Why Writing a Book Can Boost Your Expert Credibility

by Nicole Munoz

Writing and publishing an ebook can give your business the boost you’re looking for. In fact an ebook can help you accomplish several important business building goals in one swoop. If you’re not sure what an ebook is, it’s simply a downloadable version of a book that you read on a computer, an ebook reader like Kindle or other mobile device.

Here are a few benefits of creating a successful ebook…

Credibility

Publication is one of the main avenues you can take to improve or establish your credibility. It doesn’t matter what industry or business you’re in, when you write a book people tend to automatically assume you’re an expert. Even if they don’t read your book, often the simple fact that you’re published will help you establish yourself as an expert on your topic.

This is important as a business building tactic because we buy from people we perceive as experts or authority figures in their industry. We turn to them to solve our problems, ask advice and to gain new skills and knowledge.

Awareness and Exposure

Writing a book broadens your reach. It spreads awareness of you and your business virally as people talk to each other about your book. Additionally, as you begin marketing and promoting your book you will subsequently also be marketing and promoting your business.

They say it takes three exposures to a business, product or service to create awareness. Your book and relevant marketing messages help your exposures quickly add up. This means you’ll have more prospects who think of you when they have a need.

Your book can also help increase your search engine optimization which increases your website traffic, and the awareness and exposure we just mentioned. You’ll receive incoming links to your website from book reviews, blog posts, and affiliate marketers if you’re selling your book and of course through content and other book marketing tactics.

You can also use your book as an opt-in offer so you can build your email list. And of course we’re only talking about how your book can help market your business. You can also use your book as a product or bonus product to generate more sales.

Whether you’re selling it for a profit, giving it away to build a list, or using it as a strategic marketing tool, the better your book the more effective and successful it will be. It should also be noted that ebooks are growing by leaps and bounds. Digital publishing has become mainstream and most people don’t think twice about downloading a book online. Bookstores now offer digital books and there are specific reading devices that cater to ebook readers.

You don’t need to worry about paying for print publishing and you don’t have to worry about shipping. Distribution is as simple as a download page and maybe an autoresponder. It’s an incredibly cost effective means to communicate, provide value, and to market your business.

How to Plan your Offer Funnel

by Nicole Munoz

#1 Identify your most expensive product or service. This is the tip/bottom of your funnel and what all of your activities, products, and services funnel into.

#2 Identify the price for this product or service. It should be a fair price that meets demand and solves a high level problem and provides a substantial value.

#3 Identify a tiered product/service offering that gradually increases from free to your previously identified most expensive item. Each item provides value and builds upon itself to offer increasing value and benefit.

#4 Create a system to brainstorm your free content, the largest portion and top of your funnel. This includes all of the content you normally publish to generate awareness and drive traffic. You can use the following tools:

List
Mindmap
Keyword research
Google Alerts
Consumer surveys
Previously published content
Competition
Trends
Social media

#5 Create a schedule and content plan for your free content. The content marketing strategy includes:

Blog posts
Podcast(s)
Video(s)
Interview(s)
Viral Report(s)
Guest blogging
Article marketing
Social media posts

#6 Create a freebie or free offer to introduce or pull people into the next tier of your funnel. The goal of this offer is to capture an email address.

Newsletter
eCourse
Report
eBook
Audio
Video
Tutorials
Webinars

#7 Create an introductory product or service that meets your target audience’s basic needs.

Ebook
Guide
Webinar
Group Coaching

#8 Identify an introductory price for the product or service that your customers will be able to easily justify and part with.

#9 Create a mid-level product or service that meets your target audience’s basic needs.

Ebook
Webinar series
Home Learning Product
Individual Coaching

#10 Identify a mid-level price for the product or service that your customers will be able to easily justify and part with.

#11 Establish a marketing strategy to connect with customers as they move through the funnel to upsell and help them take the next step.

Use this plan for your offer funnel checklist to guide you as you plan your offer and create a system to introduce prospects to your funnel and move them through seamlessly.

How to Publish on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

by Nicole Munoz

Amazon’s Kindle bookstore is one of the fastest growing platforms for getting your work out into the world. Digitally published content is Amazon’s fastest growing segment. More and more authors are coming on to their publishing network every day. More importantly, more and more people are purchasing Kindles and making digital book purchases every day.

