Archive for March, 2012
How can I write my ebook FAST?
Let’s face it. Writing an ebook sounds like a lot of work to most people. Why? Because writing a “book” is something most people see as a big job. But, with some strategy, writing an ebook is actually relatively easy and simple. One key: stop thinking in terms of “writing” your ebook and start thinking of “creating” your ebook. That simple mindset shift can make all the difference in the world, no matter what your skill level.
I’ve personally used over 10 different ways to create ebook content in the past. Here are 4 of them you can use immediately.
1) Write Out Your “eBook”
For some people, sitting down and writing their ebook represents the best option. They can sit at their computer and type it out consistently in a series of sessions. This requires the least amount of resources. You can write an ebook with nothing more than a good idea, an outline, a computer, and a word processor.
2) Talk Out Your “eBook”
Come up with an outline. Grab a microphone or jump on a teleconference and talk about your topic for an hour or so. Get the recording transcribed and PRESTO – instant ebook content. This “talk it out” option works very well for anyone how feels intimidated by writing, but still has a story to tell. Anyone can use freeconferencing.com to record a teleconference. If you want to record your thoughts directly to your PC, the free program “Audacity” (audacity.sourceforge.net) makes a great option. Either way, come up with an outline of your talking points and “git r done!”
3) Existing Material
Many people who decide to write an ebook have written other “stuff” in the past. Articles. Special reports. White papers. Whatever you’ve written may well form the basis for your first (or next) ebook. Take any existing material you’ve written and look at how you might combine it, expand it, or shape it into an ebook-length publication. Even if it just helped you get done faster using one of the other methods, existing material should never get overlooked – especially when you’re trying to get done quickly.
4) Interview eBooks
One of the fastest ways to get an ebook created is to simply interview others. Interview experts on any given topic and compile the content into an ebook. Either interview the experts over the phone, live an in-person, or via email. Either way, you simply suck the knowledge out of their heads (in exchange for publicity, payment, or a copy of the interview) and turn it into your written ebook content. CAUTION: whatever you do, don’t think you’ll interview a bunch of people about Internet Marketing and get rich – it won’t happen!
So there you have it: 4 ways to create ebook content quickly! For 6 MORE ways to create your ebook content FAST, visit www.7dayebook.com/10-free-ways/ for a FREE Webinar replay entitled “10 Ways To Have Your Ebook Done by Next Friday!”
Selling With Stories
Let me tell you a quick story...
Back in 1997 I was really struggling to sell my ebook about how to sell your house yourself.
Driving traffic was a daily struggle.
Customer service was a nightmare.
Taking online credit card payments was almost impossible.
Side Note: We processed all the orders through my aunt’s craft store at the Williamsburg Pottery because we couldn’t get an online merchant account. ClickBank and other online sales processors hadn’t even been invented yet.
My office in the spare room in our trailer with the leaky roof. 1997.
Way back then (in 1997), we had plenty of obstacles to overcome just to make a single sale of a simple ebook. People didn’t trust ecommerce. They didn’t understand the concept of getting a downloadable file (vs. a real book in the mail). As far as I remember, PDF hadn’t even been invented yet (I sold the actual Microsoft WORD document of my ebook – anyone could have ripped me off).
But despite all those hurdles, we made pretty good sales – just not enough of them!
And, to make matters worse, there was always a problem looming over my head like a swollen summer storm cloud.
My problem was that I had no real clue how to write good sales copy. I did NOT know how to put words on paper (or web pages) that could predictably suck people in, make them read, and get them to click the “Buy” link. Because of this handicap, my sales were stagnant AND, worse, I didn’t launch more products because I didn’t know how I would sell them.
Then, in February 2001, that all changed forever.
I attended (and spoke) at a conference in Boulder, Colorado. One of the speakers talked about sales copywriting. The #1 nugget I got from his talk was to start your sales copy out with a story in order to draw in readers and engage them. He didn’t go into much detail about HOW to write the story – or even what the story should be about. BUT he planted a seed that found fertile ground in my mind… and I took that idea and ran with it.
When I got home from that conference, I revised my website and turned it into a one-page, long-form sales letter that started with the most compelling a story I could write at the time (my story skills were a bit under-developed). By the way, my team and I now refer to that specific story pattern I stumbled upon as my “Real-World Desperation” pattern.
The little white house we bought because of increased ebook sales by using stories in sales copy...
Within a very short period of time, those changes to the website meant my wife and I sold enough ebooks each month to cover a house payment, 2 car payments, and the electric bill. (I’ll admit it! As a previously failed mail-order entrepreneur, having people finally start sending me significant amounts of money through the Internet was pretty dang cool!)
After that, I was like a man on fire (with stories). I came out with my next product and used a story about how I’d come to create the product because I was tired of seeing people getting ripped off by other mortgage brokers. (My “Mad as Hell” pattern.)
Then I created a sales story about how a company needed to train typists and turned to an Idaho farm boy for answers. That farm boy created a course to teach non-typists how to touch-type in only 2 weeks. (My “Hidden Genius” pattern.)
After that, I just kept writing stories to create sales copy that worked as well or better than anything else I’d ever tried before (or since). In fact, looking back, I was able to isolate more than 5 different story patterns that I used subconsciously at first, and then on purpose later on in my career. (I even gave each pattern a cool name to use internally within our team).
The new house sales copy paid for...
But do you want to know what the funny thing is about those stories?
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had stumbled upon a formula that works for creating sales copy that anyone, regardless of their experience level, could use right out of the box. I’d accidentally found the secret sauce everyone could use that would immediately produce results in sales.
Yep. That’s right.
In fact, I found that once you have a good “core story” to pull people in, all you need to create the rest of your sales message is to answer a few basic questions, including:
Jim teaching eager students on the "high seas" of a recent Jim Boat cruise...
I also realized that if your story is engaging enough, the rest of your sales message can basically suck and you’ll still make a lot more sales than you would any other way with your current skill level. In other words, if you can come up with a good story and provide basic information for people by answering those questions above, you can make sales with little or no copywriting ability. (Lord knows I proved that with my crappy copy early on).
So what’s the bottom line with all of this? Simple! Start using more stories in your sales copy and your results will improve. Unless you’re an expert who already writes copy like a seasoned pro, you should start seeing a significant increase in your sales copy’s effectiveness almost immediately. (I know I sure did!)
And, if you’d like to discover the 5 proven story patterns I isolated – along with all the other tips, tricks, and tactics I’ve picked up over the last decade for using stories in sales copy – then check out this BRAND NEW 2-webinar set I’m getting ready to do LIVE. “Selling With Stories: How to Captivate, Motivate, and Convert with Simple Stories Anyone Can Create“.
I guarantee it will instantly improve your ability to get more readers and make more sales – no matter what type of product or service you sell! Click Here Now to start making your own sales copy stories!