A. Samad Said's Blog, page 6
October 6, 2018
Finding the Best Free Ebooks Websites
There are many ways to get quality free ebooks, it's just a matter of finding the right places. So here's a strategy for finding the best websites for you. Firstly try the Kindle store which has the largest free ebooks selection. You go to Amazon and then go to the kindle store. Type in free books in the search box and you should get a choice of three options. Choose the free kindle book option and then choose the free kindle book list and you will get a list of all the titles that are available. The kindle store has a wide range of titles some are new and some are not as new. They do have fiction as well as non fiction from best selling authors so there's definitely plenty of books to read. You can read those free books even if you do not have a kindle by downloading the free kindle app for your PC If your curious about ebooks and would like to give it a try this is because it's completely free. One note of caution though it will not give you the experience of reading on a ereader device like the kindle but it will help you become familiar with them. You can do the same with Barnes & Noble by going to their website and downloading their free app. Then click ebooks and go to the left sidebar under Customer Favorites and click free ebooks.
There's also literally millions of free ebooks available that are part of the public domain with expired copyright. They're mostly classics from famous authors and if that's what your looking for you will have enough books to keep you busy for the rest of your life. If you're a student this will be extremely valuable for you because you can conduct research from many different sources without having to lug tons of books around with you. The best place to start with would be project Gutenberg because they have the largest selection available. You can search by title or by author and you have a choice of what type of format you wish to read them in. For the kindle you simply choose the kindle format and if you choose to read on your PC you can select html and read it in your web browser. For the nook and most other reading devices that support the epub format you have to choose the epub format. If your having trouble with this particular format you can use a software to change it over to pdf format which is supported by most devices (the only kindle that supports PDF's is the Kindle DX). You can Google free ebooks and the first five websites to come up are usually the best places to go like Free-ebooks.net and getfreeebooks.com to name a few.
There are dozens of other websites that offer free ebooks that are classics the majority of them are in the pdf format so they should work well with most devices. If you are using any of the Apple devices such as the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch you have by far the largest selection. You have access to the free ebooks from the ibookstore and you have access to the free ebooks from the kindle store through the free kindle app for the iPad and iPhone. The same goes for the free ebooks from Barnes & Noble through their free apps for the nook as well as the free app for borders gives you access to their free ebooks for the kobo ereader.
Well in short whichever device you own there's plenty of free ebooks available to keep you busy for a long time. So just sit back kick off your shoes and start reading.
Your eBay Empire – The Best Things to Sell on eBay
Starting an eBay business may at first seems like an easy task, but when you set out to actually do it you are faced with the first and hardest question you need to answer — “What do I sell?”
Sadly, most people can’t answer this question and soon find their business only existing in their head. Others will grab the first thing they see on sale, buy it up and pray that they can sell it at a profit. Most of these people lose money, and again, their business winds up as just an illusion.
You have to start out on the right track from the very beginning if you want to make a successful career on eBay. Finding the right products to sell is the first step.
First, you need to know what categories are the most popular and profitable. Broadly speaking the best categories of things to sell on eBay are as follows:
Electronics
Clothes
Books
Collectibles
Understanding what segments of those categories will have the most buyers and offer you the best opportunity to make a profit is what will make you successful. Rather than just buying anything in that category, be choosy and only pick the best items in each category. The best things to sell on eBay are often in niche segments within a category.
Electronics: small, portable electronics like iPods, and cell phones, particularly iPhones and BlackBerrys. Items that are easily lost, stolen, broken, etc. and accessories for those products. Computer cables, adapters, and small accessories. Also, refurbished laptops and discounted flat panel monitors.
Clothes: Children’s clothes and discount designer label items (NO KNOCKOFFS!). Unique T-shirts, new or old. Used jeans. Accessories, jewelry, etc.
Books: Niche specific non-fiction and 1st editions. Children’s books in good condition.
