How do you protect your E-book from "good" and bad publicity?

by Ventus

Posted: 14 years ago 12 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Dear warriors,

this is my first post here, I hope you can help me. I wrote my first self-help e-book and I got a few questions before publishing:

Would you post in relevant forums that you have found something that helps, and that you wrote a book about this subject? The risk is that those who are helped returns to the forum and reveals the "secrets" from your book, and those who perhaps see less impressive results could return and warn potential buyers against you. Both situations would of course affect the sale negatively and would stay on the internet. I want to help as many people as possible but I also want to get paid for researching and writing the book! So those of you who sell e-books or know something about it, what would you recommend?

1) Would you post in relevant forums about your e-book before OR after one of your customers have posted?

2) How do/would you handle customers who post bad stuff about your e-book?. Do you reply to their post or is it better to just leave it and hope it will die away...

3) What about those who post a summary / keywords of your book, revealing all the "secrets"? How do you handle that?

4) Some self-help e-books have been on the market for several years but it is still difficult to find out what the "secrets" in those books are... how can that be?

Thanks very much and sorry about my bad English.
I already love this forum, so many helpful people in one place...

#“good” #bad #ebook #protect #publicity #self-help

E. Brian Rose 14 years ago

Focus on promoting your product. If you have truly created a helpful solution, then the world will align itself properly.
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CDarklock 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Ventus

How do/would you handle customers who post bad stuff about your e-book?. Do you reply to their post or is it better to just leave it and hope it will die away...

If they've got a point, I'd fix it and reply that I fixed it. The existing customers (including the ones complaining) would get a fresh copy of the updated ebook. I'd also try to get advance feedback from the complainers about the changes I made.

If they're complaining that my ebook about one subject doesn't cover a different subject, I'd reply that the ebook is not supposed to cover that in the first place, and perhaps they actually wanted a different ebook. If I have one that covers the subject they want, I may offer them a discount or even a free copy.

If they're just complaining that my ebook sucked and they didn't like it, I'll remind them that they can get a refund if they really don't feel it was worth the money.

People with complaints want something. They do not want to be told that they are wrong. They have a problem, and they want it fixed. And whether you like what they are saying or not, they are still your customers, and you need to take care of them.

3) What about those who post a summary / keywords of your book, revealing all the "secrets"? How do you handle that?

I don't write ebooks that can be easily summarised, for exactly this reason. If my point can be rapidly made in a few sentences (like the bit about how to deal with people who bad-mouth your work), I just put it in a forum or blog post for free.

4) Some self-help e-books have been on the market for several years but it is still difficult to find out what the "secrets" in those books are... how can that be?

I'd suggest that maybe these books don't really have discrete, easily-expressed "secrets" in them at all. It's really tough to explain the 1970s self-help classic "I'm OK, You're OK" in a few words, and if you tried, you'd probably screw it up. So if it helped you out a lot, you're better off just telling people to read the book themselves.
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- Ventus 14 years ago
  
  Thanks to both of you - you are being very helpful. I am probably too concerned... I just don't want to do all the wrong things, I think it is going to be hard enough to sell my ebook!
  
  CDarklock your recommendations are brilliant but I still don't know if it is a good idea to be the first person to post in relevant forums... I want to sell my book but at the same time I don't want feedback that discourages people from buying my book. I could imagine that people would start to discuss the methods I recommend, and that is the last thing I want, so what would you do? It is so tempting to try to sell your product in a forum where you just know all the readers are potential buyers, but it could easily create the opposite effect.
  
  I think that a lot of self-help e-books could easily be summarized - most acne treatments (just to give an example, my book is not about acne) recommends the use of supplements, internal cleansing etc. and it is easy to pass on such information in forums etc.
  
  I have to go now but thanks for your help so far - I am so glad I found this forum!
  
  Thanks
  
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  CDarklock 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Ventus
  
  I could imagine that people would start to discuss the methods I recommend, and that is the last thing I want, so what would you do?
  
