Wrote an ebook. How do I sell it?

34 replies
Wow. That took longer than expected to write:
startacardetailingbusiness dot com

Now it's time to sell!

I have four methods:

1. Adwords. I'll add privacy policy, articles, etc. to build up my quality rating, etc. Then bid high on "how to start a car detailing business" "car detailing training" etc.

2. SEO. Add blog, articles, etc. Build inbound links. May take weeks to see results.

3. Craigslist. Post in the "Businesses for Sale" section. 50 page ebook with videos and web templates...how to start a detail shop.

4. Youtube. Post a 30 sec. video optimized for "detail training" "start a detail business" etc. Link to my sales page.

Other than that, I'm not sure what else I can do. Are there other media networks I should be buying on (Yahoo, Adbrite, Bing)? Are there small business oriented websites I should be buying advertising on? Any others?

And at what point should I place the book on clickbank or other affiliate networks and offer aff. comissions? Immediately? Or once I may have tapped out my direct sales methods?
#ebook #sell #wrote
  • Profile picture of the author Mike Linley
    Get it on Clickbank right away and get others promoting it for you..that is leverage but still promote it yourself..your on the right track..also look into some JV deals here on the WF.
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  • Profile picture of the author legs
    I would suggest you take a look at sites that constantly command page 1 listing on Google whenever the search on the keywords are done.

    I did this for a service I launched once. I just copied the keywords with the highest ratings for my subject matter, put it in my keyword metatags for my site and visitors where just pouring in. Made tons of money.

    You have to build a minisite to promote your e-book this way. There are sites that offer these templates. Just do a Google search on "Free mini-site templates" and you should be on your way.
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    • Profile picture of the author ak2000
      Originally Posted by legs View Post

      I would suggest you take a look at sites that constantly command page 1 listing on Google whenever the search on the keywords are done.

      I did this for a service I launched once. I just copied the keywords with the highest ratings for my subject matter, put it in my keyword metatags for my site and visitors where just pouring in. Made tons of money.

      You have to build a minisite to promote your e-book this way. There are sites that offer these templates. Just do a Google search on "Free mini-site templates" and you should be on your way.
      or get one of the Warriors for Hire to put one together for you!
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    I thought you would have thought of this before you spent the time writing it. ?
    Signature

    nothing to see here.

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    • Profile picture of the author Magoo4242
      I would have to agree with Andy here. Seems to me like you put the cart before the horse. I would think you would have done all your research about keywords, traffic numbers, competition , backlinks etc and then formulated a detailed plan on your product and how to sell it.

      I am going to assume that you have this detailing business and then just decided to write a book about it since you are already knowledgeable about it. That is a good start as if you know this inside and out and you are passionate I can bet there is some great and detailed information in your book.

      Now I suggest you backtrack a bit and do some market research on your topic and see what you come up with. There are some great threads and information here all about market research and getting started. Just go back and do all the proper research and you will have many many ideas about what you can do to promote your book. Or you may decide that while this is a good idea for you, there really is not a paying market for this. Could of saved you the time and energy you put into this already. Let's hope there is a market and you make some good money when you are done researching.

      Good luck.

      Matt
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      • Profile picture of the author Mr.Williamstn
        Well..... good question lol!! did you research the demand for your ebook? Did you research the people selling the same type of product you have written. If you have start out with ppc if you have the money!!!. You can also use traffic swarm to bring some traffic to you website so you get get some sells. Like the man above me said go to clickbank and put it on there and have people promote it for you
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  • Profile picture of the author improfitsmadeeasy
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Moneyland
      Originally Posted by improfitsmadeeasy View Post

      I would suggest that you set a launch with JV's to help get the product out.
      I understand getting your product in Clickbank, what do people mean about getting JV's I know it means joint venture...so am I right in saying if I have an ebook on acne then I would need to find someone that is selling a book on weightloss for example, just a complimentary niche? And then would they will offer my ebook on their website or promote to their list and then take the commission. Really what is the difference between an affiliate and a JV?

