http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--sales-mini-sites-are-mandatory.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--sales-mini-sites-are-mandatory.html Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains Channel 1, Sales-Mini-Sites, the first of three channels that make up the Online Publishing Model (OPM).

SALES-MINI-SITES - A MUST
Based on everything I've learned over the past number of years about online book publishing and marketing, there is only one way to effectively sell a product such as an ebook from a Web site. That is, from what I call a "sales-mini-site". In fact, the creation of a sales-mini-site is an absolute MUST if you are to be successful.

This Web site will normally be your primary book/ebook sales and distribution channel, out of the three channels in the Online Publishing Model. I REPEAT. You MUST have a dedicated sales-mini-site to sell your ebook effectively online.

SALES-MINI-SITES - DEFINED
A sales-mini-site is a dedicated Web site with a URL name (i.e. domain name) specific to the product being sold on that site. The entire purpose of that sales-mini-site is to provide specific information to visitors about the one product being sold there, with the ultimate objective being to convert a certain percentage of those visitors from "browsers" into "buyers" before they leave that site.

For typical examples of sales-mini-sites, you can look at any of my writing kit sites via my WritingHelpTools.com site.

I'm sure you'll see that each one of those sites has one purpose and one purpose only - to convince the targeted visitor to purchase the particular ebook being offered.

There are of course, literally thousands of sales-mini-sites just like those above, offering thousands of products across the Internet, one-product-at-a-time.

SALES-MINI-SITES ARE CHEAP AND EASY - REALLY!
Now that I've said you've got to have one, the good news is that creating and maintaining a sales-mini-site is not expensive, and they are not particularly difficult to set-up. Really!

For example, to host each of my sales-mini-sites costs me LESS THAN US $70 per year, per site. That's the equivalent of 2 to 3 ebook sales.

Here are the basic tasks involved in creating a sales-mini-site:

• write your sales copy

• create your Web site in HTML

• upload your completed site to a Web host company's server

• select a payment processor and set-up payment links

Don't worry; you DO NOT need to be a techie to get a sales-mini-site built for your book/ebook. These things are WAY easier to create than they look. You can do some of the work yourself if you like, or there are MANY ways to get free or inexpensive assistance.

There now exist dozens of powerful interface tools that allow non-techies to design and build their own Web sites by just pointing and clicking. You may not be aware of this, but thousands of total non-techies are running businesses these days from their own Web sites.

So, if you're serious about getting your book or ebook online, don't be scared off by the seeming "techiness" of creating a sales-mini-site. It really IS NOT AN ISSUE once you know where to look for help. And you won't need a lot of help. Trust me on this one folks!

Of course I can't cover all of the details here as to exactly what to do, and where to find the resources to develop a sales-mini-site, to the extent that my Instant Book Writing Kit ebook does. After all, it's a book and this is an introductory article! Just believe that it is possible!

I hope you're clear by now that a sales-mini-site will be your most important sales and distribution channel under the Online Publishing Model.



--
Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--digital-fulfillment-delivers.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--digital-fulfillment-delivers.html Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains Channel 2, Digital Download Distribution.

Discovering exactly how the digital fulfillment channel works was a major breakthrough for me. That discovery alone has resulted in many thousands of dollars in ebook sales that I otherwise wouldn't have made. Really!

Based on my experience, the use of this one online distribution channel is guaranteed to add thousands of dollars annually to your bottom line sales! That's right -- if you harness the digital fulfillment channel of the OPM you'll sell hundreds more ebooks than you would just selling them from your Web sites.

DIGITAL FULFILLMENT: DEFINITION
It's important that you understand exactly what I'm talking about when I use the term "digital fulfillment", as opposed to print-on-demand (POD) fulfillment.

Digital fulfillment refers to when your ebook is delivered to the buyer strictly in electronic form as a "digital download" product. Essentially, it's the same as when your ebook gets downloaded from your Web site, except that, the digital fulfillment is provided by a digital download distribution company through their distribution network.

A typical example of digital fulfillment in action would be when you provide your ebook electronic files (PDF) to a company that distributes digital download ebooks to amazon.com, for example. Amazon.com would then offer your ebook to its customers as a digital download product.

IMPORTANT: When I talk about “digital fulfillment” here, I am NOT talking about delivering a downloadable ebook to your buyers from your own “sales-mini-site”. I’m referring to when one uses third party vendors and/or distributors to deliver a digital version of one’s book through their own channels.

THE SECRET OF DIGITAL FULFILLMENT
As I stated in the other parts of this series on the OPM, I have spent the past few years immersing myself in learning about the tools and techniques of successful Internet marketing to help me sell more of my ebooks/books.