  Aren't people already discussing the methods you recommend?
  
  I mean, honestly, you're almost certainly NOT the first person to think of it. Zombie Blogging got a lot of praise for being original, but it's just a special case of Trevor Sommerville's website flopping idea, which in turn is just a variation on Matt Levenhagen's campaign blasting concept. Hardly anything is really original.
  
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  "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
  
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Matthew Shane Roe

14 years ago

Cdarklock is the man to listen to on this...

If they have a problem, see how you can fix it. Yes, the problem may stay on that thread and on the internet, but so will your attempt to fix that problem.

As for selling that product in a forum. Most forums don't allow it. So your best bet would be to provide actual helpful content to the forum users with a link in your sig to a capture page to build your list with (which you should be doing anyways..).If you have nothing to offer them for an opt in, find some PLR or even better create a light version of your report giving them quality information yet still holding information back in order for them to have to buy your book to get it all.

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Ventus

14 years ago

Thanks once again to both of you - your answers makes sense. Perhaps I am being too paranoid about it all, I mean it's not like I created the cure for cancer...

If only I could find a good site that explains the different steps.... all the basic things you need to do to get a good place on Google, like how to use keywords in your sales page (and how you shouldn't use them), how to get links to your site (the right way) etc. etc. I am afraid I am going to do something that Google doesn't like simply because I don't know better.

Can anyone of you recommend a good site/blog/thread to me with this kind of information? I do know some but I am a little confused about it all. I have been searching but I know that some of the information I found would harm my Google ranking and that is not what I need right now (or ever!).

I could also use a good SEO book - if you had to choose just one or two books, what would they be?

Thanks - I hope you all have a nice day

Thanks
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Steve Holmes

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Ventus

You honestly don't need a "book" to start off with.

If you are new to SEO and internet marketing then I highly recommend The Challenge which I did in 2007.

Follow the steps and take in as many chunks as you can - they will give you a good start for free.

Steve

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sbucciarel Banned 14 years ago

If you pop into forums talking about how you have "the answer" to their problems with your ebook, you are most likely going to be banned from those forums. It's a ploy used by spammers and everyone can see right through it. Advertise where you're allowed to advertise or you'll be run out of town.
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- Ventus 14 years ago
  
  Thanks Steve - I will take a closer look at that link later, should I worry about giving out my email address to that site?? I would still like a SEO/internet marketing bible though... a book with all the right answers in one place.
  
  Thanks Suzanne - that is a good advice. Personally I hate when people try to sell products in forums, product that I really don't need. I would never try to sell directly on forums... you have to do it the right way I know but still... people are not stupid and yes it is easy to see through it. I just have to help people and then hope some of them find it interesting.
  
  How many post do I have to make before I can "Thank" people??
  Until I get the button - Thanks very much!
  
  Thanks
  
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  CDarklock 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Ventus
  
  How many post do I have to make before I can "Thank" people??
  
  Five. You should be there with your next post.
  
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  "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
  
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Val and Traci 14 years ago

If you believe in your product - dont let others put you off your focus. If they have a valid point - act on it as and when..
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- Ventus 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by CDarklock
  
  Five. You should be there with your next post.
  
  Great. Stupid question perhaps but do I thank everyone who post in every thread I make and do they get a "Thanks" for each post they make or just one? Do I have a limit amount of thanks and what are they for? I want to thank all of you but I have no idea how it works here...
  
  Seems to me like you know about the stuff I am searching for - any sites/books about SEO /internet marketing you would recommend? Please point me in the right direction - I really need help because my book will only target a very limited amount of people. I should have thought a little more about that before I wrote this book... it would be nice to get paid for just some of the time I used so far so please help me - thanks.
  
  Originally Posted by Val and Traci
  
  If you believe in your product - dont let others put you off your focus. If they have a valid point - act on it as and when..
  
  Sounds reasonable - it is so easy to lose focus...
  
  Thanks
  
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How do you protect your E-book from "good" and bad publicity?

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