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Question on eBook Development

by Dan C. Rinnert
11 replies
I have an eBook I am working on. I'm getting closer and closer to the finish line--just need to stop adding new topics!

Based on previous discussions, eBook has a negative connotation for some people, so I suppose I should give it a different name. I'm thinking maybe calling it a "Course" because "special report" doesn't seem to me to cover it. A "Special Report" sounds to me like something that's just a few pages long.

I'm estimating it's going to be over 100 pages when I'm done. I know that some people don't like long eBooks, but I don't see anyway around it. I mean, I could break it down, making each section a separate eBook, but I think that would make it more difficult for the intended audience. As a single PDF document, it will be much easier for them to jump to different sections as needed, then it would be for them to sort through several separate documents. So, in this case, I think having a single document, even though some might consider it large, will make for a better user experience.

Question is, since this is an eBook I plan to sell, would it be a major issue putting affiliate links in it? There will be some product recommendations in the text, and why not use an affiliate link where available? It's not like they actually have to buy any of the affiliate products. My thinking here is that, no matter how well I secure the download and document, I'm sure it's going to end up on sites where it will be distributed freely. Seems to me that it would be advantageous to have affiliate links in the document, so at least there is hope of getting some type of financial benefit from the content thieves.
#development #ebook #question
  • Profile picture of the author jestershaw
    I would recommend putting links to squeeze pages and not an affiliate link. I had affiliate links in one of my ebooks and many IM'ers were disgusted in my blatant use of them.

    Just my 2 cents.
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  • Profile picture of the author Taylor French
    You can't please everyone, that much is obvious. I believe the vast majority of people wouldn't care about the occasional affiliate link, as long as you keep them to a minimum. I would put no more than one every 5 pages or so, personally.

    As for people not liking long ebooks, that's true. But there are also people who will request a refund if they think the book is too short for the price. Again, you can't please everyone. I think most people see a long book as being higher quality, even when that isn't necessarily true.

    What you could do is offer a supplemental bonus that is basically a quick summary, with just the most important parts. People who prefer shorter books could read this, and it would also benefit people who read the long version, because they could use it as a sort of 'refresher course' to go back to absorb more, without having to read all 100+ pages again.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adaptive
    I'm thinking maybe calling it a "Course" because "special report" doesn't seem to me to cover it. A "Special Report" sounds to me like something that's just a few pages long.

    I'm estimating it's going to be over 100 pages when I'm done.
    That sounds to me like a "workbook" or "manual." If you add the affiliate links, I'd put them in an appendix called something like "Appendix: recommended tools" and make clear that these are offers from other vendors, not from you.

    Regards,
    Allen
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    Originally Posted by jestershaw View Post

    I would recommend putting links to squeeze pages and not an affiliate link.
    One of my thoughts was to have a resources page on my website and link to that page.

    Originally Posted by Taylor French View Post

    As for people not liking long ebooks, that's true. But there are also people who will request a refund if they think the book is too short for the price. Again, you can't please everyone. I think most people see a long book as being higher quality, even when that isn't necessarily true.
    The other issues are, of course, type size and whether it looks like you're padding it to make the eBook longer. I'll be formatting the book to make it what, in my opinion, will be easiest to read. If that adds pages or cuts down pages, that's not as important to me. I think you have to have good content and be nice on the eyes.

    I've bought WSOs and stuff, and the "eBook" you end up with is hard to read. The type is small, packed on the page, and so on. They could have made the type larger and spaced it better. It may have doubled the page count, but it would have made it easier to read.

    Sometimes, too, I think people are more likely to keep reading if it is easy on the eyes. It may upset people that judge a book by its page count, but I think that people that actually read the book will appreciate it more.

    What you could do is offer a supplemental bonus that is basically a quick summary, with just the most important parts. People who prefer shorter books could read this, and it would also benefit people who read the long version, because they could use it as a sort of 'refresher course' to go back to absorb more, without having to read all 100+ pages again.
    That's a good idea, but I don't think it would work in this case.