In the process, I have purchased scores of "must have" books from many heavy-hitter big-name Internet marketers. But NEVER have I read anything about the digital fulfillment strategy in ANY of those many books/ebooks from the gurus!

In fact, I basically stumbled across this largely unknown money-making publishing secret by accident when I asked a major book selling company if it would be possible to sell my ebooks through their Web sites in addition to my own.

They promptly answered that "yes", there is indeed a way to do that… by using a digital fulfillment company. Although I didn't fully realize it at the time, that was a breakthrough moment for me!

Typically, a digital fulfillment company maintains large digital libraries of books and ebooks. They deliver those products electronically "on demand" as digital download e-books in response to orders from publishers, distributors, booksellers, and libraries.

Bottom Line: The major digital fulfillment companies offer a vast distribution network, folks. Exploiting this channel means much more than just getting your ebook and/or book listed on amazon.com. It means getting your title in front of the vast majority of all ebook wholesalers and retailers!

WHY DIGITAL FULFILLMENT, WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE A WEB SITE?
That's a good logical question, and you may be surprised by the answer.

I have found that there is minimal cross-over between the people that buy ebooks at my Web sites and those who buy them through sites like amazon.com, and others. That's right.

In fact, out of thousands of sales through both channels I have received only one e-mail that indicated a buyer had seen my ebooks at both places.

Another proof of this is that, although I use the same list price for my ebooks on my Web sites and at amazon.com, that company quite often chooses to offer a 30% discount, which actually makes it a much better deal to buy the ebook at their Web site.

In spite of this, sales at my Web sites remain strong. In fact I continue to sell more ebooks from my Web sites. So, it's pretty clear that people aren't doing cross-comparisons of prices.

They appear to be two mutually exclusive groups of shoppers!

(However, I should add that people who buy the ebook at my Web site also receive a number of bonuses that don’t come with the ebook when sold through a distributor).

The key point here being -- if I didn't offer my ebooks online through amazon.com and other digital download distributors, I would probably not make over 95% of those sales through my other distribution channels (i.e. my Web sites). Lucky for me, I now know about this little secret!

DIGITAL FULFILLMENT - EASY TO SET-UP
If you're careful, and plan ahead when you create the original version of your ebook that people will purchase and download from your Web site, you'll also be able to provide the same efiles to your digital fulfillment distributor with few changes, if any.

Typically, it will take only 10 to 15 days from the time you submit your efiles until you will start seeing your ebook show up on book retailer Web sites as digital downloads.

This channel works folks! In fact, just this afternoon I checked my account and found that over 30 copies of my Recommendation Letter Kit ebook have sold so far this month, and this is one of the slower months for that product!

I've also sold more than 25 paperback versions (POD) of that same book this month through the same digital distributor, but I'll get into the POD model in the next part of this series.

The really exciting thing about these digital download sales is, as I explained above, they are IN ADDITION to any sales that you will make via your Web site. It's almost like "found money".

That’s what makes using the Online Publishing Model so exciting; it gives you three equally productive selling channels for your books and/or ebooks.




--
Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--print-on-demand-will-double-your-sales.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--print-on-demand-will-double-your-sales.html Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains Channel 3, Print-On-Demand (POD) distribution.

I have to tell you that I was already pretty darn excited when I found out about Channel 2 of the OPM, the digital fulfillment channel. However, when I found out about how I could ALSO take advantage of Channel 3, the print-on-demand channel I was ecstatic!

POD FULFILLMENT: DEFINITION
It's important that you understand exactly what I'm talking about when I use the term "POD fulfillment", as opposed to "digital fulfillment" which I explained in another article that I have written about the OPM.

Print-on-demand (POD) fulfillment refers to when your book is delivered to the customer strictly in printed paper form as a standard book. With POD, when a single order (or low volume order) for your book is placed, just that small quantity is printed, bound, and drop-shipped directly to the customer by your POD fulfillment company. Hence the term, print-on-demand, or POD as it is widely referred to..

A typical example of POD fulfillment in action would be when you provide your POD electronic files to a digital fulfillment company that distributes POD books to booksellers like amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com, for example. Such booksellers would then offer your paperback POD book to those of its customers who prefer a standard printed version of your book.

POD FULFILLMENT: A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
For a real-life example of this, take a look at my Instant Recommendation Letter Kit book which is listed at amazon.com. To do this, go to the amazon.com Web site.

