Hi, new readers!
There are about three times as many of you as last week, which I have to say is fantastic and quite unexpected. To tell you the truth, right now things feel a bit like the opening night of a high school play, one where the pimply actors are all running around muttering their lines under their breath and the paint on the set is still drying five minutes before the curtain goes up.
Remember how I said that I set this scary deadline of February 16th? Yeah, well. I got the eBook done alright (ok I’m finishing the last chapter). That deadline catapulted me to the keyboard, let me tell you. But there are two little things that I neglected to factor into my timeline: a) the layout and b) the sales page. Yeah. Fail!
Here’s why it’s great.
I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!
Here is my pearl of wisdom for those of you contemplating your eBook trilogy on the Essential Secrets of Underwater Basket Weaving:
Write the sales or landing page for your eBook first.
Not the final, polished, whiz-bang one. Just a draft. This serves several purposes:
- Gives you a list of criteria for the content of your eBook.
- Forces you to focus on the most compelling information you have to offer.
- Practically outlines the thing for you.
- Helps you get a jump on thinking about extra bells and whistles you can offer to enhance the experience of your eBook.
My question for you now is…
I am contemplating the best ways in which to support the buyers of my forthcoming eBook, Creating eBooks that Create Fans: The Sticky eBooks Kickstart Kit.
Most people find the task of writing a meaty eBook daunting. Like any daunting task, and even not so daunting ones, most of us won’t do a thing without some helpful nudges and a healthy dose of peer support.
So, which [free] bell or whistle do you think would be most helpful on the journey to eBook fame and fortune?
- An hour of one on one with me for outline development, brainstorming and/or moral support.
- A private forum in which to share eBook ups and downs, feedback and suggestions.
- A monthly Q&A call to check in and help us all generate ideas.
- Other [suggestions welcome]
And while we’re on the subject…
What is in your eBook pipeline? Are you considering bundling services or support for your readers?
Thank you and enjoy the show.
Hi Kelly,
I think a bundle is a great idea. I think an hour of time with you or a monthly Q & A call would be the most helpful to me.
I think I will include a bundle with my upcoming ebook (my first project), but am not sure yet how I’ll do that.
Thanks for the tip to write the sales page first — brilliant.
Thanks! It just came to me late last night but bears exploring.
I wonder if you can somehow do a Green Audit of some sort with people- find the waste they can clean up? Any kind of support and accountability would be great for going green.
Hi Kelly,
I’m about to make the response to your poll 50-50 because I like the idea of an ongoing forum rather than feeling I need to figure out all my questions at once to prepare for a one-hour conversation with you. However, any B&W would be much appreciated.
Just a thought…. BTW, I’m the basketball Jennifer from Escape
How about a DIY guide for simple ebook design?
I’m trying to decide whether I should try this or hire you.
Ben
Well, hire me, of course.
That’s an interesting suggestion, thanks. I’ve considered coming up with a few templates as well, but the software diversity out there is a bit confounding for that.