Am I wasting my time?

[Graham Maddison]

For the past month i have been busy writing an ebook in the IM niche.....and it is taking forever.

I very often see posts in the wf saying how easy it is to put an ebook together using plr content.

Because I am only half way through my ebook and getting somewhat frustrated at times and although it is original content (written by me in my own words) i am wondering whether or not I should be following others by just rehashing other ebooks out there.

The trouble with the re hash idea, is that I don't want it to be perceived as just another ebook.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Graham

[Intrepreneur]

It's hard isn't it Graham, I don't know whatever I'm going to do when it;s time to launch my blueprint.

[julesbrad]

I am writing my own product too and is harder than some people may claim although it does sometimes depond on the subject and whether you used PLR.

Personally I would say that writing it all yourself means that it can be something which you can be much more proud of when you do finish it - if it is worth doing, it is worth doing it right.

[Achilles1963]

Hey Graham, I ran a fairly inflammatory post on this same subject today , take a look would you, i value your opinion on the subject...Another newbie tried to sell me an "Article Marketing Course"

[kess]

Hi Graham

I have just finished a book a couple of weeks ago and it took forever!

I would say if you have passion for the topic then hang on in there. One tip i can give from my experience is that try not to rush it and don’t be too hard on the discipline of writing. There are many times when you don’t feel like writing but you end up doing it for the sake of finishing the book. I would say write when you are full of inspiration and ideas as that often produces better content. It’s better to write small bits a day then burn your self in 24 hours and never want to do it again.

Good luck!

K

[scotl47]

You must be a perfectionist with your content ... which is good. Every freaking "make money with Google", "millions in a day", seems to be rehashed crap that the "guru's" pas back and forth to their lists and newbies. I but some just to see if there is something new, and 99% of the time I am glad it is a tax deduction.

Regardless of how long it takes, make it unique, make it real, be specific on details. This will help short term, and really help long term.

[scotl47]

Or you can take dbbrock1's advice and sell a ton of crap with a great sales page. Seems to work :-)

[TheAngelGuy]

Outline it.

Expand on the outline.

Then write everything you can think about on the first sub point. Then go to the next sub point and do the same.

Without an outline of main points and sub-points, it can be a lot harder than it has to be.

These guys have helped me out a lot (I'm not an affiliate) - Product Creation Eclass -

[petevamp]

Originally Posted by JMFEJG

You can outsource just give them the index and a script of items you want in there and they will do it for about $3000 in the US or $300 overseas

I dont agree with those prices. I was just over at elance a few weeks ago and posted a job about a similar book I wanted to finish. For some one to write finish the book for me was going to be 180 then I was also going to have another build me a site from a cms I am not familiar with at all joomla. That was going to cost me another 500 or so the lowest bid I did get was around 200. so for under 1k i would have been all set and ready to go.

[timpears]

I was reading a thread in the copywriting forum the other day where a fellow was saying that he could write his own copy but didn't have the time and wanted to get a sales page written quickly for a reasonable (cheap) price.

The responses all seeded to concur that he could get cheap and quick, or good and slow, but not good and quick. Time is money, and your eBook is the same I would say. You could slap it out and get it on the market, and your sales will probably reflect that, or you can spend the time on t and get it the way you want it and your sales (profits) will reflect that.

My thought would be to spend the time on it. If it is worth doing, then it is worth doing well. Don't waste your time, and your customers time by producing junk. Your refunds will reflect the time you spend on it, in an inverse way.

I am not an expert by any means, just my opinion. Take it for what it is worth.

[J Elizabeth Dize]

Graham,

Push through it Quality always wins out...

[AlbertF]

If you got the power to say, I wrote this, you will feel more proud and when people hear of your e-book, they can say, I got it especially from Graham.

[gb4biz]

Graham, I started my Nuts n Bolts back in December and have condensed it down to about 16 pages so far. I looked at using a little PLR in the book but found it to be too
distracting trying to reword things.

No one can follow your brain flow better than you can. Just trust what you say, reread and rework where necessary, then before you publish, have a couple Warriors proof it and maybe give some testimonial or added insight.