Do a "book search" on the phrase "recommendation letter". Instant Recommendation Letter Kit will show up in the first few search results (usually number one or two). Click on the title to the right of the cover and it will take you to the details page. Look immediately below the cover and you will see the heading "Other Editions". The link there will say "paperback" or "digital download", depending on which version you are currently looking at.

The point here is that, via amazon.com customers can ALSO order the paperback version of that book if they prefer it to the digital version.

Once the customer places their order online, the amazon.com electronic ordering system immediately sends an electronic order to my POD distribution company which instantly begins their internal print-on-demand process to produce ONE single copy of my paperback version for direct drop-shipping to the paying customer's address.

This sure beats paying to print and store into inventory, 1,000 or 2,000 copies, or more, up-front doesn't it!

WHY CHOOSE POD FULFILLMENT?
As explained above, when people order a print-on-demand book they get a real hard copy paperback book that they can hold in their hands.

But why choose to produce a POD version when you already offer an ebook version? This is a good and logical question.

The main answer is this: an ebook is NOT a perfect substitute for a printed book.

This becomes particularly clear when marketing the two products through an online bookseller like amazon.com. It turns out that even when amazon offers a 30% discount on the digital download ebook version, about 50% of buyers of the exact same title still choose the more expensive POD paperback version.

So, not only are these people willing to pay more, but they are also willing to wait anywhere from 5 to 7 days for the POD book to be drop-shipped to them.

These are the traditional book buying people. They want a conventional paper book that they can hold in their hands. They want to be able to turn the pages. Many of these buyers don't really understand what an ebook or digital download is all about.

And, even if they do understand the "e" part of ebook they don't want to have anything to do with something that sounds so "techie".

Clearly, if you do not provide a conventional paperback book option via POD for these traditional book buyers you will be leaving that money on the table. Those people will NOT buy your digital download products.

PODS LOOK AND FEEL LIKE REAL BOOKS
So, what does a POD book look like you might ask?

The quality of my POD books when printed is very acceptable. The full-color glossy cover is printed on standard cover stock and the book is perfect bound. The interior is comprised of standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper stock, printed both sides. It's like an excellent quality Xerox job between professionally designed full-color glossy covers. So, people who order them get a paperback of equivalent quality as to what one would normally find on the shelves at a bookstore.

That's just the format I use for my “how-to” books. You can also have PODs produced in all kinds of sizes, shapes and bindings, including hard cover books!

BOTTOM LINE
If you want to sell books to the traditional book buying public you have to give them what they want - a printed book. Print-on-demand (POD) is a technology that lets you do just that -- one copy at a time.

The really exciting thing about these POD sales is, as I explained above, they are IN ADDITION to any sales that you will make via Web site or digital fulfillment channels. It really is like "found money".

That’s what makes using the Online Publishing Model so exciting; it gives you three equally productive selling channels for your books and/or ebooks.



--
Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--the-many-benefits-of-the-opm.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--the-many-benefits-of-the-opm.html Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains the numerous benefits of using the Online Publishing model (OPM).

Frankly, after my frustrating and disappointing experiences using the traditional book publishing model, I was truly blown away when I discovered the many benefits of the Online Publishing Model. I was thrilled to discover that there actually IS an alternative that will allow me to write and publish books and ebooks for a living.

BENEFITS OF ONLINE PUBLISHING MODEL
As I state on the Web site for the Instant Book Writing Kit, the benefits of the Online Publishing Model are numerous and compelling, Here are a dozen of them:

You'll Make More Money
Instead of getting a paltry 3% to 35%, you'll get somewhere between 60% and 90% of your cover price, depending on which of the three channels you're using.

You Can Charge More
People are willing to pay more if they can get the information they are looking for almost immediately. Higher prices = more profits for you.

You'll Get Paid Sooner
Many online payment processors will pay you within two weeks of making a sale. On the other hand, traditional publishers and distributors will make you wait 90 to 120 days for payment.

Your Costs Will Be Lower
With the online publishing model your up-front costs will be significantly lower than if you self-publish the traditional way.

You Won't Have "Returns"
You can choose to NOT accept "returns". Unlike the traditional publishing model, all sales under the OPM will be final with minimal refunds. Returned "over-orders" will be a thing of the past.

Your Sales Will Be On Automatic Pilot
Once you have your Web site up and running and your files uploaded to the digital fulfillment and POD distributors, your ebooks/books will be selling automatically with little or no intervention by you.

You'll Be In Charge
You'll be in control of almost all aspects of the publishing and distribution of your book/ebook. You can publish or revise when you like. No more jumping to somebody else's timetable.