      Hope someone can make this abit clearer for me.
      Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author Magoo4242
    FYI...I just searched your url and nothing comes up? Do you have this registered yet?
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    • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
      Originally Posted by Magoo4242 View Post

      FYI...I just searched your url and nothing comes up? Do you have this registered yet?
      Sorry! url is startacardetailingbusiness dot com

      Yes, prior to writing the book I did keyword research and found out who my competition is and where they advertise, and how much they sell for.

      Def. not the hottest niche, but because of my 6 years in the industry I knew I could write piping hot content.

      Not trying to make a fortune on this project, just practicing producing and marketing my own product (have higher volume kw products to target later).

      Yup, opt-in for a "free report" will be added soon.

      I'm surprised everyone is suggesting offering this to affiliates immediately. I thought I should try to sell as many directly as I can before settling for 50% of the "cut."
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      • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
        Originally Posted by JustOnePepsi View Post

        I'm surprised everyone is suggesting offering this to affiliates immediately. I thought I should try to sell as many directly as I can before settling for 50% of the "cut."
        Then I suggest that perhaps you don't understand affiliate marketing.

        The effective use of affiliates can expand your marketing reach exponentially, multiplying your visibility to potential purchasers. And far from giving away "50% of the cut", you'd be gaining sales you'd never have managed just with your own efforts. Not to mention the benefits of building a customer list and opportunities for additional products and promotions further along.

        In fact, you should probably start by offering a 70%+ commission.


        Frank
        Signature


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        • Profile picture of the author VanessaB
          One, I agree with Frank. Get affiliates promoting it.

          Two, as stated above with 'complementing niches' find them, write up a special report that ties your product to theirs, build back links to your site inside the report and offer it to the other site owners for free with MRR.. you can even go a step furhter, and choose products that THEY could affiliate with and offer to rebrand it with thier affilate links, and let them distribute the report for you.

          -Dani
          Signature
          The Recon Report
          Reliable Results, Predictable Profits
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          • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
            Here's what you want to do...

            1. Go back to your list of keyword phrases - and expand them through competitive analysis on sites that are getting some good traffic in your niche. Pick 20-30 of the ones that appear most promising (both relevant and show some desire for information around your topic)

            2. Start a PPC campaign with the express purpose of testing each of these 20-30 keyword phrases for conversion...there are systematic ways of doing this using a combination of PPC techniques and split testing of multiple sales pages to quickly arrive at a sales page/keyword pairings that are most profitable for you.

            3.Next, you take the keyword combintations and landing page that shows the most promise and begin to generate content around those keywords. This is where most people mess things up - they either jump to developing content around unprofitable/unresponsive keywords (waste of time) or continue to drive traffic to landing pages that don't convert (waste of time AND money).

            Once you have your landing page converting AND know your high ROI keywords you are GOLDEN...at that point you can expand to affiliate partners, more paid advertising, have content generated, generate backlinks with link text optimized around the keywords, etc...

            We've done this with many underperforming ebooks and turned them into winners - give it a try!

            Jeff
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            • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
              Originally Posted by jbsmith View Post

              Here's what you want to do...

              1. Go back to your list of keyword phrases - and expand them through competitive analysis on sites that are getting some good traffic in your niche. Pick 20-30 of the ones that appear most promising (both relevant and show some desire for information around your topic)

              2. Start a PPC campaign with the express purpose of testing each of these 20-30 keyword phrases for conversion...there are systematic ways of doing this using a combination of PPC techniques and split testing of multiple sales pages to quickly arrive at a sales page/keyword pairings that are most profitable for you.

              3.Next, you take the keyword combintations and landing page that shows the most promise and begin to generate content around those keywords. This is where most people mess things up - they either jump to developing content around unprofitable/unresponsive keywords (waste of time) or continue to drive traffic to landing pages that don't convert (waste of time AND money).

              Once you have your landing page converting AND know your high ROI keywords you are GOLDEN...at that point you can expand to affiliate partners, more paid advertising, have content generated, generate backlinks with link text optimized around the keywords, etc...

              We've done this with many underperforming ebooks and turned them into winners - give it a try!

              Jeff
              Great advice.

              Apparently, the only way to track the conversions of a kw (via ppc) is to write unique sales pages.
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  • Profile picture of the author innocent07
    Banned
    Originally Posted by JustOnePepsi View Post

    Wow. That took longer than expected to write:
    howtostartadetailingbusiness dot com

    Now it's time to sell!

