Have you ever been seized with an insane desire to write about an utterly bizarre topic like Mooses?

I know, I know, you’ve probably been lying awake late at night angsting about that!!

You know, there ARE people who would interested in such esoteric concepts.  After all, consider these following awesome ebooks:

• The Ultimate Parakeet
• Sell MORE Model Horses on eBay

(Yes, those are two of my ebooks    )

You wouldn’t there would be lots of interest there either, eh?

Anywhos!  The point remains – at some time in your online career, you might find yourself having to write an ebok about a topic that everyone else would consider to be, well, just plain bizarre.

But not to fear!  For there are ways to make subjects as delightful as toenail fungus…captivating, exciting and downright compelling as well.

Here’s one idea….

Take your ebook topic and zoom 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

Let’s say you really do want to write about toenail fungus.  Well, jeepers, that’s pretty exciting…except I doubt that people will beat you with their wallets trying to buy:

How I Live With Toenail Fungus 24×7…and How You Can Too!

So!  Take it in the opposite direction.  Let’s say your audience SUFFERS from your topic – what the BENEFITS they’ll receive if they rid themselves of it?

• Gorgeous Feet WILL Be Yours…FINALLY
  
• Doctors Claimed It Was Impossible To Save My Toes But I Proved Them Wrong!
  
• Never Be Embarrassed By Your Unslightly Toes Again!

Benefits, benefits benefits! 

Remember, people don’t go on diets because they love forgoing ice cream and cookies, instead they want to attract MacGyver (the smart women do, that is) or whatever female is popular today!

You can turn ANY situation around to uncover benefits!  Think about it:

• Dropped your coffee cup?  You get the benefit of exercise in cleaning up the mess!
• Got a traffic ticket?  You get the benefit of learning how to drive safe in the future and avoid a second instance!
• Caught a cold?  You get the benefit of taking a day off from work where you can catch up on the latest advances in your niche!

Remember…people are NOT going to buy your ebook because of what you teach…they’re going to buy it because of the BENEFITS it gives them.

Is your ebook about curing toenail fungus? 

Your buyers will want to imagine themselves painfree and fungus free in the future…thus enabling them to appear attractive to their foot-fetished friends. 

Is your ebook instead about farming goldfish? 

Your buyers will crave knowing how they can support their families and loved ones as the years go by.

Is your ebook about butchering deer for mooses? 

Your buyers will love knowing how much money they’ll be saving for future adventures!  (trust me on this, I know.    )

In closing, always ask yourself….if my reader actually DID what my ebook SAID to do…what benefits would they experience?

• Would they be happier?
• Would they make more money?
• Would they get more sex?
• Would they get more admiration?
• etc.etc.etc.

Writing your ebook BACKWARDS from that idea…it’s a great way to begin.  And you can take THAT to the bank.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – Want guidance in writing an ebook?  Building Your eBook Empire is one of THE best resources for it that I’ve found – I learned a heck of a lot from it meself!  Click on the book below to see just why I rave about it all the time.

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Do you want to write an ebook and ideally ensure its success for 2010?

If so, wise you are indeed to start thinking about this NOW….instead of, say, when 2010 arrives1

You see, back in February of 2009 when I conceived of Income Fitness, I started FIRST to consider….just how could I slant success in my general direction?

And here’s what I did.  You can do the same thing too!

I started an Income Fitness Forum

By starting a forum, I ensured I started building up an audience.  Plus, all posts get indexed in search engines (yay!) which also helps in giving me great visibility online.

I started touching base with other affiliate marketers

My success is increased when I help make OTHERS successful too.  By alerting other marketers about my book-in-progress, I got them interested in reviewing and promoting it as well.

I began answering questions at other marketing forums

The Internet is HUGE….and showcasing my knowledge at other forums helps get the word out that I walk the walk I talk.

I started offering helpful tweets about marketing/SEO/business etc.

Again….give, and you shall receive.  I have over 5,000 Twitter followers and it’s just continuing to grow and grow.

I made certain to build an affiliate marketing tutorial for my ebook product

The more you help your affiliates sell your product…the more money both they and you make!  So I spent the time necessary to make the book graphics, write the copy, etc.etc.etc.

Now, keep in mind…I was doing all of this CONCURRENTLY to writing the book itself!

Now, let’s bring this topic back to the most important person reading it…YOU!

If YOU’RE planning on making an ebook that sells in 2010, give YOURSELF the advantage you deserve and prepare the groundwork as well! 