The Kindle bookstore can be a fantastic way to both bring in a new income stream, as well as introduce new people to your ideas and product funnel.

People often see publishing on the Kindle as much more difficult than it really is. The reality is, submitting your book to the Kindle store takes just a few hours.

Here’s how to publish your book on Amazon Kindle’s bookstore.

Step 1: Sign In

Go to:

https://kdp.amazon.com

This is Amazon’s Kindle self-publishing platform. Sign into your Amazon account. You don’t need a specialized account to begin selling on the Kindle store.

Step 2: Click Add New Title

Once you’re in your KDP account, click “Add New Title” to begin the process of adding your new Kindle book.

Step 3: KDP Select

Do you want to enroll in KDP select? KDP select allows you to share in library revenues when people borrow your book, as well as to offer your book for free on the Kindle store for 5 days. In order to enroll in KDP select, you need to offer your book only on the Amazon Kindle and no other digital book platform.

Step 4: Book Title

Enter the name of your guide. There are a few things you should be thinking about when you choose a title:

It should be catchy. If someone hears the name, it should immediately get stuck in someone’s head.
It should suggest a benefit. Let people know what they can get from reading your book.
It should be unique. Don’t use a generic title that others have seen a dozen times already.
It should catch attention. If someone’s looking at your book in the Kindle store, the title should draw their eyes and rouse their curiosity.

Good examples of this include “The Four Hour Workweek,” “Made to Stick,” “The Tipping Point” and “Good to Great.”

Step 5: Enter Your Description

Your description is your best chance to sell someone on buying your book. Your headline catches attention and your book cover helps build the vibe and brand. But people ultimately decide whether or not they want to buy your book after reading the description.

Your description should focus on the reader. Explain how your book can change their lives or benefit them in some way. It should highlight the juiciest aspects of your book.

Don’t write this all at once. Instead, sit down and write your description from a few different angles. Then pick the best one and really refine it over the course of a few days before publishing.

Step 6: Publisher Details

Enter details about the publisher. Most of this information is optional, but it does help lend some sense of credibility to your book. Note that to publish on the Kindle bookstore, you do not need an ISBN number.

Step 7: Publishing Rights

Verify with Amazon that you have the rights to publish the book you’re publishing.

Step 8: Categories and Keywords

Click “Add Categories” to add categories. Enter your keywords in the keywords section.

Your categories and your keywords are some of the most important aspects of getting found. Customers will browse books by categories as well as search for books using keywords.

If you don’t know which categories or keywords you should use, look into what some of your competitors are using. You can’t go wrong doing what your top 5 competitors are doing in terms of categories and keywords.

This is what the category selection screen looks like:

Step 9: Upload Your Book

Check whether or not you want to enable Digital Rights Management (DRM) to help protect your book from being shared and/or pirated.

Then upload your book’s contents by clicking “Browse for Book” then “Upload Book.”

Once Amazon receives your book, you’ll see the converting screen.

Click “Save and Continue” to continue with the book creation process.

Step 10: Publishing Territories

If you only hold the rights to the book in certain territories, you’ll have to restrict the sales to just those territories. Most people can leave this option on “Worldwide rights.”

Step 11: Royalty Options

Choose which royalty option you want to use to promote your book. Amazon has two different royalty plans that you can choose from. If you’re selling for between $2.99 to $9.99, the 70% option is probably your best choice. If you’re selling for $0.99 or if you’re selling a very high end book, then the 35% option is your only choice.

Step 12: Set Your Prices

Set the prices for your book in various different markets. When you’re setting these prices, try to take a look at what your competitors are charging in those markets before you make your decision.

It’s not unusual for a book that sells for $2.99 USD to sell for £2.99 GBP, even though the pound is worth $1.58 dollars. It’s just how the market works.

In other words, don’t just convert your US dollar prices into pounds or Euros. Instead, research each market individually before crafting your prices.

Step 13: Allow Lending?

Should people be able to “lend” their friends your book? If so, they’ll be able to give someone else your book for 14 days. Amazon will then automatically deactivate the book after the two weeks has passed.

Some people believe this helps increase brand and exposure, while others believe it decreases potential revenue. It’s your choice as to how you want to treat borrowing.

