Showing posts with label author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Writing electronic books

If you have never ventured into the electronic book market, you are leaving money on the table. For one, Kindle Publishing provides an excellent platform for selling your expertise and receiving monthly royalties for the rest of your life. You can also write and offer your ebook (electronic book) for sale on a wide range of other platforms such as Barnes and Nobles, Lulu, BookBaby, your blog, and Amazon. So why aren't you documenting what you already know and what others are searching for?

You should conduct research to see what others are looking for, but if you have knowledge of a particular subject, then you should make this your first ebook since you already have in-depth knowledge about it. People value the information that experts like you can provide. For example, if you have worked in a specific field such as building contractor, you may be able to help people seeking information on:
  • How to build their first home
  • What to look for when hiring a building contractor
  • What licensing is required from your local municipality to build a home
  • How to find a building contractor
  • How much do you expect to spend in improving a basement

These are only some of the things that you can write about. If you have written various articles on topics related to your expertise, you can use each of them in different chapters of your electronic book. Once you have created your ebook, it is now time to do the marketing. If you have a Facebook or Twitter following, be sure to announce your ebook before you even finish it. When it has been completed, it is time now to write articles and post them to article directories with a link to your ebook at the end of the article. Be sure to give the reader a call to action in the resource box.

Other things to consider
Submit your ebook to all the channels that will accept your ebook, but start with Kindle Publishing. Be sure that you have a captivating cover. If you don't know how to create an ebook cover, solicit the services of a professional. It doesn't have to cost you an 'arm and a leg.' You can go to Fiverr.com and find ebook cover creators that charge a small cost of $5 to $10. It is that simple. You may have to buy an image at iStock Photo. Don't ever attempt to copy and save an image from Google Images because many of those images are copyrighted.

Conclusion
Don't let fear stop you from trying new things. Let your writing do the talking. You can use a pen name and not your real name when publishing your book to stay anonymous. You can do this and you don't even need the required expertise. Once you are good at researching and understanding certain concepts and information, you can write an electronic book that provides value to the readers. Good luck! By the way, visit my book page to see how I did it - Click MY BOOK PAGE here.

Monday, 20 January 2014

Writing as a hobby or paid for your service

If you are a hobby writer, you can turn your writing expertise in a full time business. As a hobby writer, you can write whenever you want and at various different price points. You can even become a regular contributor as a guest blogger or just to get your name out there, but why do that when you have the skills to do otherwise.

A full time writing business is more lucrative and fulfilling. You get to write on a wide range of topics or a specific niche. You also provide information to your audience that can change lives, motivate others, offer important details and show you as an expert in a particular field.

Nothing is wrong with starting out with writing as a hobby, but use this platform to build a readership. Get your name out there so that when you decide to make the full transition, at least, you won't be a stranger.

You can begin by creating a blog and making regular posts such as twice per week. Allow your readers to make comments on your blog posts. Write articles and submit to article directories such as ezinearticles.com. You can use this platform to gain expert and platinum status. Moreover, ezinearticles.com has a high search engine ranking and you can 'ride on their coat tail,' so to speak. You get heightened recognition by being an expert writer on 'heavy hitters,' like ezinearticles.com.

If you do not want to pursue a full time writing career, at least make some money while you use writing as a hobby. How? Sign up as an Amazon affiliate, for example, and sell books on your blog. This may give you the impetus to transition into a full time writing career.

The sky is the limit to what you can do with a writing career. You can write electronic books and sell them on Kindle Publishing. You can write articles for other people. A great place to start bidding for article writing is Elance.com. It may be a bidding war, but you can write a winning proposal to get your bid noticed and picked. Elance.com has free and paid membership so you really have nothing to lose.

You could also think about starting that book you have always wanted to write. The hardest part is getting started because of fear or you don't know how to get it published. There are websites like CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com, which allow you to self publish your work. So again, there is no excuse. Even if you are an hobbyist, you can still get that book out. That will push you to write more and get into the writing arena full time.

As an avid writer myself, I can tell you that I began writing several years ago, but didn't take it that seriously since I had a full time 9-5 job. When my mom died 7 years ago, I had no choice because of the situation she left, to get into writing full time. I had to be able to travel to see my ailing dad often and no company would put up with my frequent departure. So I went back to my writing and the rest is history. I am a self-published author of several books on CreateSpace.com and Amazon.com. I also write articles, web content and electronic books for online marketers, which is also a rewarding and lucrative way of acquiring a full time income.

So I encourage you to look at writing more seriously once you have the talent and skill to do it well. In the beginning, you may have to settle for low pay, but as you build your portfolio, you will land higher paying gigs. So go for it. Please visit my Amazon page to look at some of my books. A writer loves to get feedback from readers. Click to go to MY BOOK PAGE HERE.