Writing the book is the easiest part….getting all those behind-the-scenes thingees in place is what will really help you make it big online.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – Want guidance in writing an ebook?  Building Your eBook Empire is one of THE best resources for it that I’ve found – I learned a heck of a lot from it meself!  Click on the book below to see just why I rave about it all the time.

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Thinking about writing an eBook?

Great idea!  But let me first suggest that you…

Think of a hashtag to promote it.

It’s actually quite simple, really!  When you’re in project creation mode or ebook-writing mode or thinking-about-anything for-the-future mode…you want to alert your audience to that fact.

Hashtags make this easy!

Back when I was writing Income Fitness, Book 1, I would periodically tweet something about my progress like so:

• Writing #IncomeFitness#ebook  last chapter, YAY!

or

• Have to write the salescopy for #IncomeFitness – hate writing sales copy!
  

Seeding your timeline with references to your future product…it’s a very good thing to do indeed!

Got questions about Twitter hashtags?  Check out:

• Ultimate Guide to Twitter Hashtags
• Introduction to Twitter Hashtags
• How to use Twitter Hashtags for Business

You can even "register" your hashtag at Twubs too!

If you can define an entire hashtag around your brand (like I did for #IncomeFitness), it will help your marketing when your ebook finally IS ready for distribution. 

Your income’s fitness will thank you for it. 

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – if you’d like THE best resource for writing an ebook, click below for:

Building Your eBook Empire
(I learned a lot from it meself!)

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Do you want to write an ebook?

Actually, that’s not really the main question.  Let me try again…

What’s your main goal for your ebook?

Do you want to make an ebook that SELLS?

Do you want to make an ebook that makes people happy?

Do you want to make an ebook that makes people think?

Do you want to make an ebook that makes the world change?

Well?  What is it?

For me, I think MY personal main goal when it comes to writing an ebook is to make my customers THINK.

Think what, I hear you ask?

Well, it all depends.  Ideally, I personally get the most satisfaction when I know that my customers have gained SOMETHING by reading my ebook.

It could be a new technique….

It could be a new idea…

It could be a different approach….

But no matter what it does, the main bottom-line component is, customers have to first THINK to put into practice whatever they read.

From 12+ years of writing books and ebooks, here are 3 of my favorite tips to catalyze your customers into thinking about accepting new and exciting ideas.

Tip #1).  Shun the academic approach in your ebook

It’s very tempting to showcase your knowledge and write in high-falutin’ terminology…but remember, your audience wants to LEARN.  And if you write drier than a scortched toaster (read – academic blue-print/user’s manual/bore the reader to sleep), you’ll lose your customer faster than a concrete parachute would plunge to earth.

Enthrall and embrace your readers – don’t bore them.

Tip #2).  Tell your readers what you’re going to tell them…BEFORE you tell them.

This is also a very effective seminar trick too. 

• When you’re opening an ebook chapter, TELL your readers WHAT they are going to learn.
• Then, tell, tell them what you intend.
• Then….tell them what you just told them!

Repetition can work wonders when you want to make a point.  Remember, your customers have a specific REASON why they bought your ebook – they want to gain all the benefits your sales copy promises!

And one way to do this is to repeat, repeat…and repeat yet again.

I wrote Income Fitness following this methodology….and have received very positive feedback from it a LOT.

Tip #3.)  Empathize with your ebook readers.

Chances are, your readers are going to have to step out of their comfort boundaries when reading your ebok.

And if they feel intimidated, not only will they NOT think…but they’ll shut off the impact your words could have made in their minds.

Thus, you want to empathize with your ebook readers and SHOW you understand from where they’re coming.  After all, EVERYONE (you, me, your Aunt Bertha, etc.etc.etc.) was a beginner SOMETIME…make your readers feel it’s okay that they’re in the learning stage.

Empathize with your reader…and you’ll gain many more open ears.

The above only touches on what you how you can approach your ebook so it makes your customers think and become receptive to your ideas.  What else can YOU add? 

I’ve love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – if you’re considering writing an ebook, by far…the utter BEST resource I have found for that is

Building Your eBook Empire
Click below and you’ll see why!

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Do you want to write an ebook?

If so, let me ask you…how long do you think that ebook should be?

Did you know that the QUALITY of an ebook is NOT dependent upon the QUANTITY of pages…but instead upon how EFFECTIVELY you can deliver what the consumer expects and wants?

Sometimes…consumers are looking for the QUICK reference fix.  Oh sure, it sounds impressive to say there’s 200+ pages contained within an ebook, but think about it this way…that’s 200 pages a customer has to READ.