You'll Have No Inventory
You won't have to keep track of an inventory and worry about shipping, storage, and damage hassles and costs. You'll be completely inventory free.

Order Fulfillment Will Be History
With the OPM, your digital and POD distributors will handle the logistics and expense of shipping and handling for you. Any website downloads will be automatic.

You Can Revise Whenever You Like
Using online publishing channels you will have the freedom to make revisions to your books/ebooks whenever you like. You just update your book/ebook and post the new version at your convenience.

You Can Add Special Features
You can add value to your ebook by adding links to multi-media features and other hyper-linked bonuses.

You'll Have Direct Access To Your Data
Dealing with online fulfillment houses and distributors you'll have direct online access to current sales and earnings data.

BOTTOM LINE ON OPM
When I realized the full power of the online publishing model I truly was astounded! Discovering this new publishing model hit me like a breath of fresh air.

After all, using the conventional book publishing model, I had spent more than two years banging my head against the wall in frustration -- getting nowhere and going broke fast.

That's when I decided I had to find a better way. So I spent the following two years looking for a way to sidestep the traditional publishing model. It took literally thousands of hours and thousands of dollars, but in the end it was worth it because I did find a better way - the Online Publishing Model - the benefits of which are described above.

Eventually I managed to write it all down in my Instant Book Writing Kit for the express purpose of sharing my Online Publishing Model with anyone who is interested in writing a book/ebook and wants to make some decent money publishing and marketing it online. By creating that book I wanted to make sure that other small-time authors and self publishers wouldn't have to go through all of the trial-and-error aggravation and expense that I did. My goal was to create a turnkey, paint-by-number blueprint, that any aspiring author and/or self-publisher could easily implement and duplicate what I have done. I believe I've done just that.

So, if you are a small-time author and/or publisher you owe it to yourself to look into the Online Publishing Model before you write and/or publish that next book or ebook.



--
Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--boost-your-sales-with-online-publishing.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/online-book-publishing--boost-your-sales-with-online-publishing.html Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains the three primary channels of the Online Publishing Model (OPM).

After a number of disappointing experiences using the traditional book publishing model I decided to see if I could find a way that would eliminate all or most of the downsides of that conventional approach to publishing. After almost three years of trial-and-error experimentation (not to mention a few thousand dollars), I did manage to come up with a real, viable alternative to the old way.

It’s called the Online Publishing Model and it’s pretty exciting!

Based on my experience using the OPM since that time, I am truly convinced that it is the KEY to publishing success for small time authors and/or self publishers in the Internet age.

THE ONLINE PUBLISHING MODEL - THE NEW WAY
The Online Publishing Model is a combination of online digital download delivery and print-on-demand (POD) paper book publishing that sidesteps most of the pitfalls of the traditional book publishing model.

It offers small-time authors/publishers an excellent alternative that will give them more control, and will increase their sales and profits by using little known online channels when publishing their books/ebooks. Here's how it works...

OPM: THREE MAIN DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Using this model, once your book/ebook is written, there are a number of online channels through which you can distribute and sell your book/ebook, as follows:

1. Dedicated Sales-Mini-Site
First and foremost, once your book/ebook is written you need to create what's called a "mini-Website" (i.e. sales-mini-site) for the sole purpose of selling your product. Trust me, this is the only way to go. You MUST have a site dedicated to the sale of that one book/ebook. Search engines will send targeted traffic to your site and your site copy will make the sales online.

2. Digital Download Distributors
The second online channel for your book/ebook will be through digital fulfillment companies that distribute downloadable ebooks to the largest online bookstores such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and many others. These distribution companies are happy to put your ebook in front of thousands of traditional book buyers who normally wouldn't see it. Listing your digital download ebook with one or more of these distributors is essential.

3. Print-On-Demand Distributors
These are distributors that use a relatively new technology called print-on-demand (or POD). You provide the company with a digital copy of your book, plus some cover art work in digital form, and they will set up your book so that single book orders can be printed and drop-shipped directly to the buyer. This allows you to provide a hard copy version (of your ebook) to those customers who insist on it, while you only pay the cost of printing a single copy. (No more printing 2,000+ copies up-front just to get a reasonable cost per copy!).

Other Distribution Channels
There are a few other distribution channels as well, such as small online ebook stores, but these are relatively minor, and to-date I just don't think they're worth the trouble.

OPM: BOTTOM LINE
Suffice it to say, the Online Publishing Model offers at least three highly effective channels by which you can distribute and sell your books/ebooks.