Collectibles: Coins, stamps, comic books, sports memorabilia, pretty much anything that can be identified and has a published price guide that is updated yearly.
Where do you get all this stuff?
The obvious first place to look for things to sell on eBay is your garage or attic. You can clear out space for new stock and get valuable experience selling on eBay. One of the most important things you’ll accomplish in this initial phase is the building of your eBay feedback rating. If you try to sell a big ticket item with a feedback score below 25, you’re going to lose money.
Don’t rush this phase, and try to become rich. Your main focus is a high volume of transactions and good customer service. List these first items at a price less than what you think you want for them and when they do sell, ship them out the same day if possible.
Now that your garage is empty and you have feedback rating over 25, it’s time to go shopping. Your first stop should be at your local discount clothing store. Places like Ross or Nordstrom’s Rack sell designer label clothes for a fraction of the retail value.
Only buy women’s clothes. You want basics, something a woman needs frequently for work, or ultra-trendy, something that everyone has to have, but can’t necessarily afford. It’s easier to go with the basics.
Warning : Never try to sell knockoffs on eBay. You will get a lifetime ban. Additionally, they can ban anyone at your address or IP, for life. While eBay itself is not that vigilant on watching out for copyright or trademark infringement, the corporate lawyers are. There are people whose sole job is to surf eBay looking for infringing items and notifying eBay.
Also, never use someone else’s pictures, either from a listing or anywhere on the web. If you didn’t take the picture yourself, someone else holds the copyright. A seller can get you banned from eBay if they report you as using their listing images, or even copying their html or text from a listing.
Garage sales are a good place for children’s clothes. You can often get a discount if you show up early and offer to buy all their children’s clothes at once. Children’s books can easily be found at garage sales to, in varying conditions. It’s possible to find collectibles here too, but they are often overpriced or in very bad condition. Most people have the idea that if it looks old, it must be worth a lot and aren’t very open to negotiating a lower price.
Local thrift stores have a wide selection of children’s clothes and used books, often for pennies on the dollar. Make it a habit to stop by once a week to each one in your area.
You can find things to sell on eBay itself. It takes some work and know-how, but searching for misspelled listings or items listed in the wrong category can often lead to some very good finds.
If you want to sell collectables, make sure it is something that you are actually interested in yourself. If you don’t know the details of that market, it’s easy to lose a lot of money. Buy every relevant price guide for your chosen hobby (on eBay of course), select a niche segment of that market and learn as much as you can about it. This works well if you live in or near a large metropolitan area that will have shops, fairs, and events specific to that collectable market.
With collectables and books, you must be able to speak the language. Each hobby has its own terminology and if you don’t know it, people won’t trust you. Even if you are selling an item at a fair price, if it sounds like you don’t know what you’re talking about – somehow, it seems overpriced and people won’t want to buy from you.
A good place to find your chosen collectibles are at events tailored to that hobby. Most events will have a listing of sellers at the event, along with their specialty. DON’T go to the person who specializes in your particular niche. Try someone who is more interested in the complete opposite. Often they will have items you are looking for and not know the value of them. Sometimes they might over-value the item, but most often, they list it cheap just to get it out of their inventory.
Books can be excellent things to sell on eBay. A good first edition book can be worth a lot of money. Usually they can only be bought from someone who knows what they have, but I have had a lot of luck at discount used book stores and at larger used book fairs. Again, you have to know what you’re looking for and what you’re talking about or you could overpay for something worth only a few dollars.
Non-fiction books in niche markets sell excellent. How-to books will always be sellers. Make sure you don’t go to broad with the categories or you might have too much competition to make a profit. For example: “How to Make an Adirondack chair,” is better than “Woodworking at Home.” Home repair guides, sports training manuals, self-help books, are all good things to sell on eBay. All books should be listed for the longest auction time that you can, or be placed in an eBay store.
