Considering Writing an Ebook

[JackPowers]

So, I have a great idea with long lasting and wide appeal. It's not saturated from what I can tell, probably not wildly profitable, but should be able to bring in some extra income. It's not in the IM niche.

I want to try my hands at Clickbank, writing the sales letter myself and promoting to affiliates.

BUT..

I don't have much experience in doing so. I know how to write though.

Could you give me some tips on how to approach this?

[Desmond Ong]

Hey JackPowers,

If you think it's a pretty good idea. Just do it then. You have nothing to lose. Remember that.

Don't just consider. Just do it.

[Marty S]

If you are a good writer and enthused about doing this, then the creation of the ebook will probably be the least of your concerns.

For a sales letter and copy though, I would recommend looking at some templates (search forum) in order to keep your costs low and have a relatively effective sales process.

The idea is to just get it up there and start marketing that page. If it starts brining in a few bucks then look at adding a split test page with another layout and copy.

[Profnet]

My suggestion is to "write like you talk" - in other words, use "conversational" style. That seems to be the best selling style right now - it's very human and very relatable.

Respectfully,

Nancy Roebke

[JackPowers]

Thanks for your encouragement. I am planning on doing a 30-40 page ebook + 10-20 page bonus. How is that for a format? It's a health niche topic?

I have scheduled 1 month to get it up and running with sales page, Clickbank and all the rest. What do you think?

[catthecopywriter]

Sounds good. And plausible for that amount of time. Just set aside a couple of hours a day to get it done and you should be ok.

[ASM Marketing]

Jack,

Go for it, if it's information that is valuable then it doesn't matter if it's 3 pages or 30, people will buy if it solves their problem.

Best of luck!

Alex

[Irene Houston]

I suggest you go to Amazon and look at the best seller books in your category to get an idea of how they organize their info/chapters, etc.

Aim for the books with a 'Look inside' feature and all will be revealed, usually someone has spent weeks (if not months) deciding on these titles so it should save you time and you'll have a better idea of how to lay out your own information.

Good luck!

[Ron Killian]

That might be the tough part, writing a sales letter that converts. Doesn't matter how good your book is, if the sales letter doesn't get them to buy.

Hate to be negative, just the most important part of the process and can be tough for most with little experience.

[Loren Woirhaye]

What's in the book, or how well it's written is less important
than 2 other BIG factors:

1. people want the information enough to pay for it.
2. you have the skill to write a salesletter that sells
the promise of the product.

Number 1 is about the marketplace. Number 2 is about
a skill which may or may not come naturally to you.

Good luck.

[Jesse Kemmerer]

You're considering writing an eBook? Sounds like you already have
the wrong mentality. Nobody ever made any money by considering
taking action.

Why limit yourself to just writing an eBook, though? Look around in
your niche and most others. Everyone is toting their own eBook. In
fact, when people are buying information online, they normally
expect to have their content delivered via PDF.

So why not take that same great information you have and put it
together in an audio interview? Get a free teleseminar line and have
a friend or family member grill you on some hot-button questions
related to your information.

Why not create a PowerPoint presentation? Why not make a
newsletter? Why not grab a cheap video camera and host your own
'class' on whatever your niche is? Why not throw in some checklists
or mind maps to help people get started solving whatever problems
you address?

All I'm saying is, the possibilities are endless. Stray away from the
norm. Be unique. Repackage your content into a few different
formats. Interrupt the pattern of monotony. Stand out from the
crowd.

All the best,

Jesse Kemmerer
kemmerer.j@gmail.com

[Reader]

JackPowers,

What is the price you have decided for your ebook? Are you going to write it yourself or outsource it?

Just curious, I preparing an outline for an ebook, too.

[defy]

Figure out what problem you are trying to solve for the people you're trying to sell to. When it comes time to write your sales letter, convince your customer that your ebook is the best way to solve the problem that made them click through to your offer in the first place.

[mikemcmillan]

I'd suggest writing the sales letter first--with a great one your book won't sell. Then reverse engineer the thing. Use your sales letter as a blueprint for the content of your book. Good Luck! --Mike

[Zeus66]

What Mike said. The sales letter needs to sell the dream. The ebook needs to deliver on the promise, or at least deliver the path to the promise. Good luck!

[JackPowers]

Thank you for all the answers.

I am looking at this like a test and learning experience more than anything. That's why I wanted to do everything myself. If I get some positive feedback from the market along the way, then the first thing I will do is to invest in a rocking sales letter.

And yes, I may just start out with writing a sales letter as you guys recommend, then have a Warrior take a look!

[Magic Mel]

Hey Jack,

congrats on wanting to write your ebook and selling it on clickbank. Here are a few important things that you must consider if you want decent amount of sales on CB:

1. Good salesletter - make sure to either write a good salesletter or invest into a good copywriter that knows how to create a good webcopy. No matter how good or great your product is, people will decide to buy or not -- based on that salesletter.

