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Hi There,

I’ve been really busy with my new project… regarding Info Product Creation. Here’s another article that will help you with planning to write your ebook. Make sure you take action.

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How to Write an Ebook

The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That’s why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain ? step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you’ve gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook’s working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you’ll find that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader’s queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books ? as long as it’s not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you’ve got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you’ve built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don’t, they don’t belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We’ve all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night’s sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

• Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?

• Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?

• Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader’s attention?

• Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook “user friendly”

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader’s respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader’s eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as “negative space.” Reader’s eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense, your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that’s easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they’ve gotten past your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don’t forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that’s called a “comma splice.”)

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That’s it! You’ve written a book! Now all you have to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hi,

I’ve just put together an article about why you should write your own eBook…

Let me know what you think.

Enjoy…

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Why Write an eBook?

It’s not true that everything that has been said has already been written. Since that unfortunate axiom came into use, the whole universe has changed. Technology has changed, ideas have changed, and the mindsets of entire nations have changed.

The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook. What the publishing industry needs are people who can tap into the world as it is today - innovative thinkers who can make the leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old problems in a new way. Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information to the millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to do a plethora of different things.

Let’s say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank screen wondering, “Why? Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook when it’s so impossible to get anything published these days?

Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is entirely different than publishing a book in print. Let’s look at the specifics of how the print and cyber publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why you should take the plunge and get your fingers tapping across those keyboards!

Submitting a print book to conventional publishing houses or to agents is similar to wearing a hair shirt 24/7. No matter how good your book actually is, or how many critique services and mentor writers have told you that “you’ve got what it takes,” your submitted manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a boomerang instead of a valuable mine of information.

Perhaps, in desperation, you’ve checked out self-publishing and found out just how expensive a venture it can be. Most “vanity presses” require minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and even that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some presses’ minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies. And that’s just for the printing and binding. Add in distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - well, you do the math. Even if you wanted to go this route, you may not have that kind of money to risk.

Let’s say you already have an Internet business with a quality website and a quality product. An ebook is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business while educating people with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a specific product or service.

For example, let’s say that you’ve spent the last twenty-five years growing and training bonsai trees, and now you’re ready to share your knowledge and experience. An ebook is the perfect way to reach the largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.

Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will help you make a name for yourself and your company, and establish you as an expert in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. Specific businesses are complicated and often require the different aspects to be divided in order for the reader to get the full story.

Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the ebook scene. You may want to build a whole business around writing and publishing ebooks. Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are thinking of setting up a website to promote and market your ebooks. Maybe you’re even thinking of producing an ezine.

One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks is to find information about how to turn their Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And these people are looking to the writers of ebooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies because writers of ebooks are usually people who understand the new cyberspace world we now live in. Ebook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the strategies of promoting and distributing ebooks. The cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be successful so that more and more ebooks will be written.

You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market your ebook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell your ebooks. Think about this? Do you see a formula for success here?

Figure out what your subject matter is, and then narrow it down. Your goal is to aim for specificity. Research what’s out there already, and try to find a void that your ebook might fill.

What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or an ebook about caring for elderly pets? How about the fine points of collecting ancient pottery?

You don’t have to have three masters degrees to write about your subject. People need advice that is easy to read and easily understood. Parents need advice for dealing with their teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills - quickly. The possibilities are endless.

After you’ve writtten your ebook

Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once you’ve finished writing it, just as it is with print books. People will hesitate to buy any book from an author they’ve never heard of. Wouldn’t you?

The answer is simple: give it away! You will see profits in the form of promoting your own business and getting your name out. You will find affiliates who will ask you to place their links within your ebook, and these affiliates will in turn go out and make your name known. Almost every single famous ebook author has started out this way.

Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook is to make it interactive. Invent something for them to do within the book rather than just producing pages that contain static text. Let your readers fill out questionnaires, forms, even crossword puzzles geared to testing their knowledge on a particular subject. Have your readers hit a link that will allow them to recommend your book to their friends and associates. Or include an actual order form so at the end of their reading journey, they can eagerly buy your product.

When people interact with books, they become a part of the world of that book. The fact is just as true for books in print as it is for ebooks.

