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The Top Seven Mistakes eBook Authors Make

By Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel
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©2002 Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel

eBooks are the hottest thing going on the Web right now! Authors with the entrepreneurial instinct are making anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars per month - that’s right, per month - by selling ebooks online.

Why are some authors doing so much better than others? We’ve discovered seven key mistakes that most ebook authors make (and in doing so, hold themselves back from major success):

1. They don’t write to a specific, target audience?

The biggest mistake most ebook authors make is they don’t clearly define, identify and visualize who they are selling their ebook to.

On the Web, to be successful, you must write to a specific group of people who have specific interests?
Make sure that you know exactly who is going to buy your ebook, and where you can find them online?

2. They don’t automate as many of their business activities as possible?

Selling ebooks, though it is highly profitable, is not a business where you make hundreds of dollars per sale.

Automate everything you can - credit card processing, ebook delivery, as much technical support as possible. If you can’t automate a function, delegate it to someone else?

3. They don’t have a compelling title for their ebook.

Use words that convey the benefit of what’s in the ebook, as well as words your audience is familiar with.
A bad title for an ebook: “Online Marketing for Newbies.”? A good title for the same ebook: “97 Ways to Promote Your Website - No Experience Required.”

4. They try to cover too much ground.

Many ebook authors convey a lot of information but don’t cover anything in-depth. As a result, they never fully explain anything in enough detail to provide any useful value to their readers.

This is a very bad mistake to make, especially when it comes to how-to ebooks, which happen to be the best type to write.

5. They are not proactive in their marketing.

It would be nice if marketing for your ebook simply happened on its own - but it doesn’t. You have to do it yourself.

After you’ve promoted your ebook to the people on your own mailing list (if you have one), then you have to contact other Website owners and persuade them to be your affiliates. You should do this continually.

6. They don’t differentiate their ebook from its competitors.

When you choose your topic, even if there are a hundred ther ebooks out there on same general subject, choose an ngle for yours that will make it easy for yours to be distinguished from the others.

For example, right now job-hunting ebooks are very popular. There are dozens that are big sellers. “Secrets of Breaking nto Pharmaceutical Sales” has a very specific title that sets it apart from the competition, and is aimed at a clearly identified target audience. Incidentally, it’s selling very well itself.

7. They write ebooks that nobody will pay for.

Many ebook authors write about information that either people can get for free, or that people are not actually
interested in enough to pay for the information. Before you invest weeks or months into the writing of your ebook, invest a little time investigating whether other ebooks in the same subject area are selling on the Web.

So, there you have it - the seven big mistakes to avoid. Remember, the opportunities are plentiful - and huge - right now for anyone who wants to become a best-selling ebook author. Simply use common sense, follow our advice, and let your literary career flourish!

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Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel are co-authors of “eBook Secrets Exposed: How to Make Massive Amounts of Money in Record Time With Your Own eBook (whether you wrote it or not!), the authoritative guide to publishing and marketing ebooks on the Web.”

Guerrilla Marketing author Jay Conrad Levinson says, “If there ever was a ‘must-read’ for this century, it’s this
book.” For more information Click here

Since instigating proper SEO techniques I have seen my web site visitors increase by over 1500%. My conversion rates have also gone from a meager 0.5% to a very healthy 8%.

How has this been achieved? By following seven simple guidelines which have not only seen my visitor figures sky rocket but also the web sites position in the major search engines has gradually improved until it sits on page one for all the important search categories and many surprising ones also.

So what are these seven basic rules I have followed?

1. Develop as many pages as is possible all with good and different content on. The content should be different but obviously related. The content should be written for the visitor not for the search engines. It has to be good sales copy because you are trying to sell a product or a service virtually in an instant so it must grab the attention of the visitor.

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Do not worry about the page rank of these sites as it is more important that they are relevant to yours service. If you have products which are sold worldwide then it is not quite so simple and you will have to link with sites that have some relevance but not a direct one, otherwise you would be linking with your competitors.

3. Place your link in as many directories as is possible. Most are free and do not require a link back but even if they do it is of no consequence.

Do it. Some may require a small fee. It is entirely up to you whether you are prepared to pay this fee. Be careful however because you could end up paying out large sums in total if you do not keep a careful check on the monies paid out. Be selective.

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6. Develop a weblog alongside and as part of your website. If this is updated daily then you will ensure that the search engines regularly visit your site and pick up all the updates.

7. Add additional content to your website at least once per week. Do not allow any of your web pages to remain static for any length of time. Even minor changes are good.

All of these things enacted together should see your site climbing through the rankings.

As the site progresses towards the first page you will see an ever increasing number of visitors arriving at your site.

How many of those are converted into customers depends entirely upon the strength of the copy on the pages and whether it is enticing people to become your customers.

It is utterly pointless having many hundreds of visitors to your site if they all depart without interacting in some way with your content.

Article Source: http://articlecrazy.com

David Smith is the owner of a commercial and domestic cleaning services company which can be found at http://www.wesparkle.co.uk