If you harness the three channels of the OPM and get them working for you, I can guarantee that you'll get your book/ebook out faster and you'll make more sales and profits than you ever would under the traditional publishing model.



--
Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/book-publishing-problems-with-the-traditional-model.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/book-publishing-problems-with-the-traditional-model.html Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
The traditional model normally involves two basic choices: 1) use a commercial publisher, or 2) self-publish.

THE COMMERCIAL PUBLISHER ROUTE
This option involves the author submitting book proposals or full manuscripts to commercial publishing houses in hope of acceptance.

Once a manuscript is accepted by a publishing house (the vast majority are not accepted) a contract is signed between the author and the publishing house. This kicks-off a time- consuming and often complex process involving printers, shippers, wholesalers, distributors, marketers, and finally, booksellers, all managed on the author’s behalf by the publishing house.

Typically, it takes anywhere from 18 to 24 months from the time the author finishes a book manuscript, until the actual book gets onto the bookshelves.

THE SELF-PUBLISHING ROUTE
The self-publishing option is one in which the author eliminates some of the middlemen and manages the overall publishing, distribution and marketing processes him/herself.

This option gives the author much more personal control of the whole process and allows him/her to earn more money per copy than through a commercial publisher. It also involves a lot of work by the self-publisher who is responsible for performing all of the functions and services that a commercial publisher would normally look after.

This model is normally less time-consuming in terms of elapsed time, since there is no manuscript submission and approval process involved. On average, the self-publishing process can save 6 to 12 months over the commercial publisher model.

THE SHOCKING DOWNSIDES OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING
Based on my first-hand experience with the North American book publishing and distribution industry, I have to say that it is one of the most archaic and poorly run business models that I have ever encountered. The entire industry seems to be decades behind current-day business practices of other industries.

Very few people know from the outset what they’re getting into when they choose to publish their book via the traditional publishing route. They have no idea at the beginning just how backward, outdated and dysfunctional the entire conventional book publishing industry business model really is.

Here’s what the conventional book publishing industry WILL NOT spell out to you before you sign-up...

Give Away Half Your Book’s Value Up-Front
If your book’s cover price is, say $30, you will be forced to discount at least 40% to 60% right off the top when selling your book to wholesalers and retailers. So, you’ll really be working from an actual price of somewhere between $12 and $18 -- not the $30 you first thought.

Don’t Count On Making Big Bucks
If you choose the commercial publisher option, the best you can hope to receive for your book is a royalty somewhere between 6% and 10% of the “net”. The “net” is the amount the publisher receives AFTER discounting to retailers.

Example; cover price = $30; discount to large retail chain = $15 (i.e. 50%). Your cut would be somewhere between $0.90 and $1.50 per sale. So, for selling 3,000 copies (a very good sales figure) you would receive a grand total of somewhere between $2,700 and $4,500!

You’ll Have To Write Lots Of Books
If you choose the self-publishing option your main distributor will pay you somewhere around 45% of the cover price of your book. Using our $30 cover price example; that works out to $13.50 per sale that goes to you under this scenario. Then you have to deduct your costs which include: printing the book, overheads, and marketing, publicity and advertising expenses.

Example: cover price = $30; distributor payment to you at 45% of cover = $13.50, before expenses. Deduct: printing costs - $3.50; overheads - $1.00; marketing, advertising, publicity - $1.00 = ($13.50-$5.50) = $8.00 per book sale. So, for selling 3,000 copies you would make only $24,000.

And don’t forget, this option involves your ongoing direct personal time and effort involvement.

Wait Forever To Get Paid
Typically, you will have to wait between 90 days and 120 days after an actual book sale before you will receive your payment for that sale. I still shake my head at this one. How does the publishing industry get away with such an archaic practice in the 21st Century?

In normal business the standard wait for payment is usually 30 days, sometimes as much as 60 days; but 90 to 120 days to pay a poor struggling author? It’s a crying shame that they still manage to get away with it. This kind of payment delay is the norm, whether you go through a commercial publisher or if you’re a self-publisher.

Issue 100% Refunds On Unsold Books
A trademark feature of the conventional book publishing industry is the way in which it deals with “returns”. In almost all cases -- publishers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers – they maintain the right to return unsold books to you, the author, for a 100% refund, even many months later!

Example: Say you sell 200 copies of your book to a particular retail chain through your publisher (commercial publisher model) or through your distributor (self-publisher model). Then, let’s say that after five months, various stores in that retail chain find that 45 unsold copies of your book are still on their shelves. The retailer would simply send those books back to your publisher or distributor for a 100% refund. That company would would then routinely pay that retail chain a 100% refund for each book returned and in-turn would deduct that total amount from your account!