And reading…it can take time.  Plenty of time.   Big ‘ole huge bleepin’ heaps ‘o time!!

Now, I myself like big huge ebooks, but even then…I’ll be honest – I will generally skim to the real gems that are inscribed within its electronic covers and probably….ignore the rest (gasp!).  I know, I know, Bad Barbara…but time is money for me…and the quicker I can find and use the information I need, the better it is for my overall income.

So! An ebook should be as long OR as short as you require….to deliver what your customer expects.

I plan on internalizing this myself for my next product that will deal with easy simple ways to achieve HIGH local SEO quickly and efficiently…for free.

Thus…the question now emerges with the subtlety of a moose figure-skating across a frozen raindrop.

HOW do you structure an ebook that’s short, sweet, to the point and (for you, most importantly) sells big huge bunches?

I’ll obviously be working on this meself!  But so far, here are 2 of MY ideas (and I’d love to hear yours too)!

Tip 1.)  Break everything down in your ebook into step 1, step 2, etc.etc.etc.

Lists make it virtually impossible for your customer to make a misstep!  So outline your secrets and procedures in a way that even your Aunt Bertha could successfully follow.

Tip 2.)  Add hyperlinks/supporting references in your ebook whenever possible.

You can even password protect a directory on your site and give your customers the secret "key" to accessing supporting documentation as well!

This way, your customers can get as much reference material as they desire….but STILL, your ebook is a nice svelte length and does NOT come across as over-bloated.

Other folks who have ideas about how to make a short ebook that sells include:

• Short Ebooks – Create Fast Info Products Which Sell
• How to Write a Good eBook – You Know, the Kind that Doesn’t Suck
• How Long Should an E-book Be?
• Question: How Long Should My eBook Be?

So….stick with me for the long run!  I’ll be sure to share whatever I discover during my next writing project…and I promise you.  It’s going to be brief, pithy, to the point…and productive as heck. 

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – the best resource I’ve found for making an ebook is:

Writing an eBook Empire

Check it out above, it taught me bunches!!

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

So!  You’re thinking about writing an ebook and making tremendously magnificent products until those cows come home.

Great idea!  But before you send that out…have you ever thought of what ELSE you could include (besides the Oscar-worthy content of your own actual product)?

Enter….Create Your Own eBook Dedications!

It makes sense, actually.  Think about it… most likely, there are people in your life for whom you have big huge bunches of gratitude.

Right?

‘Course right!  What goes around, comes around….so why not highlight the people who have helped you the most and even give them active hyperlinks in your ebook dedication section?

Here’s mine from Income Fitness:

A public thank you – I’ve been making my living online now for over a decade and during this time, have been blessed by the following individuals:

·       Bill Vick, Wallace Harkness, Dr. Ilyse O’Desky, Terry Zappulla, Ed Horch, Mary Ellen Ferrara, Tony Blake, and bunches more.

·       I’m also deeply grateful to the blogosphere and the super folks from whom I learned including Liz Strauss, Mark Davidson, Suzie Cheel, Joanna Young, Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, Maureen Sharib, Jim Stroud, Judi Sohn, Catherine Lawson, Maki, Wendy Piersall, John Chow, Gab Goldenberg, James Chartrand, Skellie, Crow, Joel Falconer, Melinda, Lorelle , Brad Shorr, Cath Lawson, Barbara Swafford, Ulla Hennig and many more as well. 

·       And I would most remiss indeed if I neglected to mention Bonnie and the RocketMoms of Squidoo!  They taught me an incredible amount about how terrific Squidoo is for anyone online.

Next, I am indebted to:

o   Donna Gillespie,  author of the life-changing books The Light Bearer and Lady of the Light – one of the most superb writers today.

Last but never least:

My family.  My wonderful husband, Moses Ling, my terrific kids, my wondrous mooses, my absolutely fantastic parents – none of this would be possible whatsoever without their love and support.  This one’s for you, folks!

DEDICATION

To my husband:

Income Fitness is dedicated to my husband, Moses Ling…the man in my life who keeps me sane and gives me the truest meaning to my life.

I love you the mostest.  Always.

Barbara Ling

Fortune favors the bold.

See what I mean?

Compare that to a dedication like so:

My book is dedicated, ummmm, to me.

So, when you’re thinking about writing an ebook….

Let your dedications shine thru.  Your friends will appreciate it.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – the best resource I’ve found for making an ebook is:

Writing an eBook Empire

Check it out above, it taught me bunches!!

