Building Your EBook Empire

One of the wonderful things about the internet is that you can become a prolific author without ever having to deal with publishers.  You can publish eBooks yourself at minimal cost and instantly put them on the ‘bookshelves’ of a bookstore that’s available to the entire world 24 hours a day.  I’m talking about building an eBook empire and establishing yourself as an authority in your niche

Simply Amazing Growth Potential – here’s The Facts!

You really shouldn’t overlook this opportunity because it’s a massive one.

When you understand that sales of ebooks just last year alone increased from the previous year by 200% – yes you read that correctly, how many other markets do you know of that have increased by even 20%! – not many if any that I know of – so it really is an amazing market that is growing  all the time. Perhaps a photo like this of a child reading a conventional book will be a photo from the past? Who Knows!

First, what are the benefits? 

Well, it’s free to create and publish your book.  The book is always in stock and available everywhere in the world 24/7.  You can control every aspect of your books and how they’re sold.  EBooks in general sell for more money than print books and with all the reading devices coming out, sales are only growing.  So, let’s get started!

You And Your Niche

The first step is to choose your niche.  Most of you have probably done this already.  If you haven’t, remember that the idea is to pick something you’re into (and can write numerous books about!) and something that people are buying.  Of course, you can hire a writer to do the actual writing, but you’re going to want to be in a niche that you enjoy because it’ll make everything more fun and interesting for you.

The ‘First’ is Always The hardest

The hardest step is the first book.  It seems like a huge undertaking until you do it and realize how easy it is.  One mistake lots of people make is that they try to write a masterpiece first off.  Don’t try to write a book that covers every aspect of your niche.  Instead, choose one aspect and focus on that.

For example, let’s say you’re writing about weight loss.  You could create a colossal 1,000-pager that covers everything from the way the human body works to ancient Chinese weight loss herbs.  But here’s a better idea – take one aspect, like ‘herbal teas for weight loss’ and make that into your book.  This way, you’ll get it done (that’s always nice!) and you’ll have plenty more topics for your future eBooks.

Once the first book’s done, do the next.  Then, the next.  And so on and so on.

Pen Names

I highly recommend using pen names for your eBooks.  There is absolutely nothing weird about using pen names; Mark Twain did, and lots of other great writers did.  It’s standard practice and it’s not done to hide anything.

You should use a different pen name for each niche you’re writing in.  The point is not to deceive, but to keep from confusing people.  They’ll wonder why the same author is writing about dog training and website design.  It eliminates confusion and helps to brand you.

It can also hurt your authority if you write about too many different things.  Remember that reputation and credibility are everything.  If it looks like what it is – a guy/gal with a whole bunch of different niche eBook empires! – People might not trust you as much.  You seem too spread out.

Plus, publishing eBooks is addictive.  You might want to publish that book of experimental poetry you’ve got in you or that philosophy book you’ve been thinking of writing.  It’s best to keep things separate using different identities.

Feedback Is Your Friend

When you get rolling with your eBooks, you’re going to want to pay extra close attention to what your market wants.  That will determine the topic of your next book.  If you do this right, you’ll create one profitable eBook after another.  The key is to get as much feedback as possible.

Lots of people would be happy to give their feedback, but they won’t unless you ask them for it.  Do everything you can to get them to leave you feedback.  Encourage them to be honest.  Actually, negative feedback is the best thing you can hope for.  “Your eBooks sucks” isn’t exactly helpful, but if readers found your book weak in parts or difficult to understand, this tells you what to work on for the next one.

Positive feedback is a nice confidence booster, but trust me; after 10 comments that say, “Nice book, dude!” you’ll be begging for some constructive criticism.

Be Resourceful

When you’re thinking about what aspect of your niche to write about, there are lots of online resources you can use.  Check out Clickbank and see what kinds of things are selling.  Then, try to think of a unique twist that would offer something slightly different.

I already mentioned social media; that’s another great tool you can use to your advantage.  Set up a fan page and see what people are talking about.  The topic of your next book is there if you can read between the lines.

You can also use Amazon to get ideas.  Look at the most popular books in your niche and read the reviews to see why they’re popular.  Again, you don’t want to just copy somebody else’s idea, but put your own twist on it.

Market It

Finally, for each book that you write, create its own website and use it as the hub for all of your marketing efforts.  Even though you can upload your books straight on to Amazon Kindle without any website necessary, it’s good for each of your books to have a ‘home on the web.’  Direct all of your social media marketing, article marketing and everything else you do to promote it to that site.

And don’t forget to set up an affiliate network so that others can sell your books for you.

Selling eBooks can be really lucrative.  But it has other bonuses as well.  By creating an eBook empire, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche.  And that can work for you later on in all of your future marketing efforts.  After all, you’re a published author with a stack of books under your belt!

Tony

Why not leave a comment? Get involved and let us know how you’re doing

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mastering Delegation: How to Transform Your Business and Life

Mastering Delegation: How to Transform Your Business and Life written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interviewed Dave Kerpen, a seasoned entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author with a passion for effective leadership […]