I’m not kidding folks, this is how it really works!

There is absolutely NO incentive for bookstores or publishers/distributors to make any extra effort whatsoever to move your book off their shelves since they know you will provide a 100% rebate for all “returns” in any case. Go figure?

Pay Them Extra Money... Just In Case
And just to add insult to injury, many publishers and distributors will also withhold funds from your regular royalty payments (20% or more) as insurance to cover the costs of possible future returns.

So, not only do you get paid 90 to 120 days late, you will NOT receive the full amount to which you are entitled, as your publisher/distributor hedges against the possibility of eventual returns of unsold and/or damaged books months down the line.

Get Stuck In Someone Else’s Time Cycle
Most commercial publishers operate on a time-frame of 18 to 24 months from approved/accepted manuscript until the book is released for sale. If you are a self-publisher you can whittle this down to maybe 3 to 6 months depending on when your book is ready vis a vis your distributor’s catalog publication schedule.

If you time it perfectly, or just get lucky, there might only be 6 to 8 weeks between your book being ready to ship and it getting it onto store shelves.

BOTTOM LINE
In addition to the foregoing, there are other problems with the traditional book publishing model which I won’t go into here. So, as you can see, from an author’s point of view it is a highly dysfunctional, badly flawed business model that wouldn’t survive in most industries.

In fact, the system is so stacked against the average author I’m amazed that some people actually try to eke out an ongoing living in that thankless industry. I guess they feel they have no other choice, or they are hoping against the odds that they will one day get lucky and pen a mega best-seller.

So, if you are an aspiring author, and you’re hoping to make a modest living writing and publishing your own books or ebooks -- the traditional book publishing and distribution model is definitely NOT the way to go.

The good news is that over the past couple of years a new publishing model has evolved that eliminates ALL of the negative aspects of the traditional publishing model and adds a number of additional benefits. It’s called the “Online Publishing Model”.

The OPM is a combination of online digital download delivery and print-on-demand (POD) hard copy publishing that sidesteps almost all of the pitfalls of the traditional book publishing model.

It offers small-time authors/publishers an excellent alternative that will give them more control, and will increase their sales and profits by using little known online channels when publishing their books/ebooks.

So, if you are one of the tens of thousands of small time authors and/or self-publishers who are being victimized by the traditional book publishing industry, you might want to seriously investigate alternatives such as the OPM that offer new approaches to book writing, marketing, selling, and distribution.



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Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/book-publishing-there-had-to-be-a-better-way.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/book-publishing-there-had-to-be-a-better-way.html Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
• You'll have to give away half of your book's value right up-front by being forced to discount the cover price by as much as 60% (Hard to believe isn't it!).

• You'll make very little money -- as little as 3% of the cover price through a standard publisher, up to a maximum of 35% of cover price if you self-publish (Seems hardly worth the effort!).

• You'll have to wait a full 3 to 4 months to get paid for a book sale after it has been made (Really -- I'm not kidding here!).

• You'll be forced to issue 100% rebates to booksellers who return your books after many months, because they didn't make an effort to sell them. (Almost beyond belief, isn't it).

• You'll have 25% or more of your income withheld from you (3 to 4 months after that income was earned) as a contingency to cover eventual returns. (So, they add insult to injury).

• You'll get stuck in a long and drawn-out industry time-cycle of 18 to 24 months from the time your book is ready until the time it's on store shelves. (That is, if you're lucky enough to get accepted).

Trust me; I learned all of this the hard way. In fact, it was so difficult to believe that a business model could be so archaic and flawed that I even went back and tried it with a second book in the hope that I had somehow missed the benefits the first time around. Nope.

THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY
After those disheartening experiences with traditional book publishing I decided to see if I could find a better way that would eliminate all or most of those downsides. Well, it took me almost three years of trial-and-error experimentation (not to mention a few thousand dollars) but I did manage to come up with a real, viable alternative to the old way. It’s called the Online Publishing Model.

And, based on my experience using the OPM for the past couple of years, I am truly convinced that it is the KEY to publishing success for small time authors and/or self publishers in the Internet age.

THERE IS A BETTER WAY: THE ONLINE PUBLISHING MODEL
The Online Publishing Model is a combination of online digital download delivery and print-on-demand (POD) paper book publishing that sidesteps most of the pitfalls of the traditional book publishing model.

It offers small-time authors/publishers an excellent alternative that will give them more control, and will increase their sales and profits by using little known online channels when publishing their books/ebooks. Here's how it works...

