Ebook Writing.....?

[Debbie Allen]

I hope someone can provide the information I need. First a quick look at where I am.....

I have been writing for a very long time - my writing actually started long before I began my online career. I have written hundreds of articles for myself and others, including many well-known Warriors.

Additionally I have written several ebooks, (some for my own use and some are sold as PLR content), and I have created a couple of complete ebook packages. Okay - I am sure you get the picture - I love to write!

The problem is that I want to transition from writing articles for others to writing ebooks for them. I am asking for advice on the best way to make that move. My goal is to start 2009 out with the new writing service and phase out the article writing.

I would love to write at least one or two reports or ebooks for someone before the end of the year so that I can get testimonials to use on my site and in my ads. For the testimonials I would of course give a discounted rate. But that leads me to the next question - I am not sure what to charge for ebook writing because I have seen rates ranging from ridiculously cheap to the extreme. What is a fair price to charge? Should I charge by the word or by the page? This is one of those areas that I find conflicting information as I do the research. I would love to hear from someone that has either purchased the service or that provides the service.

[Debbie Allen]

Thanks for the information Mike. I agree that ebooks could be more profitable - and also more fun to write. I like to get a flow going and stay with it.

As for my articles - I do not charge per word, my regular rate is $12 (400 - 600 words).

[Debbie Allen]

Well - I didn't think it was really too much....I put time and effort, plus experience into my writing. However, when I run WSOs I only charge $9 each.

[Anthony Robinson]

Originally Posted by SuperAffiliatesTraining

WOW, that's very high, I bet you are a "guru article writer" if you get that amounts of money for your articles.

Actually that's not high at all for quality work - it's actually fairly inexpensive. It's along the same lines with my rates. I think people have been conditioned to think that 5 bucks is the going rate for articles, and it's just not true. Yes, you can get them for that from some places, but the quality will not be the same. People forget that a well written article will send them traffic and sales for years to come, whereas a poorly done version will get forgotten about quickly. People think that "anyone can do it", but the fact is, they can't. You'd be better off with fewer high quality articles than a mass of poorly written junk.

[Debbie Allen]

chopper180 --- Well said! I think the rent-a-writer sites have created an attitude that puts writers in a bad position. People can find articles being written for $3 each or less and of course that plays a role in what we can or cannot charge for our services.

I started out charging a very low rate and slowly increased it. As a matter of fact, it will be going up again soon. I research every topic that I write about and I strive to under promise and over deliver. When I write for others I feel that the situation is mutually beneficial so I am okay with my rates.

[Bev Clement]

My articles start at $23 for a 400 word so you have plenty of room to move up the price range.

I did an interview with Willie Crawford yesterday about ghostwriting, you can listen to it at Free Online Radio - Internet Talk Radio | BlogTalkRadio that might start you on the road.

[Anthony Robinson]

Deb -

That $3 mentality makes me nuts! The people who peddle articles for that price are junk sellers, nothing more. The good thing (if you can call it that) about there being so much garbage out there is that it makes quality work stick out like a sore thumb. My goal is to create happy, repeat customers, that know the true value of what I provide. I'm not Wal-Mart, trying to match the lowest price.

[Debbie Allen]

Bev - that's great to hear! I will listen to the interview.

It is true that some people refuse to pay a decent price for a quality article. I am sure the same is true with ebooks. That is why I am so confused about how to get started. I know if I start with low rates I can find clients but I don't want to set that kind of standard.

[Bev Clement]

Deb, listen to the interview and then come and ask me questions, because you have bought into a number of myths which you will get rid of shortly

[Debbie Allen]

I just tried and ended up at a blank page....not sure why. I will try again in a few minutes. I appreciate the link! I am sure I will have questions. Thanks!

[Bev Clement]

You have to wait because it looks for the time zone you're in, just leave it to load

[Hendry Lee]

Diva,

Constant content (Constant Content - Website Content, Order Articles) is a marketplace where you can sell and acquire various rights upon an article. And the price per article varies but $20-$40 per piece is not rare.

[Michael Oksa]

Hi Debbie,

Here's another suggestion that may help.

Work backwards.

In other words, figure out how much you would like to make per day through your writing, then determine what you need to charge to make that amount.

For example, if you want to make $150/day, and you can write 10 pages/day, then you would need to charge $15/page to reach your target. You can charge per page, per word, or per report...as long as it's enough to earn your goal.