    I have four methods:

    1. Adwords. I'll add privacy policy, articles, etc. to build up my quality rating, etc. Then bid high on "how to start a car detailing business" "car detailing training" etc.

    2. SEO. Add blog, articles, etc. Build inbound links. May take weeks to see results.

    3. Craigslist. Post in the "Businesses for Sale" section. 50 page ebook with videos and web templates...how to start a detail shop.

    4. Youtube. Post a 30 sec. video optimized for "detail training" "start a detail business" etc. Link to my sales page.

    Other than that, I'm not sure what else I can do. Are there other media networks I should be buying on (Yahoo, Adbrite, Bing)? Are there small business oriented websites I should be buying advertising on? Any others?

    And at what point should I place the book on clickbank or other affiliate networks and offer aff. comissions? Immediately? Or once I may have tapped out my direct sales methods?
    30 second video? does it have content info on it? or is just displaying a link for 30 seconds ?
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    • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
      Originally Posted by innocent07 View Post

      30 second video? does it have content info on it? or is just displaying a link for 30 seconds ?
      Probably a camtasia tour of the ebook.
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      • Profile picture of the author stefanjames
        Your website is cool. I think $65 is a little pricy for an ebook but test it. To market this type of product I would use

        -PPC
        -Social Networks
        -Classifieds

        You should have some success with this product. Good luck to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rocketbidz
    YES a website is a good place to sell it u could also try ebay and other popular online auction sites.marco
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  • Profile picture of the author rajput441
    I totally agree with Mike, get it on clickbank and get others promoting for you. If you need help with that let me know I know a guy who could help you in the promotion.
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  • Profile picture of the author davisbrands
    I am actually in the same boat... i have a site bestenergyguide.com that i have done next to nothing with on clickbank..I am open to doing a JV if anyone is at all interested.

    JD
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    • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
      Originally Posted by davisbrands View Post

      I am actually in the same boat... i have a site bestenergyguide.com that i have done next to nothing with on clickbank..I am open to doing a JV if anyone is at all interested.

      JD
      I have had a weak response on clickbank myself.

      90% of sales have been done directly by myself.

      Any affiliates here specialize in small business start ups? Know of any high traffic sites for small business ideas / guides? I do pay 50% commission on each $40 sale: How To Start A Car Detailing Business

      I am set up with clickbank and paydotcom.
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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    especially one that is so labor intensive.

    You are in the Biz-OP market. That is Business Opportunity. The people most likely to buy your "guide" or START-UP Manual (as opposed to ebook) will be looking for a low cost way to MAKE MONEY.

    You want to test your "start a business" (job echh work echh) approach with the easy make money approach:

    "Here is a chance for somone to make money without investing a lot of money in education, training or equipment. YOU could start seeing cash come in the very first week IF you can follow detailed instruction." etc. etc. type of thing.

    30 years ago I ran a very lucrative CASH generating car detailing service because I "catered" to professionals, Drs, dentists, realtors, attornies...my "hook" was a total HAND washed and HAND waxed using only the best wax (polymer) available. I had all the work I wanted.

    Now you can take a two pronged approach...that is, you can offer your valuable, tested in the trenches, proven to work, 6 year track record of success as a complete COURSE or start-up manual, just as Entrepreneur offers a similar "manual"...and target those specifically looking for a "car detailing" business (small niche) and/or

    Take the "biz-op" approach of offering your manual and expertise on a "home based business" or easy start up business or a low cost business which just happens to be car detailing.

    See the difference? The Biz-Op market is much bigger. But you can aim for both with keywords and your ppc test different google keyword ads against each other.

    Even as it is presented, IF I did have an interest in starting a car detailing business, there isn't enough "reasons why" or sizzle on your site...sounds like great information, but I encourage you to make it more about the people who come to read it or look it over and less about what you are and what you have...make it about what you have for them in DOLLAR terms, in terms of TIME...

    And test it.

    A comment about The Cart Before the Horse thing...the good thing is you've done something, you wrote the thing, you realize it is more difficult than you thought...GOOD ON YOU for doing something. NEXT time you'll be better prepared and will work smarter as you work faster...doing in you IM what you do in your car detailing...be more efficient than the next guy.


