Need to create e-book.

11 replies
Hi i need to have a e-book created and then put into pdf. I would like to do this so when someone signs up on my landing page i will send an email, with a link which will redirect them back to the landing page domain which will have a pdf. I figure this would be smart because my viewers time on site may get really high like this. The book will obviously help the conversion of sign ups.

I want a high quality 100 page e-book.

How much should i expect to pay for this?

How do i know the writer will be good?

How long will it take?

How do i get full rights to the content? do i have to protect the content after it is given to me?
#create #ebook
  • Profile picture of the author colinph970
    100 pages is about 30,000 to 40,000 words which is very long for a simple e-book. Expect to pay $0.015 per word for a writer whose first language is English - expensive eh?
    Get any prospective writer to send samples and take a look at any testimonials they have.
    The deal is full rights on payment.....once payment is made then all rights revert to you. I've never found it necessary to protect content yet but I know some people do.
    You want an e-book to get sign ups? Make it auto download after they give you their details (name + email)

    regards
    Colin
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    • Profile picture of the author warriorr101
      im new at all this sorry.
      ok so i will do 50 pages...20k words x .015 = $300 much cheaper than i would expect if the content is good. Full rights... how do i do this, with a virtual contract?

      I figured a link was smarter because they have to give the real email in order to get it and second if it links back to an extension of the landing page

      landingpage .com/ebook

      this would give landingpage .com a much higher "time on site"

      lol thanx Colin, this is true, im always looking to push people doing something for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    Hi Warriorr101,

    First of all I'll reassure you my answer is genuine by saying I am booked up. Happy? Good.

    I would say a 100 page book is between 20,000-25,000 words, and as that is how writers think of book sizes, that is what you will have to ask for. Also you generally get what you pay for, but go look in the "Warrior for hire" section as there are lots of great writers here. EDIT: Word counts depend on the font you use, but don't forget many people use netbooks so they wont see small fonts.

    To check if a writer is good, look at their feedback. This is one of the reasons I suggest looking on the WF for writers. Also ask for examples, but if they send you ebooks they have written for other people, expect them to send yours as an example later on. (Not good)

    As to the time scale....I am tempted to launch into a rant at this point but will restrain myself LOL. Anyway, there are many people that like me could write it in a day but wont. What you want is someone that could produce 20,000 words in a day, but would not do it because of the quality produced. This actually ties in with the price, but the longer they will spend writing your book the better it will be. You really want someone to spend at least the best part of a week on your book, but then they are going to want the best part of a weeks wages for doing it.

    When you hire someone to write you an ebook you own the rights to it. However, I recommend you state in your emails/PM's that you will own all rights on completion, as there are dodgy people out there.

    Once you have your ebook complete and ready to sell, use DLGuard or something similar. Better yet use DLGuard but also put profitable links (Affiliate links) in the book, as then if people spread it everywhere you still profit.

    Cheers,
    Colin Palfrey
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    I write articles and eBooks - PM me for details!
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    To answer the price question:

    A decent writer will usually charge 2 cents a word or more.

    A professional writer will usually charge 5 cents a word or more.

    So figure $1,250 for a professional writer, $500 for a competent writer, and under that it's a mixed bag of writers who lack skill and writers who lack confidence. The ones who lack confidence are gems. The ones who lack skill are a waste of time and money.

    Now on to time. You can generally expect a turnaround of about 2,500 words (about ten pages) a day; more if you give detailed direction, less if you give vague direction.

    Most writers still work five-day weeks, so you're looking at two weeks actual writing time PLUS however long it takes for your project to come up on their schedule (most writers book a week or two in advance, and some over a month). So you can probably figure on a month or so before you'll have the book in-hand, less if you shop around.

    Some writers will wrap up design and graphics in their service costs. Others won't. Your mileage may vary. Make sure you understand exactly what you're getting for the price you pay, and exactly when you can expect to have it delivered.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    Hi Warriorr101,

    I edited a few bits in my answer above because I thought I should have mentioned them but was sleepy lol.

    Anyway, use a big font because of netbook users, and when delivering your product do it as a link in your list confirmation message. This way you can send out updates if necessary, and you can also market more products to each customer. To do this just make your "Thank you" page an Aweber sign up form for secure delivery.

    Cheers,
    Colin Palfrey
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    I write articles and eBooks - PM me for details!
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

      Anyway, use a big font because of netbook users
      Specifically, 16 point Arial or Verdana is the standard.
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    Actually Warriorr101,

    Check out CDarklock's sig, as he is known to be good and appears to free at the moment.

    Hi Caliban, yes that is the size I use as well. I used to write in a smaller font, but when my son got his netbook last year I realized I was squinting to read anything.

    Off to bed,
    Colin
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    I write articles and eBooks - PM me for details!
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

      Check out CDarklock's sig, as he is known to be good and appears to free at the moment.
      There are three complications.

      1. I'm in the middle of three JVs, so it will be about two weeks before I can handle a large project.

      2. I'm very fussy about what projects I choose to take and which clients I choose to work with.

      3. I'm a professional writer with rates between 5 and 10 cents a word, depending - honestly - on how interesting I think your project is. (Boring stuff costs more.)

      Since the OP is talking about reducing the page count of his book to reduce expense, I'd suggest that instead of trying to convince me to take $1,500 for writing his book, he drop a PM to Erin Farley (erinwrites here on the WaFo) instead. Sooner the better, because I keep telling her she needs to raise her rates, and one of these days she'll listen to me.
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author warriorr101
    i completely understand the cost thing, i would just like to keep it down as it is not what is important for the task at hand just something to help give my landing page users incentive for signing up. i think the idea of an e-book will be of more value than the actual book to some degree. Sign ups are important for me as i have sales tactics that work i just need to capture there info. I can put the extra $ into more marketing. Once i become stable i will most definitely have someone re-write. thanx
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by warriorr101 View Post

      i completely understand the cost thing, i would just like to keep it down
      Again, Erin is an excellent writer whose rates are much lower than they should be:

      Erin Farley Freelance
      Signature
      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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    • Profile picture of the author petec
      Hey Warrior 101,

      Do you know anything about the niche you want the ebook written in. If you have some knowledge why not try yourself. Write it using open office which is free to download, (like office but free) then convert to pdf using open office, then get a ebook cover designed anything from $8-$50.

      Just an idea.

      If your writing skills aren't to good, get 5 or 10 articles written and use their content to make a ebook/report to giveaway.

      Pete
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