That’s why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they provide a forum for people to learn and make sense of their own thoughts, but they can also serve to promote your business at the same time.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 3% [?]

How To Create Products That Are Useful To Users And Their Culture, Part II: Getting Your Web Site And Products Ready To Meet The World!

There are many things that can only be understood by those who reside in a specific area. What’s more, when the people of a certain culture meet head-on with people from another culture, there can be a great deal of misinterpretation between them.

Using sociological jargon, this can be categorized as a cultural clash. This happens when people from separate cultures try to communicate ideas without taking into consideration, the cultural differences that exist between them. When we as online entrepreneurs take on the challenge of “globalizing” our business, it is essential that we always keep in mind the value of communication. Sound communication will solve most problems in your daily business.

The World Wide Web enables a global delivery of products and services, as well as enabling better communication among users from different cultures and languages from all over the world. Many efforts are presently being made to assist in the variations among Internet users, such as cultural conventions and languages. We, as Web businesses, have to involve ourselves in these efforts as well. Whether we design and develop our own sites, or whether we hire that out, we do need to be a part of the “creation of the model.” Specifically, if we really want our Web sites to be enjoyed and used by visitors from different cultures, worldwide — we must adapt our sites to those users.

So what can we do to evaluate and optimize our products for approval in other cultures? Other cultures can adopt or reject the product that sells well at home — consumers in assorted cultures may use a product in many different ways and different perspectives. The first thing that needs to be done, once you’ve analyzed the situation for a particular area, is to take that information to your Web site. In some cases, this won’t mean a lot of change. But in other areas, your site will most likely need substantial changes to meet the localized needs.

Many usability issues appear when our Web sites are accessed by users from other cultures. The thing we really need is “multicultural” Web sites which are very different from “multi-lingual.” This is rarely just an issue of language or translation — we need something more “universally” usable.

Consider the impact of culture on the understanding and the use of your site. Pay close attention to your own culture orientations. This will lead to a higher understanding of the preferred structures and interfaces for other cultures. Analyze the preferences, needs, wants, and expectations of visitors from different cultures. This will be your pathway from just cross-cultural theories — to a genuine cross-cultural relationship.

Think internationally! Decide whether it will be better for international users to visit your original Web site or a local one. Get to know everything you can about your users. Know their characteristics, environment, intentions, their typical levels of education, and their patterns of interaction. Take care when you decide about words or phrases, symbols, graphics, and colors. What is suitable for a western culture might have a seriously different meaning for users from other cultures.

Your best-practices solution would be to adapt your original site to accommodate as many different cultures as possible. Yes, a big task! But, once accomplished, your global doorway will present itself astonishingly well in your chosen locations.

When everybody involved in the product development and local branding has a basic understanding of the cultures of your particular locations, cultural literacy (we are knowledgeable and we trust our knowledge) will influence every important decision concerning the markets in your global areas. Cultural literacy could be defined as having developed the ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes, or to see and comprehend through his eyes.

These are evolutionary ideas for 21st century business!

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 2% [?]

How To Create Products That Are Useful To Users And Their Culture, Part I: Understanding What “Culture” Means And How It Affects Your Business

It has long been recognized that language and culture have remarkable influence on business relations. How do you generate products that fit into dissimilar cultures, in numerous languages? How do you develop positive merchant/consumer relationships with today’s diversity in cultures?

The world is quickly becoming more and more global in the sense that communities of diverse cultures begin to communicate more freely. Additionally, there are resources for communicating thoughts and ideas across cultures, such as television, the Internet and so on.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO (2002) described culture in this way: “… Culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.” This description will, of course, have huge impact on the products we create and sell online.

To add to the complexity, large societies often have subcultures, which are groups of people with distinctive sets of activities and beliefs that distinguish them from the larger culture, of which they are a part. The subculture might be unique because of the age of the members, or by their race, ethnicity, class or gender. The descriptions that establish a subculture as separate may be religious, aesthetic, political, occupational, sexual, or a mixture of these factors. As you can see, you, as an Internet business owner, have many choices. It is up to you, to see this as a massive blessing, or an overwhelming set of options!