    Good luck with your efforts, at least you are making some.

    gjabiz

    PS. PM or email me gjabiz@yahoo.com and I'll share my low cost marketing strategy that kept me elbow deep in jobs, maybe you use something similar, maybe it could be a nice BONUS to offer along with your "course" (quit calling it an ebook).
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    • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
      Originally Posted by gjabiz View Post

      especially one that is so labor intensive.

      You are in the Biz-OP market. That is Business Opportunity. The people most likely to buy your "guide" or START-UP Manual (as opposed to ebook) will be looking for a low cost way to MAKE MONEY.

      You want to test your "start a business" (job echh work echh) approach with the easy make money approach:

      "Here is a chance for somone to make money without investing a lot of money in education, training or equipment. YOU could start seeing cash come in the very first week IF you can follow detailed instruction." etc. etc. type of thing.

      30 years ago I ran a very lucrative CASH generating car detailing service because I "catered" to professionals, Drs, dentists, realtors, attornies...my "hook" was a total HAND washed and HAND waxed using only the best wax (polymer) available. I had all the work I wanted.

      Now you can take a two pronged approach...that is, you can offer your valuable, tested in the trenches, proven to work, 6 year track record of success as a complete COURSE or start-up manual, just as Entrepreneur offers a similar "manual"...and target those specifically looking for a "car detailing" business (small niche) and/or

      Take the "biz-op" approach of offering your manual and expertise on a "home based business" or easy start up business or a low cost business which just happens to be car detailing.

      See the difference? The Biz-Op market is much bigger. But you can aim for both with keywords and your ppc test different google keyword ads against each other.

      Even as it is presented, IF I did have an interest in starting a car detailing business, there isn't enough "reasons why" or sizzle on your site...sounds like great information, but I encourage you to make it more about the people who come to read it or look it over and less about what you are and what you have...make it about what you have for them in DOLLAR terms, in terms of TIME...

      And test it.

      A comment about The Cart Before the Horse thing...the good thing is you've done something, you wrote the thing, you realize it is more difficult than you thought...GOOD ON YOU for doing something. NEXT time you'll be better prepared and will work smarter as you work faster...doing in you IM what you do in your car detailing...be more efficient than the next guy.


      Good luck with your efforts, at least you are making some.

      gjabiz

      PS. PM or email me gjabiz@yahoo.com and I'll share my low cost marketing strategy that kept me elbow deep in jobs, maybe you use something similar, maybe it could be a nice BONUS to offer along with your "course" (quit calling it an ebook).
      WOW. This is great advice. This is the perspective I should be copywriting from. Emphasize the EASE of income, AMOUNT of income, INCOME/TIME ratio, and relatively SMALL investment.

      I may actually write a new sales page for this audience.

      I have a several traffic sources, and some are demanding something very detailed and technical. The current sales page services them.

      Other traffic sources are more casual, and I think a "lighter" sales page will be more effective.

      Thanks, I'll email you now.
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  • Profile picture of the author babarapho
    Hai,
    Get it on clickbank, invite some JVs and do some home work then watch your account swell.
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  • Profile picture of the author GSX Enterprises
    I'd recommend testing primarily in the Warrior Special OFfer Forum and through other sites such as SitePoint forums to get feedback and correct and problems, then move on to ClickBank and start building up affiliates!

    Good luck!

    -Safe Travels
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    • Profile picture of the author V12
      Here's what I would do:

      1) Find a good and relevant website with a free newsletter or ezine, the more subscribers they have, the better. In fact, find lots of these sites.

      2)Have a physical copy (just one) of your ebook printed using a print-on-demand company such as lulu.com.

      3)Inside the front cover, handwrite write a JV proposal offering at least 60% commision on sales of the ebook version (60%+ will increase their interest). They will be plugging your ebook in their ezine/newsletter.

      4)Get the name and snail-mail address of the owner of the site (use whois or similar).

      5)Use DHL (or any courier) the send the physical book to the website owner. This will almost guarantee it will get opened and looked at. Emailed JV proposals are often ignored.

      6)Make sure your site is set up and tested beforehand. You could use Clickbank or Paydotcom for the affiliate setup.

      7)If they're not interested, send another copy to another site.