    Originally Posted by Adaptive View Post

    If you add the affiliate links, I'd put them in an appendix called something like "Appendix: recommended tools" and make clear that these are offers from other vendors, not from you.
    I like that idea! That was along the lines of one of the ideas I tossed around in my head. I was thinking maybe have a resource page at the end of each section.

    Originally Posted by ProductCreator View Post

    As for the length, be warned that 100 is a lot and you might piss some people off. It's probably just about OK. I started writing a book and it looked like it was going to become 200 pages.

    I started from square 1 and am now getting closer to around 60 pages.

    Any more than 100 and I strongly suggest you take a chapter out and offer it as a "bonus" instead.
    Overall, I don't know if that would work in my case. There are a couple sections I could spin out and expand upon as separate, bonus material. But, overall, things are pretty condensed as it is.

    Maybe I could mention in the sales letter that it is a 100-page coursebook or something. That would serve as fair warning. On the other hand, if people think I have the type too large or used too much spacing, they'll think I did it to pad the page count. As Taylor mentioned, you just can't please everyone!

    But, I am thinking that the target audience for this "course" might appreciate a longer book.

    Thanks all!
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  • Profile picture of the author Adaptive
    I was thinking maybe have a resource page at the end of each section.
    That would work too, but it would be handy if you'd repeat all the resources together in the appendix.

    As for the formatting and the length, I think you should mention both as beneficial features.
    "To make this an easy to use guide, it's formatted for you to print out and write your own notes. That's why it's double spaced, so you will make it your own."
    Elsewhere in the sales letter,
    "All of this depth of powerful how-to information [you already described] has never before been assembled in a single manual. This runs to over 100 pages, but don't be intimidated, I walk you by the hand through each and every step..."

    Regards,
    Allen
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  • Profile picture of the author Oracle_320th
    You grab the email address of your customers right, before they make the purchase?
    Then you can put the affiliate link in the follow-up email rather than put affiliate link all at once in your ebook, it would be less intimidated for your customers
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Sanchez
    Use all of the affiliate links you want. Just try to hide them. One of the senior warriors, can't remember his name, has an awesome utility to cloak your affliliate pages. His tool is the link cloaker at affiliatenichemonster dot com . I use it all of the time and it takes about 30 seconds to run it and have that site up.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by Adaptive View Post

      That would work too, but it would be handy if you'd repeat all the resources together in the appendix.

      As for the formatting and the length, I think you should mention both as beneficial features.
      "To make this an easy to use guide, it's formatted for you to print out and write your own notes. That's why it's double spaced, so you will make it your own."
      Elsewhere in the sales letter,
      "All of this depth of powerful how-to information [you already described] has never before been assembled in a single manual. This runs to over 100 pages, but don't be intimidated, I walk you by the hand through each and every step..."
      Great ideas! Thanks!

      Originally Posted by Oracle_320th View Post

      You grab the email address of your customers right, before they make the purchase?
      Then you can put the affiliate link in the follow-up email rather than put affiliate link all at once in your ebook, it would be less intimidated for your customers
      There would be multiple affiliate links for multiple products.

      I'd rather have them as part of the guide rather than in an eMail, which they may discard. If it's part of the guide, they always have access to it and don't have to worry about saving eMails or hunting down a link.

      Originally Posted by Steve Sanchez View Post

      Use all of the affiliate links you want. Just try to hide them. One of the senior warriors, can't remember his name, has an awesome utility to cloak your affliliate pages. His tool is the link cloaker at affiliatenichemonster dot com . I use it all of the time and it takes about 30 seconds to run it and have that site up.
      I just use PHP to cloak my links. Might take a little longer, but it's free and easy. I should automate it for myself with a script. Would be easy to do, but just haven't sat down and done it.

      Thanks again all!
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  • Profile picture of the author Allurre
    What's good bro.

    You should definitely add 1-2 affiliate links, however weave it in seamlessly into your content. Don't scream "buy this", and don't let your affiliate product be in direct competition with yours.

    Just add affiliate links where appropriate. I would recommend to also insert relevant backlinks to your other pages also.

    Hope that helps.
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