, lol. What I *will* notice, however, is the feeling of accomplishment when I finish my first project since before I got pregnant in 2009!
This is amazing, this is awesome, this gives me hope! There are several writing projects of mine that are in various stages of completion, and I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to figure out the one with the most potential for success with the least amount of time I need to devote to it. Making my blog an eBook never entered into that consideration, and you’ve helped me see that it’s my best option of all, Steve. Thank you so much.
And Tristan, you’re awesome for introducing Steve to me. Blogging Bookshelf has got to be one of the most useful blogs I visit every week. Seriously. =)
Thanks again,
Delena
Delena,
“I don’t think it’s possible to feel any *more* exhausted or sleep-deprived with a baby in the house, so I’m sure I won’t notice”
Absolutely classic! Funny stuff. But also likely true…hence even funnier.
I am sure you can do it. Often-times it should not be a matter of worrying about which one will be best. Just do it and get the experience. You will surely make mistakes and find things you would do differently, but the next one… will be even better!
Anyway, I hope you let me know when you are done. I love to hear about success!
BTW, is Silverfox your real last name? Delena Silverfox is such a cool name. I love it! Mine is so boring. :(
Good luck with the ebook Delena!
-S
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the compliment, and yes, Delena Silverfox is my real name. =) I get that a lot; it’s a pretty unique name.
As it stands, I’m already going through my blog and organizing things into categories. That’ll give me the best idea of what I have available and can put together easily. Thanks again, Steve. =)
Delena
Who is typically the target audience for an e-book? This is always something I wondered. I’ve been able to get people to “order their free report” or copy as you have above, but the e-book never seemed to make sense to me.
I do appreciate the post and the ideas you’ve brought to the table. I also appreciate all the comments as they provided a lot of information as well. I look forward to your response.
Edward,
For an ebook that really sells well you need a couple of things (IMO)
1. Great Content (Unfortunately, though I listed it #1, and It can be important it often isn’t #1)
2. A Title that “grabs”
3. Unique perspective
4. Filling a need (this may be #1. If you can write about something, or from an angle that seems fresh to the people who find it, it can help sales A LOT)
5. A vehicle to “launch” it from. This could be a strong social network, a large email list, a popular blog…or all of these. The more “buzz” you can generate the better
Now you can make some sales if you have a few of these. You can even make some sales with crappy content… though I see that as really burning bridges and a horrible idea.
the great thing about your ebooks is they are yours (obviously).. If you write one to sell and it does “lukewarm” sales and only makes you a few bucks, you have gotten some practice for future ones and you still own the material.
You could repurpose it as a STRONG lead magnet. Or tie it in as a additional offer to a future free ebook or do many other things with it in the future.
Sales and promotion of ebooks is its own animal and is, admittedly, sometimes a pain. But there are LOTS of people who buy out there. (I have personally probably spent a couple thousand on ebooks over the past 6-7 years)
My personal thoughts on the pricing of an ebook is I figure it should be comparable, maybe a little less than a paper book. Frankly, I would never shell out over $50 for a book that was only 30 pages or so at a book store, so why would I do so for an ebook.
That said, I read somewhere that a good rule of thumb is probably around $1 for every 10 pages, give or take depending on the quality of the book.
I like the Amazon Kindle Route because it has the Amazon brand behind your book. They also pay out up to 70% royalties on books priced between 2.99 and 9.99. Again, back to the pricing discussion: It looks like Amazon really wants to encourage pricing in that range. Now I figure that they have high powered market researchers that looked at the data behind their book sales and figured out that that was the “sweet spot” in pricing books to sell. That’s just my intuition.
Btw, is there an advantage to using e-junkie or clickbank over selling on amazon or even just setting up your own store? It’s free to upload your book to amazon kindle and they have an affiliate program to encourage others to help you sell your book. Albeit it’s lower commission than e-junkie and cj, but on the other hand you don’t have to pay anything to upload your book.
I have a feeling that you may have something. Eventually I think many of the ebooks will be sold on amazon at price structures you talk about.
As a consumer I agree and would like to see that.
On the other hand current facts tend to be different. Many of the ebooks on Amazon (the self-published ones) are not quality. Most of them are almost spammy in nature, and it is hard to separate the good from the bad.
While -the personal- percentage is great, (on clickbank I usually get 25% per book- most going to the affiliates) Amazon affiliates get 4-8% per sale. That is little incentive for someone to go out and sell.
Amazon also has no real internal promotion system itself. SO that means two types of self pulished books sell.
1. Ones where the personal selling has a ton of fans and their own “platform” to get those thousands of “eyes” on it – This one is great and probabaly means a good book
2. The guy who changes titles on the same material, quality doesn’t matter just make sure you match title to EVERY keyword. This sucks…and id spam..pure and simple.