      8)Keep at it until you hit the pay dirt!

      Let us all know how you get on!
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      • Profile picture of the author JustOnePepsi
        Originally Posted by Opportunex View Post

        Here's what I would do:

        1) Find a good and relevant website with a free newsletter or ezine, the more subscribers they have, the better. In fact, find lots of these sites.

        2)Have a physical copy (just one) of your ebook printed using a print-on-demand company such as lulu.com.

        3)Inside the front cover, handwrite write a JV proposal offering at least 60% commision on sales of the ebook version (60%+ will increase their interest). They will be plugging your ebook in their ezine/newsletter.

        4)Get the name and snail-mail address of the owner of the site (use whois or similar).

        5)Use DHL (or any courier) the send the physical book to the website owner. This will almost guarantee it will get opened and looked at. Emailed JV proposals are often ignored.

        6)Make sure your site is set up and tested beforehand. You could use Clickbank or Paydotcom for the affiliate setup.

        7)If they're not interested, send another copy to another site.

        8)Keep at it until you hit the pay dirt!

        Let us all know how you get on!
        Okay, it's been 7 weeks.

        I listed the ebook on Clickbank with poor results (maybe 5 sold).

        Contacted websites ranking top 10 for my kw and signed up w/ their aff. program. 4 sold.

        Youtube Sponsored Videos / Adwords: 30 sold!

        Hands down, the highest return for my $ was Youtube.

        Now I'm working to get my vid ranked in the first page of the SERPs for the kw.
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      • Profile picture of the author beckham319
        Thanks for the great idea. And have you thought of doing an info product on this technique?
        --Barry
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        • Profile picture of the author ak2000
          Can anyone recommend a good Warrior for Hire whom I can hire to bring visitors and leads to my mailing list?
          Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author LinkMommy
    Is there any Clickbank-experienced fellow warriors in here. Reason I am asking:
    My husband and I own LinkMommy.com, launched September 2009 (huge success, went through a quarter million people since then. Because of all the 'freebies' (14-days-free-trial), they make us more work than all the paid members, we will make LinkMommy a Clickbank (maybe another merchant) product soon.
    Can you tell us who you recommend to create required clickbank landing/squeeze and thank you page?

    Any response is very much appreciated. As our thank you, we like to give you a complimentary LinkMommy Membership.

    Regards,

    Toni Schaberick
    LinkMommy.com
    Venice, Florida
    Signature
    Email us for details at linkmommy@gmail.com!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
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  • Profile picture of the author thinkrich
    Franchise it and get a nationwide or even international business going.

    What started out as a small ebook "How To.." manual online can be turned into a huge offline business.

    Next step is to write the operations manual for the franchises. This can be outsourced if necessary.

    There are companies that specialise in buying/selling franchises. Often they sell the same store numerous times and make a profit each time $$$$ commissions on each sale.

    You have your own operations down pat, so why not duplicate it?

    By giving away your 'secrets' you create competition for yourself.

    This is actually counter-productive to your current business.

    I suggest - Encapsulate the essence of your dream by franchising it so that all operations are done to the letter per your specifications, and you, as the franchise owner get a slice of the pie for all business through all franchises.

    ThinkRich
    )
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    [QUOTE=JustOnePepsi;1696858]Wow. That took longer than expected to write:
    startacardetailingbusiness dot com

    Now it's time to sell!
    -------------------------------------------

    Congratulations on your work Pepsi. People have given you some good tips here and you've got some ideas of your own.

    Andy Henry stated, I thought you would have thought of this before you spent the time writing it. ?

    As is always the case, Andy is right on target. If I had to make a list of ten steps involved in writing and selling an ebook, the actual writing process would be #8 or #9 on that list.

    Here is a screen shot from a page in one of my books...



    Now, I'm not trying to be critical Pepsi--but many beginners ask exactly the same question you did above. The key is, that most of the suggestions about marketing your book made here are things that should have been done before the actual writing of the book. Just a tip.

    Again, not being critical--and sometimes I do come across as a jack-ass, but just trying to help you and others. I hope you make a million dollars with the thing!!!

    --Mike
    Signature

    I'll help you create a reputation-building evergreen product in any niche and launch it successfully!
    Check it out here.

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