A note on selling : Don’t try to squeeze every last cent out of a sale. Leave a little bit on the table so that the buyer has a good feeling about their purchase and in turn, you, the seller. If you build a reputation for quality items at a good price, you’ll have a long future as an eBay seller.
Make sure the buyer feels that they got a great deal. Always try to create a higher perceived value for your items than what you are selling it for. With books, clothes, and some collectibles, putting items in a set and then “discounting” the price will often get you a better profit than trying to sell each item individually.
Wholesale / Drop Shipping
Last but not least, we have the most mysterious method of acquiring things to sell on eBay – Wholesalers. This is how the big boys find things to sell on eBay. If you have enough money and enough storage space you can buy pretty much anything in large quantities at a discount, either direct from the manufacturer or from one of the many middlemen that come between them and their final destination.
This method can be intimidating if you’re not accustomed to wheeling and dealing on the phone, but it is possible. The Los Angeles Harbor brings in just about everything that is bought in the U.S. Most manufacturers have wholesale offices near downtown LA that are open for making deals. You can either meet with them in person, or deal with them over the phone. Clothes, toys, electronics, pretty much anything can be bought from these offices.
If you live in LA, going to the wholesale district in person is a great idea, because often the people working in the office are willing to sell you a very small volume of items at a wholesale price, usually a dozen of any one item, or a box, whatever is easier for them. Sometimes you need a wholesale license (for tax purposes) and sometimes you don’t.
Wholesalers are a great source for electronics, electronic accessories, clothing, and clothing accessories, jewelry, etc.
Warning : Do not buy “wholesale” DVDs, CDs, PC software, etc. 99% of the time it will be counterfeit – And saying “I didn’t know,” won’t protect you if you get caught selling counterfeit goods.
If you don’t live in LA and can’t afford to buy $10,000 worth of electronics and keep them in your garage, you still have options. There are smaller wholesale companies, usually a middleman who has contracted with multiple manufacturers, which can offer you a wide selection of items at wholesale prices in small volume. Sometimes they will even be able to ship the item direct to your buyer without you ever having to touch the item. This is called drop shipping.
Drop shipping is one of the best ways to sell electronics on eBay. You make the sale, and they ship the product. If anything is wrong with the item, usually, the manufacturer is responsible for replacing or repairing the item and dealing with the buyer.
I personally don’t have a lot of experience dealing with wholesalers outside of the LA area, but there are resources available that list a good selection of world-wide wholesalers and drop shippers.
Now that we’ve gone from selling out of your garage to contracting with international wholesalers, you should have a good sense of where you can find things to sell on eBay, and what items you should be looking for. The tips I’ve offered on selling should help you get up and running fast, while avoiding a few major pitfalls that can easily destroy your business.
I wish you good luck and hope this information places you on the path to building your own eBay Empire.
Getting Started With Self-Publishing
Creating your eBook and getting it ready for online publishing is a pretty simple task. However, some new authors do tend to get confused about how to get things started.
For that, we’ve put together a list of what you should keep in mind as well as a guide that you can follow. It doesn’t matter what kind of book you’re putting together-whether it be a work of fiction, a biography, something informational or inspirational, all that matters is you present everything properly and in a manner that appeals to your target readership.
With that said, shall we begin?
1. Putting your book together. For this, you need to have a clear direction when it comes to where you want to take your book. Clarity is key so if you have one too many ideas, it would be best to write them all down. From there, start sorting through which ones you can develop and which ones need to be worked on a bit more. Keep on doing this until you’re left with one or two really strong ones then take your pick between them. Remember, if you ever lose your way while writing, repeating this process would help. Always note down your ideas!
2. It’s alright to make mistakes. There will always be drafts before you end up with the final version of your work. If you make any mistakes or need to change things in order for everything to be cohesive, don’t be afraid to delete anything that no longer fits. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, this is still progress. You’re improving your work to better suit publishing-after all, wouldn’t you rather make mistakes now when you can still change them instead of finding them later when people have already seen your book? Make as many drafts as you need, then compare each one until you find the best version.