Like I said, I agree.. prices are often too high. Perhaps amazon could have an even stronger “rating” system that has quality ebooks rise to the top. Maybe someday.
Until then it is what the “market will bear” 27-37 seems to be the going price for a “longish” quality ebook. Which is not far out of line with a hardcover book.
TBH While I agree the price should certainly scale with amount of material (I would be pissed if I paid 40$ for a 30 pages book) There is also the fact that ebooks often hold very key and specific pieces of information that hold direct and actionable information that directly solve a problem (at least good ones do)
Often it is the results that matter from the ebook also not JUST the size.
At least that is how I see it. I do see your point though….
Hi Steve,
This is awesome. I have told Tristan earlier that I thought about creating an ebook from one of my categories, but what you’re saying is a lot better.
I believe that one of the biggest hurdles for many people, me included, is that we think that an ebook has to be massive and complex (like a novel). But the truth is that many bestselling ebooks are 30+ pages and straight to the point.
Jens,
Yes! YOu certinaly need quality information. An ebook certainly shouldnt be something like
Get more traffic by: Commenting, Backlinking, Writing good stuff Etc. etc.
Hopefully the stuff you have is original.. or at least not overdone and fairly fresh.
And of course has a catchy title/perspective
Of course they CAN be long too. LOL… The one I am working on is 80K words. (A “novel” has a minimum word count of 40K to put that in perspective) :)
But they certainly do not NEED to be huge. The important part is the information!
The real fact is- length is not the necessity for the success of your e book, content is. If everything is written in as precise manner as possible and in an equally concise way, you are sure to have success else your book will get drown in a huge sea of Good For Nothing ebooks.
Adam,
Yup, content is the essential point. Of course something really meaty can be worth -more- perhaps.
But for page counts that are -fluff- I would much prefer it tight and short. To the point!
When it comes to making money online, everyone is in a hurry, I am still not sure for what :D
So obviously, everyone would appreciate if we come straight to business.
Hey Tristan! Good advice, but I believe I’ve done the opposite! A couple of years ago I wrote an eBook about the decline of the newspaper industry, and some possible remedies that could turn things ’round. I never put the “finishing touches” on it, and it sat and sat and sat on my desktop… until recently, I was able to roll it into a post about newspapers and the future of digital journalism!
By the way , last time I was here I downloaded “101 Ways You’re Killing Your Blog” – I recommend it to anyone!
Dave,
You bring up a good point about something that can even be done with ebooks you have published (if you stop selling/using them as free offers) there is nothing wrong with re-purposing content.
You can make it into a series of posts (like you did), offer it a a “sweetener” for another offer, break it up and sell it as plr, sell it on amazon, uses pieces for guest posts.
The list goes on.
One reason I am fond of eBooks is that with a little bit of effort, the content can be reused and recycled with great efficiency. Thanks for bring up a good point.
This is a great reminder, thanks. I think I should do another ebook real soon.
Great sharing. This is really very informative post and that is all I needed most.
Coz I am planning for this only but as you say due to some FEAR and MYTH in mind regarding this I am not able take final decision.
So thanks a lot for sharing such a knowlegable post.
I assume, you are considering mainly a PDF eBook (because trying to sell a 30 page eBook on Amazon for $27 is going to get you some seriously negative comments) so I have a couple of questions:
1) Do you encrypt the PDF books to prevent scraping?
2) Where/How do you sell the PDF books so thet the sales/download process is automated?
Thanks!
Tristan; Yes sir – Steve is awesome and very down to earth. The best thing about him is he is legit and is a rare group of bloggers that also walk the walk then do just mere talk.
Steve; This one is going straight in my bookmark bar! This post is going to come in real handy for me. You know Steve, I was already 8 pages into a E-book, but I had to start from scratch due to the very reasons you mentioned here. Love the blueprint (O:
thanks for the information i will go and take a look for it.
Scott,Very true ,if one has a blog ,one can write an an-book..
shockingly,i am working on an e-book titled …how to turn your old blog posts into fast selling ,money making mini reports…
this post confirms my points..i will send you a copy when am through….see ya…
This is awesome way to approach book writing in general! You get feedback along the way and are able to tweak it! I have seen some blogs “close” because the blogger got a book deal or turned their blog into a self-published book. Any blogger can be book author :0)
I have no idea where the idea that ‘ebooks are hard to make’ came from. Everything you said is true, any decent blogger is capable of making a good ebook that can sell. It’s just a matter of how they approach it.
Excellent tips by the way. I might just write an ebook one of these days.
This is a great post about eBook; it is a good idea and nice information, thanks for sharing.
Steve and Tristan, You have given a great idea for making my blog post an ebook. At first i thought that ebooks are something and are unlike blog post, and the assignment part, it is very much interesting to ignore it. http://www.brainwavelive.com/services/realestate-crm-application.html
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