Justify your prices with the quality you deliver.

All the best,
Michael Oksa

[Debbie Allen]

Hi Mike,

That's what I will do. I think this is going to work out - everyone here is so helpful! I love this forum. Wonderful advise...I should be able to get the new started the way I want...and make it a lucrative one! Still working on my business plan development. I appreciate all the suggestions.

Thanks,
Debbie

[Debbie Allen]

Notice all the typos in my posts.....don't worry, I'm not trying to sell them! lol

[ShayRockhold]

Deb, your prices are not too high. They are quite reasonable.

Listen to Bev's interview and then ask her anything - she is a great teacher.

Good luck!

[Ben_Curtis]

Deb,
I'd like to know when you get started. I planned a short report (12-14 pages) to give away from my site starting in the new year, but might wish to outsource.
You can PM me if you like when you get all your ducks in a row.
Regards~

[Debbie Allen]

Thanks Shay! I try to stay competitive with the writers that I respect.

[Anthony Robinson]

Originally Posted by Bev Clement

Deb, listen to the interview and then come and ask me questions, because you have bought into a number of myths which you will get rid of shortly

Bev,

Tried to listen to the interview and got this:

Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManagerTimeoutException: The server request timed out

Any Ideas?

[angela99]

Hi Diva Deb

Re your ebooks and pricing: you charge what you charge. :-)

There's no big mystery to pricing products and services. It's a process... part and parcel of marketing.

Viz: the marketing mix -- 4Ps: Product, PRICE, Promotion and Place -- Marketing mix - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The prices you charge aren't set in isolation. They're part of your marketing mix.

The Promotion and Place determine the price. For example, if you're selling ebooks to Warriors, decide which Warriors are your target market, either the new marketers, or experienced Warriors who already make a great income. The latter will pay more. :-)

Why not do a WSO? Once you've delivered all the ebooks you contracted to do under the WSO, you'll have lots of experience. Then you can write ebooks yourself, and market them yourself for ongoing income.

Happy writing in 2009 -- you're making plans now, and I'm sure you'll have a great year. :-)

Cheers

Angela

[Debbie Allen]

Angela,

Thank you so much for contributing to this thread.

Yes - I do plan to target the experienced marketers as I have written my own ebooks and created complete packages.

I will be doing a WSO tomorrow in which I will announce my one-time introduction rate. My work is high quality so after the initial discount rate the price will increase. I am expecting 2009 to be my year in many ways! I have worked hard to learn what I have - it is time for that to pay off.

But I am not sure if I should charge a flat rate and offer say, 20-page ebooks for XXXXX amount or if I should be more flexible and charge per page, allowing the client to choose the number. The first ten will be the most difficult. I think my WSO will be limited to 10 orders, providing a huge discount to the first five orders and a higher rate for the next five.....I'm still trying to work out the details. I just want to start the right way!

[Audrey Harvey]

Deb, I wrote an ebook for a client once, and they had an expectation of a certain number of pages. When the book was finished, it had fewer pages. To get to the number of pages the client was expecting, I would have had to add a whole lot of fluff, which I didn't want to do. We renegotiated the price based on the number of pages, and the client was very happy with her product.

If you charge by the page, you've more flexibility with the project, to either increase or decrease page number if you need to.

Audrey

[Debbie Allen]

Audrey,

Thanks, that's great information. I was leaning in that direction I wanted to hear from someone in the know if it was the right way to handle offers.

The information I have received here today has been amazing!

Debbie

[DeePower]

I've got experience writing ebooks, hard copy books, and ghostwriting ebooks.

Have you noticed when you download ebooks the pages range from 50 words on a page to 250 words. The margins are huge, the font size 14 or more and the page is double spaced. All to give the impression that the reader is getting more bang for their buck. How many pages has nothing to do with how many words or how much work will be involved.

My suggesion is to charge by the page but specify how many words will be on that page. I usually say 350 words per page because that's about what Times New Roman font size 12 with one inch margins comes out to.

With my current clients when I begin a project I spend about a day outlining the book, coming up with chapters and a short description of what will be included in each chapter. I also provide an estimate of the length of the book. Or if the client has said they have a budget of $xxxx, I'll stay within that budget when I come up with the chapters and word count.

