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If you don’t know how to build an ebook selling website, and don’t want to learn, you can use the easy software from Knowledge Download. Go to the section on Publishing Your eBook to learn more
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In this issue:
Commentary
New ebook websites
Writing Tutorial
Favorite Web Site of The Week
Links
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I want to take a moment to share that my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of last year’s terrorist attacks. You may have seen a wide spread email around the 'net suggesting we each take a moment of silence (and / or prayer) at noon tomorrow, in remembrance of last year’s tragedy. I will be doing this. I would urge you to honor the victims and their family in whatever way is appropriate for you.
WHAT IS AN EBOOK OR INFOPRODUCT?
If you don’t yet understand what ebooks, special reports or infoproducts are, here is a great ebook article (if I do say so myself) that explains what they are and how you can use them in YOUR business.
I’m proud to have ManagementConsultingNews.com be the first major online business publication to produce an article I wrote.
This article gives you good suggestions and ideas of how you can use ebooks and other digital infoproducts to help you in ANY line of business.
How are you using your ebook, special report or other infoproducts in your business? Send me your feedback and I’ll publish it in our next issue.
MARKETING
Writing and distributing articles is a great way to gain new subscribers, readers, prospects and customers. In exchange for giving focused web publishers your article for free, you get free publicity to their readers.
I have never met nor talked to Mike McLaughlin, the publisher of ManagementConsultingNews.com. I simply followed the advice of many people, including Alexandria Brown, published on my site.
I approached a handful of selected market publications with an article inquiry. Mike liked my piece and decided to publish it. Pretty simple.
Alexandria tells you "how-to" write articles. I’ll be posting some other informative articles on my web site in the future about WHY you should write articles and how to get them published by credible web publishers like Mike McLaughlin. If I can do this, so can you!
NEW AUTHOR / EBOOK WEBSITE
I’m happy to announce that Storm Gleim has setup an ebook website with Knowledge Download. Storm is a Master Golf Instructor who still shoots in the 60's in PGA tournaments. Seems to me he is the kind of expert who could teach me a thing or two about improving my game! If you or anyone you know is a golfer, send them to Storm’s ebook website to get the ebook that will change their game:
Please note that Storm is so confident his ebook will improve your game, he offers a money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with his product.
Next week, I’ll pass on some solid info on how Storm has other affiliates promoting, marketing and selling his ebook.
TUTORIAL
In this week's issue, we give you Part 3 of our professional author tutorial series. This series is in 5 parts and has been written by Michael LaRocca, an English teacher, writer and consultant. Michael has a lot to say to you in his Writing Tutorials.
About Writing
Lesson Three -- Publication
My goal is to be published in both mediums, ebook and print. There are some readers who prefer ebooks, and some who prefer print books. The latter group is much larger, but those publishers are harder to sell your writing to. I want both, because I want all the readers I can get.
Thus, I advocate something of a stepping-stone approach. Publish electronically with a quality place, enjoy the benefits of free editing and almost instant gratification regarding publishing time.
Later, if you think you can sell your book to a traditional print publisher, you have a professionally edited manuscript to submit. Today’s lesson tells you how to do that.
(Before you epublish, check the contract to be sure you can publish the edited work in print later.)
If you know your book just plain won’t ever make it into traditional print, print-on-demand is an option. The best epublishers will simultaneously publish your work electronically and in POD format, at no cost to you. Some of my books fall into this category.
A lot of authors swear by self-publication, but the prospect just plain scares me. All that promo, all that self-edited, driving around the countryside with a back seat full of books. I’m a writer, not a salesman. But, maybe you’re different.
I self-published once, in the pre-POD days. Mom handled the sales. I had fun and broke even. With POD, at least it’s cheaper to self-publish than it was in 1989.
If you’re flying solo, Print-On-Demand can range anywhere from US$99 to $900. Don’t pay the higher price! Price shop. Also, remember that POD places publish any author who pays, and do no marketing. Today’s lesson tells you all about POD publishing.
Today’s email is particularly short, because I want you to spend your time browsing the links I mention below. There’s nothing I can say here that I haven’t said there.
Print Publishing vs Electronic Publishing
This site provides a comparison of the two mediums. Each has plusses and minuses. Even if you already know what epublishing is, take a look.
Electronic Publishers
A list of the ones I believe are reputable and my criteria for selecting them. Plus, a link to award-winning author Piers Anthony’s totally excellent in-depth analysis of many more epublishers than I’ll ever list.
How To Break Into Print Publishing
If you’re at the beginning of my stepping-stone approach, seeking an epublisher, you’ll probably just want to bookmark this one for a year or two. That’s fine, because it’s not going anywhere. I plan to use it myself in a year or two. If, on the other hand, you’ve already epublished and are ready for print, use it now and I wish you success!
Print-On-Demand Publishing
What is it? Should you use it? If so, how? What to beware of if you do.
That’s all for today. Browse the links. Next week I’ll talk about promoting your writing after it’s published. Again, thanks for reading.
Michael LaRocca
About The Author: Michael LaRocca's website at http://freereads.topcities.com was chosen by WRITER'S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers. He's published 4 novels in 2002, works as an editor for 3 epublishers, and reviews books for INSCRIPTIONS MAGAZINE. He also teaches English in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
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WEB SITE OF THE WEEK
One of the most tedious aspects of running an ezine (or newsletter) and a web site can be the administrivia of managing reader subscriptions and replying to customers and prospective customers on routine inquiries.
That’s where Autoresponders come in.
This week, your subscription to Author Tips was moved to our new system at EZnetGroup.
This system is an autoresponder, but it is so much more. There are many incredible features of Cheryl Gonzales' ezNetGroup system that you’ll just have to go to her site to see the comprehensive list. While the list of features is impressive, so are the benefits. AND you simply won’t find a system packed with so many features for the ridiculously low price that Cheryl charges.
I’ve been using this system for over 6 months now for several different businesses. It is powerful, easy to use (browser based for us non-programmer types), includes useful reports and most importantly, Cheryl personally replies to all support requests and usually does so very promptly.
Cheryl offers a free version that includes a small ad. It’s the same system as the fee based system (which is what we use for this ezine mailer). Give it a try. And please mention that you heard of her system from Knowledge Downloads Author Tips.
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CUSTOMER COMMENTS
"Hi Skip: Here's an old tip we oldsters recommend, especially to new authors: Read your work out loud. It's amazing what you'll notice that you overlook when you read silently to yourself." Bryan M. Knight, MSW, PhD., "How to Hypnotize Friends, Lovers and Even Strangers".
"Skip: I just returned today. I started the (ebook) website before I left. Tomorrow I plan on getting the entire site completed. You were right the instructions are easy to follow." Curtis G., former U.S. Army, Special Forces.
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That’s it for this week. I hope you are enjoying Author Tips. With our tutorials, the newsletter is quite a bit longer than usual. If you have any feedback, suggestions or would like some free publicity, send it to me and we’ll print your question or comment and website or email address.
My best regards,
Skip
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Links
The main web site at knowledge-download
Our e-book writing articles
Learn about producing your ebook
Learn about publishing your ebook
Order your ebook website software and service
If you have any feedback for us, please send to
. Send me feedback and I’ll publish it along with your URL in the next edition. (Can you say - free publicity?)
See you next week!
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