THREE MAIN ONLINE DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Using the OPM approach, once your book/ebook is written, there are a number of online channels through which you can distribute and sell your book/ebook, as follows:

1. Dedicated Sales-Mini-Site
First and foremost, once your book/ebook is written you need to create what's called a "mini-Website" (i.e. sales-mini-site) for the sole purpose of selling your product. Trust me, this is the only way to go. You MUST have a site dedicated to the sale of that one book/ebook. Search engines will send targeted traffic to your site and your site copy will make the sales online.

2. Digital Download Distributors
The second online channel for your book/ebook will be through digital fulfillment companies that distribute downloadable ebooks to the largest online bookstores such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and many others. These distribution companies are happy to put your ebook in front of thousands of traditional book buyers who normally wouldn't see it. Listing your digital download ebook with one or more of these distributors is essential.

3. Print-On-Demand Distributors
These are distributors that use a relatively new technology called print-on-demand (or POD). You provide the company with a digital copy of your book, plus some cover art work in digital form, and they will set up your book so that single book orders can be printed and drop-shipped directly to the buyer. This allows you to provide a hard copy version (of your ebook) to those customers who insist on it, while you only pay the cost of printing a single copy. (No more printing 2,000+ copies up-front just to get a reasonable cost per copy!).

Other Distribution Channels
There are a few other distribution channels as well, such as small online ebook stores, but these are relatively minor, and to-date I just don't think they're worth the trouble.

BOTTOM LINE
Suffice it to say, there are at least three highly effective channels by which you can distribute and sell your book/ebook online through the Online Publishing Model.

If you can harness the three channels in the OPM, and get them working for you, I can guarantee that you'll make more book/ebook sales and profits than you ever would under the traditional publishing model.



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Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com
Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/letters-of-reference-writing-power-phrases.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/letters-of-reference-writing-power-phrases.html Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
If you look closely at most reference and recommendation letters you will notice that there are certain "types" of phrases that recur over and over again, throughout the various letters.

These statement types can be grouped into three major categories: opening statements, assessment statements, and closing statements. These statements are the three key components of any letter of reference. If you formulate these phrases well you are guaranteed to have an excellent letter.

OPENING STATEMENTS
The opening statement in a letter of reference should state the name of the person being recommended. It can also explain why you are the person writing the letter. The opening statement should normally be one short sentence and should never exceed two sentences.

Following are three generic typical opening statements for inclusion in reference letters:

• “I am writing this letter at the request of [name of requestor].”
• “This is in response to your recent request for a letter of reference for [name].”
• “I am pleased to be able to write this letter of reference for [name].”

ASSESSMENT STATEMENTS
Assessment statements in a letter of reference are those sentences and phrases that contain the recommender's specific assessment of the performance, characteristics, and attributes of the person being recommended.

Normally an assessment statement will be followed up by one or two specific performance-related examples backing up the statement just made.

Following are three generic typical assessment statements for inclusion in letters of reference:

• “In my opinion, [name] is a hard-working self-starter who invariably understands exactly what a project is all about.”
• “[name] consistently produces high quality work in a timely fashion.”
• “The only area of weakness that I ever noted in [name]'s performance was...”

A typical letter of reference will normally include three to four assessment statements.

CLOSING STATEMENTS
The closing statement in a letter of reference should be one or two sentences at most, and it should make a clear statement of recommendation that flows logically from the points made in the assessment part of the letter. They will often begin with transition phrases such as: "In summary...", "In Closing,...", "Based on the foregoing,...", "Accordingly,...", etc.

Closing statements in reference letters are generally positive, but in some circumstances they may be qualified, or sometimes, even completely negative.

Following are three generic typical closing statements for inclusion in reference letters:

• “I am therefore very pleased to be able to recommend [name] for...”
• “Based on my time working with [name], I recommend her very highly for...”
• “I respect [name] as a colleague, but I must say that in all honesty, I cannot recommend him for ...”

In summary, mastering these three types of "reference letter power phrases" is one of the keys to writing all types of letters of reference. As such, knowledge of how to write typical opening, assessment, and closing statements, as illustrated above, is essential to writing effective letters of reference.

That's why I have included more than 150 generic "Reference Letter Power Phrases" in the latest Revised Edition of Instant Recommendation Letter Kit - How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation.



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Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is Webmaster of two of the most visited writing-help Web sites on the Net. He is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He is also the Net’s foremost authority on the definition and writing of ALL types of letters of recommendation and letters of reference. See his comprehensive resource center:
http://Recommendation-Reference-Central.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/you-too-can-write-a-how-to-book-or-ebook.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/you-too-can-write-a-how-to-book-or-ebook.html Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
After all, how hard can it be to write about something you already know really well, something that you are passionate about? Heck, you may not even need to do any research! What other kind of author has that luxury?