FYI there's not a lot of difference with coming up with the chapter outline for a ghostwritten book and the books I've had commercially published. The thought process is about the same.

I stagger the payments for the clients. 50% due upon starting the project, 25% at the midpoint and 25% when the project is finished and accepted.
I"ll submit the first 3 chapters to make sure that the client and I are on the same page (writer humour there) as far as style and voice go. I always write in my own voice but there's a difference depending on the audience for the book.

We also agree to a timeline for completion of the first chapters, first half of the book and the final target date.

The less opportunity for misunderstanding between myself and the client the more productive the relationship and the happier we both are. Writing a 20,000 word or more ebook is a major committment of time.

Unfortunately there is a lot of opportunity for writers to get ripped off. Protect yourself.

I'm lucky because I have writing credentials. I can point people to amazon.com and show them the books I've written. I also have a number of websites that show different topics. For example my dogs and I write a blog that's a completely different style than the weight loss site I have which is different again from my business oriented sites.

Ebooks on topics I enjoy writing about or am curious about are more fun for me than writing articles. In fact I don't write articles very much anymore except for my own sites.

Dee

[Debbie Allen]

Dee,

Wow - that is a lot of helpful information. I will definitely use that when I set things up.

Although I have not had any of my books published yet I will have soon. I do have ebooks and products of my own though.

I like the idea of staggering the payments - 50% on order, 25% at mid point and the rest on completed and approved product.With all this information I should be able to post my first ebook writing WSO tomorrow. I'm excited about this because I much prefer writing books over writing articles.

You know how writers are, we get started on a subject and we can just keep going. This is sounding better all the time. Thanks so much for your help!

Debbie

[Bev Clement]

Originally Posted by chopper180

Bev,

Tried to listen to the interview and got this:

Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManagerTimeoutException: The server request timed out

Any Ideas?

Because it's hosted on blogtalkradio I suggest you go to their site look up WillieCrawford and then look for the show on ghostwriting.

[Recruitment Nick]

Hope this is not stealing the thread

Bev - just about to listen to your radio int (have it on as I type), great to hear a Welsh girl making it good - I'm a Mumbles boy myself

To everyone else (and Bev). I am just looking to get into freelance writing myself, have a couple of clients but only at a couple of cents a pop so hardly the big bucks, but I am just finding my feet. Come the new year I intend to be targetting better paid jobs, and one of which that interests me is ebook writing (I knew I could keep it on topic!).

I am intrigued as to how it works with regards the non-writing side. does the ghost writer also include the formatting and design or (as I suspect) is the writer usually just responsible for the written content?

Think thats on topic enough not to hijack the thread too much, and Deb - best of luck! my fingers are crossed for you (when not typing anyway).

[Bev Clement]

Nick did you bring a Joe's with you, if not go and get me one now

We lived in Waunarlwydd when we got married, and my mother still lives in Swansea.

I do a lot of the formatting as I write, so headings are included, headers and footers etc, and then the table of contents which is clickable is also included. Sometimes, I will write a glossary, and each word will be linked during the book.

Some clients ask for both the .doc and .pdf because some are not sure how to create the pdf themselves. We have even created the pdf with security for the person.

The basic answer is it depends on what the client asks for originally.

Bev

[ados67]

Definitely charge per page, from my experience!

Goog luck!

Adi Friedman
Two Believers.

[Debbie Allen]

Hi Recruitment Nick --- glad you could add to the thread. There is a lot of great information here.......feel free to keep in touch with me and I will let you know what I do and how it goes --- I am not sure if it is necessary to start out with articles but that is what I did. I have been writing articles for various people, including some well known Internet Marketers, for the past couple of years.

I just find that writing ebooks is more enjoyable because you can keep your thoughts flowing in one direction for a longer period of time.

I appreciate your kind thoughts.....I am determined to make 2009 a 'work smarter, not harder' year for me. I believe I have built credibility with my work and I want to leverage that. I always have a goal of pleasing my clients and I do my best to meet their needs. I have found that the more information they can provide you upfront the better your product will match their desires. The point is, you should let your clients know that they need to have some idea of what they want and expect. Everyone is happier in the end that way!

Debbie

[Debbie Allen]

ados67,

Thanks --- I plan to make this effort work out in a great way for myself and my clients. 2009 is going to be a great year - I am developing my plans and goals right now.