Thoughts on making my first ebook

by ~kev~

Posted: 14 years ago 12 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I'am thinking about making my first ebook - here are my plans and please tell me your opinions.

I have a forum and its 3+ years old. On this forum I have posted some detailed writeups on certain topics. The plans are to copy some of my better post, and organize them into a PDF file.

The problem is, I'am not sure whether I should offer the file for free, or try to sell it through a digital outlet site? Should the first couple of files be free, get some feed back, improve the product, and then try to sell it?

Or should I adopt the policy that nothing in life is free and try to sell it right off the bat.

In information is on the forum, its just scattered through all of the other post. So the cost of the file would be for the organization of the information then anything else.

Opinions and thoughts?

#ebook #making #thoughts

jazbo 14 years ago

Is it still available for free on the forum, if so then will leave a sour taste if someone has paid for the same info?

Take it off the forum, repackage, glitz it up and sell it.
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- ~kev~ 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by jazbo
  
  Take it off the forum, repackage, glitz it up and sell it.
  
  That would reduce the value of the information in the forum - I can not do that.
  
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NicoleBeckett 14 years ago

I agree with Jazbo... If I paid for your ebook, then realized I could have found all of the information for free on the forum, I wouldn't be very happy.

What about using the same topics from the forum postings, but doing some new research and creating an ebook? That way, your original info is still free on the forum, but it's almost like a teaser for your ebook.
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- markament 14 years ago
  
  Why not use the ebook to build your list? Offer it to visitors in exchange for their email address. I'd become a fan if you gave me great info for free and would be more likely to buy something later on.
  
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  ryanbiddulph 14 years ago
  
  I agree with Mark on this.
  
  My eBooks might be my #1 list builder. I package them as a free gift to induce people to subscribe.
  
  Think Big Picture. The more free value you offer now the more compensation you receive down the road. It also helps to establish you as an expert in your niche. This mindset is why guys like Chris Brogan are wealthy dudes these days.....he gave away oodles of free content and has been paid handsomely for his generous nature.
  
  Ryan
  
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  ~kev~ 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by markament
  
  Why not use the ebook to build your list? Offer it to visitors in exchange for their email address.
  
  Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph
  
  I agree with Mark on this.
  
  My eBooks might be my #1 list builder. I package them as a free gift to induce people to subscribe.
  
  My forum has 34,260 members - around 2,000 members visit daily. My monthly newsletter goes out to around 25,000 people. The forum also gets around 1,000 new members monthly. When someone registers on the forum, they have to verify their email address.
  
  I think I have the email list topic already taken care of.
  
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- CDarklock 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by NicoleBeckett
  
  I agree with Jazbo... If I paid for your ebook, then realized I could have found all of the information for free on the forum, I wouldn't be very happy.
  
  Positioning.
  
  Zombie Blogging is 75% information from two threads right here on WaFo. It actually links to them at the top of the WSO.
  
  However, the information has been restructured and streamlined, so you don't have to read four hundred posts for that info anymore.
  
  If you're honest about the information coming off the forum, and you give people the option of getting it for free on the forum, and you actually do add value to it... you can still charge for the information.
  
  Not as much as you could if it wasn't out there for free, but you can charge. Jazbo's suggestion of removing it from the forum is a bad one, though. (Actually, he may have just meant GET it from the forum, not REMOVE it from the forum. "Take" could mean either one. We might be treating him unfairly on that.)
  
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Frank Sousa 14 years ago

I might also suggest that you repurpose the content and provide it in a video AND audio format. That will add perceived value to the same information.
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neilrivera 14 years ago

Create an ebook and sell it using WSO, it will be very profitable for you and it will gain you experience.
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jacktackett 14 years ago

You can do both - create a free pdf to use to build your list, and a paid version after sprucing it up. True it might be freely available now - but some folks don't mind paying a bit to have someone else do the heavy lifting of putting everything right in front of them. You can also then sell the book on ebook readers (Kindle etc) and CreateSpace or Lulu to go after other folks in different niches. You need a target/plan and then that can drive what you need to do - either just copy/paste into a file and generate a pdf, or do a little additions, formatting and create a product- or just do both.
good luck!
--Jack

ps I know at least 2 people who have turned their blog postings into a physical book. So people do it every day.
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- Haphiza 13 years ago
  
  Since you already have the articles you can change the headlines and re-write the articles using fresh content. You already have an email list so you can sell your ebook to them you can also sell it on the warrior forum.
  
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  Dan C. Rinnert 13 years ago
  
  CD is right. Even if the info is available for free on your forum, having it packaged in an easy-to-use, readily accessible format is a definite benefit. Existing forum members may even buy it for the convenience.
  
  Just be upfront about it. That way, people can choose to search through hundreds or thousands of posts to find the info for free or to just buy the eBook and have all the information readily available at their fingertips.
  
  And, if you can add new information to the eBook, all the better.
  
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Thoughts on making my first ebook

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