3. Get a friend or a professional to proofread your work. This is important, especially if you’re the type of writer who is used to keeping their writing to themselves. Not only would this enable you to be braver when showing your work, it should also be able to provide you with a different perspective when it comes to your book’s content. As a writer, you may not always see the flaws in your own writing, so getting someone else’s opinion is valuable.
4. Publishing. Self-publishing platforms such as Amazon Kindle do have terms and conditions that you need to get familiar with. If you’re a new writer, learning about commissions, royalties, copyrights and other related subjects is very important. Before you click on “submit” make sure you understand what you’re getting into. The best thing about Kindle is that you have full control over your work. You can change the price, make tweaks in your content, and even pull out the book from online shelves at any given time.
5. Get the word out. Last but not least, do market your book. If you want to gain financially from it, you need to market it properly. Send copies to potential reviewers, tell family and friends too! Social media is the best tool for this purpose so do make full use of it.
Self-publishing may seem daunting at first, but this isn’t the case once you get down and start with the work. Yes, it is challenging, but most people will find this one of the most rewarding things about it as well. Good luck!
Despereaux – Book Review
This excellent fiction fantasy if full of light fun, animals and moments that bring understanding to another's feelings. The writing style the author employs creates a story that is perfect for engaging and literacy groups of young readers.
This animal adventure story about an adorable, abnormally small young mouse with very large ears shows readers what it is like to be ostracized by his own kind. Readers follow little Despereaux as he finds the courage to love and sacrifice for love. A sad rat named Roscuro, who loves music and light, becomes twisted when he finally conforms to the dark ways of his kind. He creates a sneaky plan to kidnap Princess Pea that would make all rats swell with pride. Only Despereaux's devotion to the Princess can save her. Insight into the troubles of abused kids, the haunting loss of a child and dreams so powerful they can over come prejudices and social barriers … all of this and more are waiting for readers of Desperaux and his quest to save Princess Pea from the dungeon maze.
Author of five other books, Kate DiCammillo has successfully created a lovable character that will be cherished by young readers for generations and is sure to become a classic in children's literature. Her style creates a warm feeling of being told the story – rather than reading it.
Both the author and the book have won numerous awards including the John Newbery Medal, which honors the most distinguished contributions to children literature in America. The ripped page edges give the book an antiqued feel and make it seem so much more special – as if the book was handed down for generations.
Numerous pencil sketch images are incredibly talented work – expressions on the faces and the details, even in the shading, make them worth the price of the book alone. Illustrator Tim Ering has been kept busy at his career with several other books and magazine projects as well as working with theaters, galleries and more. This talented artist is also the author of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone.
Desperaux is a National Best Seller book, has won at least twenty-four awards, including Chapman awards for Best Classroom Read Alouds, and is quite frankly, one of the most enjoyable stories to read. Teachers, educators and parents will find the appropriate to young people aged 7-12 or Grades 2-7. Tucked neatly in the story are small literary lessons, such as the meaning of "perfidy". Without hesitation, I give this book the highest rating possible and recommend it to anyone who enjoys light animal adventure stories.
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Tim Basil Ering
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 076362529-9
Ghost Writing and Editing Services
I run a small, online professional ghost writing services agency. Many ghost writers run their own businesses, offering the public ghost writing as well as editing services. Some are run by individual ghost writers, and some offer many writers, similar to our agency. The idea is to get you to hire ghost writing services that will give you exactly what you need in the way of professional writing or editing for books, screenplay, music, lyrics or any other such needed freelance writing services.
Before you hire any professional ghost writing services, you should research them first. Look deeply into their websites, checking the resumes and portfolios of any potential writers, reading over their recommendations and references. You may need to write the ghost writing services to ask for these, and to get the individual credentials of each ghost writer. When you hire a book ghost writer, check out how well their books have sold and if they have any best seller books in their credits. Book ghost writers should be able to offer you several excerpts from their work as samples. Check to see if the writer keeps to the original voice of the book author, or tends to make the books they write into their own personal works. You probably want to hire a book ghost writer who will always keep to your own genuine voice.