I still have a 4 page brochure I published in the mail order market 30 years ago and I get a big smile ( or, laugh )every time I read it.

[Eric Graudins]

Originally Posted by TheAngelGuy

Outline it.

Expand on the outline.

That's how I've always written larger pieces.
I'd also recommend using amind mapping tools ( like the excellent freemind application- it's free)

These tools make it easy to structure and rearrange your content.
When that's done, it's just a matter of writing a lot of short paragraphs to fill in the gaps.
Cheers, Eric G.

[Eric Graudins]

Hi Graeme,
I'm also writing a book, and it's taking a while
Some days you get an extraordinary amount done. Other days .... zilch.

If you are writing on a topic in which you have specialist knowledge, I'd say to write it all yourself and not use PLR - as tempting as it may be.

It's a great feeling to be able to say that every word is original.

In other situations, PLR could certainly be used as a foundation that is fleshed out with your own experiences and insights.

[Kevin Riley]

Keep writing. DO NOT resort to rehashing. There's way too much rehashed crapola out there, and it would just position you as another crap-oil salesman.

I write all my own books. Yes, some take awhile. But, since I make money off them for years after I release them, the effort is well worth it. Of course, the pride of creating your own is something no money can buy.

[johnmags]

Patience. Finish the book yourself. It's good to have something done all by yourself. Maybe in your next ebook project you can outsource some works.

[Cardsearch]

Maybe the idea of an ebook is too daunting and you should consider it a series of articles.

[blogginvixen]

For the benefit of your sales, please introduce something new! It will pay off in the long run as your customer will know if you're pulling their chain by rehearsing old content, or if you really put your all into the eBook.

[Digital Storm]

Originally Posted by Jenn Dize

Graham,

Push through it Quality always wins out...

I could not agree more!

Robert

[Graham Maddison]

Thank you all for your feedback, it is very much appreciated and has re-motivated me to continue with my present format.

As far as outsourcing anything is concerned, 1. I can't afford to and 2. I prefer to do it myself if I can.


I guess the world will have to wait a little longer

Thank you all again.

Graham

[Jdub2104]

I know more people are going to video guides rather than making an eBook. I don't know if this is something that you could create, but it would cut the time in half and its fun!!

Suggestion: I will be in the process of making an video/ebook soon. I will have a text guide to go along with the videos. I think the internet it turning more to videos than text, but the original ebook will always be around. Take your time, and finish it. It will be worth it in the end.

Good Luck!!

[Gary J Martin]

Hey Graham,
I read someone above suggest making the content unique. Thats tough in the IM area to do. To make it completely unique.
My advice would be to give it a unique twist. And add video content if possible. Perceived value and all that.
Oh and good luck my good man

[Moneybuster]

Making something unique on the internet today is getting harder and harder but after reading a lot of ebooks these days I have noticed that atleast 99% of them tell you what to do but never tell people how to. If your book says both what and how to doewhat ever it is about I would think that it would be as unique as they come.

[joan.gibbs.27]

Hi Graham,
If your ebook provides exact ideas and shows the way to follow them, then I think you should stick to it. Outlining is really helpful, at least for these types of lengthy process. Go on, you will surely get benefited.

[Synthia Parker]

Originally Posted by nissan

As long as your providing additional and new information to the readers, I don't think your wasting your time.

I completely agree with Nissan. People always search for what is new in almost everything. So, best of luck...

[Anomaly1974]

Quality is Job 1 should not just be a slogan, it should be reflected in your work. As for PLR, I have to agree that it is much more difficult to get quality information and I would never consider using it as a resource. It would be too difficult to fact check any of the information and sometimes, what sounds good does not work and what sounds absolutely preposterous will be quite effective.

As a prime example, a number of European Universities are complaining about the proliferation of misinformation on wikipedia and how it is actually adversely impacting median grades due to the increased popularity of it as a resource. Given the source of much of the PLR material, I would have to say original content is the only way to go. As to your opinions on outsourcing, I have to agree ... sadly on both counts LOL

Give your customers something of reputable quality that works and I bet they come back around next time you put something out ... even if they do have to wait a bit longer for it.

Just my two cents