As I say on my ebook on the subject, I am a firm believer that 99% of people who have specific knowledge of ANY subject, coupled with a passion to share that knowledge with others, are natural how-to authors.

In fact, as I state in the Introduction to my book…

“If you can organize your thoughts enough to explain something to someone,
and then write that down in simple step-by-step terms,
you too can be a how-to author.”

That’s right. How-to books can be written by anyone who is capable of writing down what they are “speaking” as they explain to someone all about something that is near and dear to their heart.

It really is that simple. And the beauty of writing how-to books is that you already have the knowledge inside of you!

Most how-to books are written by “experts” in a particular subject. The cool part about this is that each and every one of us is an expert in some, or many areas! And that includes you!

YES, YOU ARE An Expert…
Really, you are! You possess a unique combination of knowledge and valuable life experience that no one else on this planet possesses. In fact, you are the only one truly qualified to write about your knowledge and experience from your own unique perspective.

And that last phrase — “from your own unique perspective” — is a very important one. It’s important because “how-to” books are all about people sharing their individual unique take on something. And it really doesn’t matter what that something is.

Think about it. What are your big interests and/or activities in life? What’s your favorite hobby, or your preferred sport or leisure activity. What do you excel in at the office? What books and magazines do you seek out? What subjects are guaranteed to grab your attention in any situation, or when depicted in the media? What are you good at - at work and/or at play? On what subjects do friends, family members, and co-workers constantly seek your advice and/or expertise? Do you have valuable life experience to bring to the table?

Now that you’ve thought about it, I bet you’re beginning to realize that you are indeed an “expert” on numerous subjects — aren’t you?

Seriously, whether you’re an avid gardener, a fanatical sports fan, an obsessed collector of “stuff”, a jazz pianist, a weekend carpenter, or a card maker; it doesn’t matter what your subject. YOU ARE AN EXPERT at those things that you love and are good at doing.

VLE Does Count!
Whatever you do, make sure you don’t discount your own personal “valuable life experience”. In fact, VLE is the basis for almost All self-help books. After all, what are self-help books except “how-to” books about how to live life. And in these days of Oprah, Dr. Phil, Chicken Soup Books, and Reality TV, I don’t have to tell you how marketable VLE is!

In fact, it was Oprah who said you can “Turn your wounds into words”.

DON'T Underestimate Yourself…
Remember, YOU DO NOT have to be the world’s foremost authority on your particular subject(s). As long as you have a keen interest in your topic and have acquired an above average knowledge of it, you are in a position to write about it from your own unique perspective.

Believe me, there are thousands of people out there ready and waiting to hear from people just like you who offer new knowledge and fresh perspectives on your shared special area of interest.

All you need to be able to do is write down what would naturally come out of your mouth if you were explaining your favorite subject to a friend, colleague, or family member.

BOTTOM LINE?
Don’t sell yourself short. Five years ago I didn’t even know what a “how-to book” was. Now I’ve written 12 of them. Really!

I’m willing to bet that you too have more “how-to” books in you than you ever imagined.



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Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous how-to books on everyday practical writing. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His latest book “How To Write A Book (or eBook) About Your Favorite Hobby, Interest or Activity" can be found at: http://HowToWriteHowTo.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/writing/letters-of-reference-writing-tips-and-strategies.html http://www.articletrader.com/writing/letters-of-reference-writing-tips-and-strategies.html Mon, 31 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500
These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That's because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of reference in their various forms (i.e. reference letters, character reference letters, employment reference letters, college reference letters, and general reference letters).

Write It Only If You Want To
If you are asked by someone to write a reference letter about them, you don't have to say "yes" automatically. If it's someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying "yes" and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don't get sucked into writing a reference inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front
On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a reference letter for them, and you know you'll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say "no" right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be "yes".

A gentle but firm "no" will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don't think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Someone Else
If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting reference letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn't like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It As You See It
Writing a less than honest letter of reference does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing reference letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don't over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best
An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of reference. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody's perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.


Bottom Line:
The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of reference.

It's an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don't agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.



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Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
Shaun Fawcett is Webmaster of two of the most visited writing-help Web sites on the Net. He is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He is also the Net’s foremost authority on the definition and writing of ALL types of letters of recommendation and letters of reference. See his comprehensive resource center:
http://Recommendation-Reference-Central.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>