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

So!  You’re thinking about writing an ebook and making huuuuuugely luscious profits for years and years to come.

Great idea!  But let me now ask you….are you ensuring your ebook footer is helping you achieve that goal???

I cannot begin to recount just how many ebooks have NO footers at all!  Even worse…if they DO, it’s only perhaps a copyright notice or just  page number.

And to that I say, no no no!  My eyes!  They burn!  My soul!  It weeps! And my question to you is:

How, oh HOW COULD you let that prime marketing space go to waste?

Thank you, I feel much better now.

Seriously speaking however, think about it!

Most likely your PDF has active links embedded within it, right?

Well….why not ensure you have an active link BACK to your website AT THE VERY LEAST on your footer?

Hmmmmmm?

And you can go even beyond that!  Check out this page:

What NOW???

A link to that page is on the footer of my Dark Side of Making Money Online book (you can get it on the

dropdown from Income Fitness). 

Why?

Because when people FINISH reading my books or reports or what have you….I want to ensure they have ANOTHER place to go that showcases I walk the walk I talk. 

And what better place than my blog?

Need help in adding footers or headers in your ebook?

Check out:

• Footers and Headers tutorial
• VIDEO How to Add Page Numbers, Footers and Headers to a Word 2007 Document
• Including Headers and Footers in Your Document

Want ideas on what to ADD to your ebook Footer?

The possibilities are unlimited!

You can include links to:

• Your blog
• Your newsletter
• Your free 7 day eclass
• Your LinkedIn profile
• Your Twitter profile
• Your Facebook Fan Page
• Your favorite affiliate link

and more!!

Your ebook footer can be a very profitable component to your ebook – make certain you benefit from it TODAY.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – if you’re serious about making money with your ebooks, do yourself a favor and check out:

Building an eBook Empire

It’s one of, if not THE, best resource I’ve come across for this topic.

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Morning.

QUICK!  Visit my new welcome page!  Not only will you see the following:

But you’ll also see the following nifty button:

And not only that…but when you move your mouse cursor over it on the active page, it changes color!

Is that not the coolest thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life????

Well alright, I suppose there ARE other coolio things too…but the fact remains, I’m tickled pick as to how nice that button came out.    And the best thing is…it’s free to do and YOU can have the same thing for YOUR ebook downloads too!

Here’s how.

Step 1.)  Visit CoolText Buttons.

Cool Text Buttons is a free button generator!

Step 2.)  Choose the text you’d like for your ebook download button.

Here’s a link to all the fonts they offer.

Step 3.)  Set the ebook button font size anywhere from 14 to 18px.

If it’s bigger, you’ll have a bigger button.

Step 4.)  Set the ebook button font outline.

Sometimes a medium black line will help your text stand out.

Step 5.) Set your ebook download button shape.

You can choose from:

Rounded

Rectangle

Pill

Ellipse

Circle

I like the Rounded or the Pill.

Step 6.)  Set the ebook button colors.

I generally like using a gradient on my download buttons.  You can set Color 1 and Color 2; I use a brighter color on Color 1.

Step 7.)  Choose the eBook Download Button Shadow.

I confess – I love the mirror effect!!

You can choose from:

No Shadow

Drop Shadow

Glow Shadow

Mirror Shadow

We’re almost done!  Next,

Step 8.)  Choose your ebook download button effect.

Here, you can choose from:

Flat

Gel

Glass

3D

3D Sharp

3D Metal

3D Bordered

 Next,

Step 9.)  Choose your ebook download button MouseOver effect.

Do you want your button to glow or become bright or embossify or …?  Here, the effects you can choose are:

None

Bright

Spot

Glow

Emboss

And finally:

Step 10.)  Click RENDER BUTTON!

Once you’re happy with what you have, click RENDOR BUTTON!

The resulting page will offer you both the regular button image, the mouse over button image, PLUS the code you need to include to activate it on your own site.

And THAT’S how you can make great web 2.0 Download buttons for your ebooks. Neat, eh?

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps - if you want to truly get the edge regarding eBooks, get thyself NOW to:

Buliding Your Own eBook Empire

It’s something I can wholeheartedly recommend!!!

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara

                  

Ever get an insane urge to write a smashing eBook table of contents?  It can really help boost your sales!