With ownership of computers rapidly becoming commonplace, and Internet usage growing daily, online access is quickly becoming the primary entryway for information, shopping, and services. Additionally, those computer and Internet users are increasingly from non-English speaking areas of the globe. What does this mean for you, the digital businessperson? Is it now time to consider “going global” with your products? What will this mean, for updating and revamping your Web site?

Web site localization is the process of transforming an existing Web site to make it accessible and culturally fitting to a target audience. Web site localization is a multifaceted process that will need your programming expertise as well as some linguistic and cultural knowledge. Remember… culture affects everything we do, say, read, hear, and think. Even Web sites cannot break away from the influence of culture.

We are in a time where the Internet is coming into more and more homes. It is vital that businesses involved in the globalization of their company consider Web site localization and realize that they must begin with some useful cross-cultural analysis. Are you ready to begin giving some serious thought about expanding your business to a global marketplace?

We can all anticipate learning a lot from one other if we will only listen and learn. The world’s populations are not so far apart as they once were. We literally can visit anywhere, at any time! Every culture has its knowledge and all of us should begin to collect knowledge of every culture.

Please continue reading: How To Create Products That Are Useful To Users And Their Culture, Part II: Getting Your Web Site And Products Ready To Meet The World!

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 3% [?]

How To Make BIG PROFITS from a small mailing list!

Money starts from a small mailing list

Maximize your profit through a small mailing list! You heard it right… All you need is marketing power!

This good news is brought to us by Charlie Page, the owner of the world’s prominent Directory of Ezines. Charlie Page is a distinguished marketer who owns several profitable websites and publishes his own ezine. And now he has written a report that tells the fact on how to make BIG PROFITS from a small mailing list.

The main thing is that he’s worth listening to, since he has been there. Charlie has worked with thousands of ezine publishers and has carefully analyzed what works and what fails.

Charlie even added his own experiences to his implausible report. He took a straight look inside the real world of making money from a small mailing list. And you won’t just get this type of information from reading blogs, forums, articles, or even surfing the web.

For your information, you can actually buy a list of 100,000 subscribers today for about $1000. The question is, are they quality subscribers? Well, Charlie knows that they’re not. In his experience, he bought a list of subscribers from a popular vendor; unfortunately, he made zero sales. He even did exactly what was recommended!

Then, there are also experts who are claiming that you can make money with a small mailing list of 100 subscribers. They even placed some figures to back up their claim. They use these old advertising strategies just to gain customers.

The bottom line here is that, you don’t need to have a huge subscription list if you know what it takes to make profit from a small mailing list.

Starting today, you can create and cultivate your own small mailing list that can bring the automatic profits you want. It is also one way of making your small mailing list highly responsive.

Owning a small mailing list is one of the most profitable things you can do online. Web marketers say that it’s more profitable than writing e-books, getting link partners, and even having the highest Alexa rating.

Building your own small mailing list is an investment that lasts. With a small mailing list, you can make lots of offers and your subscribers will purchase what you recommend. It is also easy to make one, if you know how.

You don’t have to be a guru or spend thousands of dollars to begin profiting from your small mailing list. All you need is to learn how to get subscribers.

That’s exactly what Charlie Page would want to say. According to him, if you’re doing the following, you have the potential for a profitable small mailing list.

1. have your own website
2. generate traffic to your website
3. sell or offer products and services from your site
4. have anyone in your upline
5. have a list of names in your email address book
6. do forum postings
7. send emails

You just need to develop those things for you to be able to make money from your small mailing list.

Your list must be something that you can mail week after week. A list should mean you can advertise your products. Advertising is the life-blood of any mailing list. That is why it is also important that your subscribers know you, like you, and buy from you. But it is recommended that you do not do direct mailings, except to your own subscribers that you have. You can also profit from your list if you know how to schedule your mailings.

Now, would that be possible? Why not? Consider this one fact.

If you get only 100 visitors a day to your web site, and say only 20% of them ask for your information (which means they are subscribing to YOUR mailing list) in a year‘s time, you would have a mailing list of approximately 7000 people!

And if you really exert more effort, you could do much more than this. As marketers say, it takes a little time, money, and dedication to develop and implement a mailing list. But it’s a powerful tool that can pay for itself in just a few months and then keep paying off for years to come.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 5% [?]