Writing a good salesletter is not an overnight process, get some books and start reading and then writing. The copywriting section of the WF has some of the best copywriters. These guys and gals are in there all the time and they can lend their expertise.

You can also look at the current wso offered by some good copywriter and possibly work with them. Having a good copy is requirement for sales, now some live by video and that's fine but a good copy is a must.

2. Make sure to offer your affiliates on clickbank all the tools they need to make you sales, I would suggest that you join some affiliate programs and see what tools are offered.

3. Offer 60% and higher in commissions and some good perks, affiliates work hard and you should help them build their business and reward them for promoting YOU.

Good luck with your venture Jack!

[Tyrus Antas]

The ebook itself should also convince people that what they've just read was good enough to justify the money they spent on it.

Good copy is not just something you do on a salesletter. You do it on your articles, blog posts, products. Just about anywhere you need to communicate with people.

Tyrus

[Ron Killian]

Originally Posted by JackPowers

Thank you for all the answers.

I am looking at this like a test and learning experience more than anything. That's why I wanted to do everything myself. If I get some positive feedback from the market along the way, then the first thing I will do is to invest in a rocking sales letter.

And yes, I may just start out with writing a sales letter as you guys recommend, then have a Warrior take a look!

Could be the best investment you could make

[mylelo]

Writing is not as hard as many people tend to think, as soon as you start writing all ideas will start flowind from your mind and no body can't stop that, it's a natural process. Somebody had said that all the information in the world is in your own mind it's just that no body can tap in to it with out training your mind, do what you like most and it will come out naturally. It took me two yeras after starting in the IM but after taking action I finally have my first of many future products approved by clickbank, I did my own sales letter with out prior experience but I do have a DESIRE to succeed and that keeps me going, I wrote my own ebook and listing it with clickbank was a breeze, just follow their instructions and you will be ready to go, good luck Jack.

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

Hey Jack,

first, actually start doing this,
then, when you have questions, come here
and post them so we can help you.

Take action first, ask questions second.

Igor

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by JackPowers

So, I have a great idea with long lasting and wide appeal. It's not saturated from what I can tell, probably not wildly profitable, but should be able to bring in some extra income. It's not in the IM niche.

I want to try my hands at Clickbank, writing the sales letter myself and promoting to affiliates.

BUT..

I don't have much experience in doing so. I know how to write though.

Could you give me some tips on how to approach this?

Hi Jack,

Work on your niche..what IM niche do you want?

Work on your ebook...how many pages? table of contents?

Work on your sales page...how to write a compelling copy?

Work on your structure...what comes after payment, optin, download and follow up emails?

Work on these 4 steps. Give yourself 1 month and you are good to go and make more money!

John

[JackPowers]

Originally Posted by jhongren

Hi Jack,

Work on your niche..what IM niche do you want?

Work on your ebook...how many pages? table of contents?

Work on your sales page...how to write a compelling copy?

Work on your structure...what comes after payment, optin, download and follow up emails?

Work on these 4 steps. Give yourself 1 month and you are good to go and make more money!

John

I see what you're getting at!

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by JackPowers

I see what you're getting at!

Take action is the name of the game!

To your success!

John

[jbsmith]

Jack - there are many opportunities within the health niche and there is HUGE opportunity (I know several 5-figure/month earners with Clickbank products in health sub-niches).

That said, most people will not get it right the first, second or third time...and it always comes down to one of:

1. Positioning against the right topic - certain sub-niches and topics are extremely responsive, while others are not - simple as that

2. How you structure your information (ie. the way you offer up your solution) will make a huge difference as to the perceived value of your information.

3. Your sales letter is BIG - without understanding what is behind the Million dollar sales letters on Clickbank, you will wallow in obscurity - unfortunately

4. Tricks on finding affiliates and gaining momentum on Clickbank with gravity, popularity are important to how well a product takes off

5. Incorporating a list-building strategy into the process is critical if you want to build a long-term, growing business (you can market additional products and services over time)

6. Your back-end - instead of getting $37 from your customer you could be getting double or triple that by positioning back-end offers to them - your own, affiliate or licensed offerings all work.

7. Understanding how to get testimonials and social proof is important - that will make a big difference in how well your site converts visitors into buyers...there are certainly some techniques for doing this in an automated way.

Taking action is good - but taking action with some knowledge and experience behind it is so much better...

Jeff

[patricialin]

Try to brainstorm possible problems that your target market might be facing and then, see how you can market the information inside your ebook as their ultimate solution. When writing your ebook, think about the following:

1. Will YOU buy your own ebook?

2. How are your readers going to benefit from the information you are providing?

These simple questions can also help you to write a compelling salescopy to market your ebook. In your salescopy, it's good to address the obvious problem and present a solution - your ebook.

Anyway, there are already a couple of great advice you can take from the rest of the posts!

So, all the best!