I realized this again after reading more of Tiffany’s great ebook Building an eBook Empire.   Now, back before the earth’s crust cooled, I used that technique in my ebook Table of Contents – my Make Them Beg to Hire You TOC included:

• Adventure 1 – The Importance Of Being Earnest: Assessing Your Skills   
  
• Adventure 2 – Trumping Checkmate - Realistically Assessing Your Situation    29
  
• Adventure 3  – The Laser Guided Career Missile: Uncovering Your Job Seeking OpportAdventureies
  
• Adventure 4 – Putting Together The Pieces And Plugging Them In: Security Resources and Getting Onto the Internet
  
• Adventure 5 – Building The Battle Armor -  Layoff-Proofing
  
• Adventure 6 – The Job Finders Horserace: You’re Competing Against…     
  
• Adventure 7 – Breaking Through The Wall - How To Demolish Job Seeker Fear Like A Wrecking Ball Through A Building
  
• Adventure 8 – Become a Job-Finding Iceberg – Rocking The Resume Boat
  
• Adventure 9 – Connect, Promote, Electrify – Killer Secret Networking Tips
  
• Adventure 10 – Blue-Ribbon Self-Promotion – Powerizing Via Job Fairs
  
• Adventure 11 -  Taking it to the Boards – Choosing the Right Job Boards for You
  
• Adventure  12 – Get Ready, Get Set … RUN! - Getting Into the Proactive Search Mode
  
• Adventure 13 – Peek-a-boo Searching – Revealing The Hidden Job Market

I realize now that I should have kept that technique in my latest endeavors…but have no fear, all future ebook covers of mine will take advantage of it! 

Check out Tiff’s Table of Contents:

Empire-Building Secret #1:  How to Create an eBook That Targets Your Audience with Psychic-Like Precision!

Empire-Building Secret #2:  How to Find the Profit-Pulling Ideas Others Are Using and Then Improve on Them!

Empire-Building Secret #3 :   How to Hone in on Both Robotic and Human-Relevant Words and Phrases That Will Help Your Site Get Found, Indexed, and Presented to Potential Buyers!

Empire-Building Secret #4:  How to Digitally Format Your Info Product and Set It Up for Automatic Delivery, Helping You Maintain a Hands-Off Approach!

Empire-Building Secret #5:  How to Start from Scratch and Flesh Out a High-Converting Sales Page Without Shelling Out $10,000 for a Copywriting Pro to Write It!

Empire-Building Secret #6:  How to Put Together a Simple 1-Page Minisite (Like This One) at No Cost to You!

Empire-Building Secret #7:How to Set Your Site Live in a Consumer-Driven Marketplace So That You Expose It to Thousands of Commission-Driven Affiliates!

As you can see, "appealing" doesn’t begin to describe it.  Which is one reason why I’m following all the steps she outlines too1

So….back to how to make a great eBook Table of Contents.  Here’s what I do:

Step 1.)  I write down my ebook chapters in plain language. 

What benefits will they give the readers?

Step 2.)  Once I’m happy with that, I visit Thesaurus and search for synonyms to common, every day words. 

Things like:

great

can transform into:

august, capital, chief, commanding, dignified, distinguished, eminent, exalted, excellent, famed, famous, fine, glorious, grand, heroic, high-minded, highly regarded, honorable, idealistic, illustrious, impressive, leading, lofty, magnanimous, main, major, noble, notable, noted, noteworthy, outstanding, paramount, primary, principal, prominent, puissant, regal, remarkable, renowned, royal, stately, sublime, superior, superlative, talented

I patiently work my way through my chapter titles so that by the time I’m finished, they’re dressed to the 9s and could stroll down the red carpet at the Hollywood Oscars. 

Step 3.)  I ask my husband, friends and family…what do you think of these ebook chapters or TOC? 

And then I revisit them and tweak as necessary.

And that’s how I create table of contents that make the angels sing and the unicorns prance and the sales truly effective.

Want some other ideas?  Check out some great headline writing posts (after all, what is a chapter title BUT a headline) at

• 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
  
• Warning: Use These 5 Surefire Headline Formulas at Your Own Risk
  
• The Cheater’s Guide to Writing Great Headlines

and of course, do check out Building an eBook Empire – you’ll find it worth its weight in gold. 

Hope you found this quick tutorial useful!  Do feel free to share it with your friends; I’ll bet they’ll find it useful too.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

Post from: Barbara Ling. Thank you for your time! If you've already subscribed to my feed, please download your FREE copy of 24 Hour eBook Digital Product Creation at http://www.barbaraling.com/Ace/24HoursLite.zip - I think you'll find it most useful indeed. -- Barbara