Step 14: Save and Publish

Once you’ve entered all the details for your book and selected all your publishing options, just click “Save and Publish” to finalize your submission!

Amazon will then take some time to review your Kindle book. If you wrote the book yourself, you’ll almost always get approved. Amazon’s primary reason for disapproving books isn’t poor quality, but copyright issues.

Congratulations! After following this submission process, your book will soon appear in the Kindle store. Watch your account carefully and soon the sales will start rolling in!

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How to Submit Your eBook to iBooks

by Nicole Munoz

Getting your eBooks into the iBookstore will get you exposure to a wide audience on Apple devices. Your book will be available to people on both PC computers and Macs as well as people on iPhones and iPads.

In order to submit your own eBook to iBooks, you’ll need a Mac running at least 1G of RAM with QuickTime 7.03 installed. Unfortunately, you cannot do this on a Windows computer.

That said, if you’re on a Windows computer, you can use one of the many third party Apple aggregators to help take care of the process. They’ll take care of just about everything for you, though you’ll have to pay a premium for the service.

If you want to do it on your own, you’ll also need a U.S. Tax ID. Anyone can get a Tax ID by filing for a DBA / Sole Proprietor business in the United States. You don’t even need to be a U.S. resident.

Once you have all the requirements, here’s how to get started with publishing your eBook on iBooks.

Step 1: Get Your ISBN Number

In order to publish your book on iBooks, you’ll need an ISBN number. This number is like a calling card for your book. It allows bookstores like the iBookstore to track exactly how many books were sold and it also allows you to track your statistics.

Any book sold in a regular bookstore needs an ISBN number. While some online stores don’t require this, iBooks does. To get your ISBN number, go to:

http://www.ISBN.org

When you arrive, you’ll see the page below. Click “Get Your ISBN Today!” to start.

Step 2: Get the Basic Version

While there are several different versions of the ISBN service available, the most important thing is that you get the number. For our purposes, the most basic package is usually enough.

Step 3: Checkout

Continue to checkout and follow the on screen instructions to complete the purchase of your ISBN number.

Step 4: Install an ePub Conversion Application

In order to submit your eBook to iBooks, you need to convert it to the ePub file format. There are several programs that can do this.

Calibre and Sigil are two free options. iStudio Publisher ($49.99) and Adobe InDesign ($699) are two paid options.

For the purposes of this guide, we’ll use Calibre’s free converter to create our ePub file.

Download Calibre from:

http://calibre-ebook.com/

Install the software and continue.

Step 5: Add Your Books

Once you open Calibre, you’ll be presented with a screen with a variety of options. A good way to acquaint yourself with the interface is to just hover your mouse over various areas and see what each button is.

To get started, click “Add Books” in the upper left corner. Select the book(s) you want to convert into ePub file format to add it to the list of titles in Calibre.

Step 6: Change the Meta Data

Your meta data is data that comes with the ePub file that tells the book reader basic information like who wrote it, the title, the ISBN number and so on.

Highlight the book whose data you want to change. Then click on the “Edit Meta Data” button.

You’ll then be taken to the edit meta data screen, as shown below:

Input as much of the data as you can. Add in your front cover image. This is the image that will be shown to people browsing the iBookstore.

On the right you can add comments. You can leave this blank for now.

Click OK when you’re finished.

Step 7: Save Your ePub Book

When you’re ready to export your ePub file, click on the “Save Book” button.

You’ll then be taken to the save page, which gives you a ton of options.

The best way to play with these options is to just save your file and see how it looks afterwards. You can choose how text display looks, how your table of contents are structured and a whole lot more options.

The only critical thing you need to select is the Output Format. Make sure it’s set to EPUB before you hit OK.

Once you save your file, you’ll have a file that’s ready to be submitted to the iBookstore!

Step 8: Submit to iBooks

To submit your ebook, go to iTunes connect at:

https://itunesconnect.apple.com

Select “Books” from the dropdown menu and click continue.

You’ll then be walked through a series of steps to upload your ePub file and submit it to iTunes. Follow the on screen instructions.

That’s all there is to it! Setting up your Tax ID, getting an ISBN number and converting your file may be a bit of hassle at first, but getting your eBook onto the iBookstore will make your effort well worth it.

Baby Steps for Getting E-book Sales

by Nicole Munoz

Whether or not your ebook will sell in large part comes down to the title, the description and the category.

A stellar title will move thousands of copies; while a title that’s mediocre will fail in selling the exact same ebook. Titles generally aren’t “okay” or “good” – They either sell or they don’t sell. In other words, they’re either great or they don’t work at all.

The same applies to descriptions. A great description should make your eyes pop out with excitement. People who read that description should be eager to read the rest of the ebook.

The category is critical because it helps you connect your ebook with the right audience. Never guess on the category and do your homework first.

Here’s how to come up with a stellar title, a great description and a category that facilitates sales.

Getting the Title Right

The title is the most important sentence you’ll write in your entire ebook.

Don’t think of writing your title as an action or a task. Instead, think of it as a process. Don’t commit to a title until the very end.

Start writing titles as soon as you begin your ebook. Write them in a separate document. Write a many titles as possible. Write them down as they come to you.

By the time you finish your ebook, you should have a document with at least 30 possible titles in it. Most authors find that as they’re writing their ebook, possible titles will just continually pop into their minds.

Throughout this process, try to involve other people in the title choosing process. Ask other people for suggestions or possible titles. Run your favorite titles by other people and see what they think.

Treat coming up with a title as a long-term brainstorming process. Instead of a normal brainstorming process, where you let ideas flow freely for an hour or so, this process is instead extended over the course of several weeks and months. Just let the titles flow and edit as little as possible.

You can also look through stores like the Kindle ebook store and see what titles catch your eye. What titles are likely to get noticed?

Once you’ve finished your ebook, that’s when you should finally sit down and make a pick.

The title you choose should have a certain “snap” to it. It should be simple and easy to understand. The title should just have one concept in it, rather than try to convey everything in the ebook. It should have a rhythmic feel to it. It should grab attention and it should tempt people to read the description.

Getting the Description Right

Much like writing the title, the description writing process should start early on.

Begin by looking at how other authors in your industry wrote their descriptions. Start to collect a swipe file – A collection of descriptions that you can reference to for inspiration.

Come up with a few different ways to approach the description. Write several different descriptions, then ask friends which one is the most compelling. For example, you might have one description that factually describes the ebook and another description that paints a vivid picture with words.

Focus on the first sentence. The job of the first sentence is to capture attention and get people to read the rest of the description. People who read the first sentence should feel hooked and sucked in to reading the rest of the description.

Have testimonials. Try to get testimonials and/or editorial reviews from names that people in your industry would recognize. Just a handful of great testimonials can make all the difference.

Reference your swipe file often. Never steal words, but don’t be afraid to steal ideas. If someone phrased a topic in a certain way or painted a picture in a certain way, don’t be afraid to take that writing style and make it your own. Copy what made other ebooks successful.

Picking the Right Category

You should pick the category that gives you the highest chance of ranking in the top charts. Of course, the category needs to be relevant to what your ebook is about.

Let’s say you’re releasing a ebook about how to trade commodities. The ebook could go under business, it could go under finance or it could go under economics. Which do you choose?

The answer: Choose the one that gives you the highest chances of breaking the top charts.

Take a look at the other ebooks in the categories you’re considering. What kinds of ebooks are they? Are ebooks like yours succeeding or failing? Naturally, you want to choose the category(s) that have a natural affinity for your kind of ebook.

In our example, it’s entirely possible that all finance discussions seem to be limited to personal finance. In that case, you might put your ebook under economics. On the flip side, it’s possible that economics is filled with only theoretical ebooks; while finance is filled with ebooks by other traders. In that case, finance would be the better bet.

Sometimes you’ll want to deliberately target categories that seem slow. This tactic works only if you have an extremely strong marketing engine. If you sense that a category is weak in sales, you could try to pop yourself into the top charts by listing your ebook in that category, then sending in a flood of traffic. Even so, the ebook still has to make sense within that category.

Choosing the category can be quite straightforward. Just see what your competitors are doing and do the same. That said, sometimes you’ll want to put your ebook in a different category if your research shows that your audience seems to respond better in those other categories.
These three factors – The title, the description and the category – Make up the bulk of your selling power. Get these three things right, add in a stellar front cover and a strong marketing plan and you’ll be off to the races.