Ghost writing services which offer a diverse number of ghost writers and editors may try to cover every genre imaginable. You will have a wide selection of writers and editors to choose from. Try to interview more than one writer, especially when you hire a book ghost writer, in order to find the best possible fit for your project. Book ghost work runs in the tens of thousands of dollars, so you will want to be careful when you hire a book writer or editor. Get the very best one you can find.
Book editing services cost much less generally than book ghost writing services. If you hire a book editor, check their samples and references as thoroughly as you would those of a book writer. If you supply an already written book manuscript that only needs editing, you will be amazed at the price difference. In many cases, a book manuscript only needs grammar, syntax, color and style or content and developmental editing in order to read in a polished and professional manner. A good book editor can help you, and you can hire one through a ghost writing services agency.
Best Way to Self Publish
The incredible growth of the Internet, social media platforms and online forums has provided authors with applicable opportunities to sell their books lucratively. Self Publishing authors are achieving best-seller rankings and appealing mainstream attention. Since the possibility of becoming a well-known author is accessible, it is important to research the resources to self-publish a professional quality manuscript. To do this, authors are to focus on three main sections of the publishing process.
Print-On-Demand Printers
Self-publishing authors have the option to choose which print service will help them reach their goal. Print-on-demand (POD) printing services print books for self-publishing authors. Since Print-On-Demand printers only print your books, the writer has to handle cover design, securing an editor and the marketing plan. Some self-publishing authors favor POD companies because their prices are competitive and authors maintain control of the manuscript.
For authors whose goal is reaching a specific audience to market their products and services, other print-on-demand options are feasible such as Create Space. For example, writers that want to self-publish their eBooks, create space is an excellent choice. Also, it can help your reach mainstream. Amanda Hocking found her audience and millions selling eBooks on Amazon.
Format and Design
Talking about eBooks brings me to formatting and designing books for the Internet. Formatting manuscripts into eBooks and e-readers like Kindle or Nook sometimes means excluding graphics that are in your paper versions. Book cover designs are also important. Although Create Space provides book cover templates, some covers require formatting. Another cost consideration is an editor. As the author, it is easy to see what is not there. An editor will proof the manuscript for grammar, content and comprehension.
Marketing
Finally, a marketing plan for your book is imperative. Self-publishing and traditional authors are accountable for marketing their books. Once an author is clear about the goals that they intend to reach with their book, they can research which marketing strategies will best meet their aspirations. For authors not familiar with online marketing strategies, hiring a professional may be the way to go.
Focusing on these three areas will help self-publishing authors create eye-catching books available in paper or electronic versions. POD printers and POD publishers are available to help authors make their dreams come true. Remember just as reflection and research were time-consuming to write the book, formatting and marketing also will be an investment of time and resources to present a polished book that sells.
An Essential 10-Step Checklist to Marketing Your Next Non-Fiction Book
Source by Amy Harrop
When publishing a non-fiction book, if you have an existing promotional platform in that market, then you can launch any new book with a bang. A promotional platform could be:
A popular blog
An email list with thousands of subscribers
A Twitter account with a good number of responsive followers
A YouTube account with a significant amount of subscribers
… or any combination of these (plus audiences on other platforms).
However, we all need to start somewhere, and if you do not yet have a promotional platform, this post is all about building those platforms so that you do not need to depend on Amazon to promote your book, but can drive sales of your book whenever you choose.
You could of course pay for advertising to get your new book in front of people, but this post will inst focus on on methods for capturing people's attention. And since since non-fiction there's tremendous income opportunities far beyond book sales (courses, consulting …), promotional platforms can be used for a lot more than just driving book sales.
Promoting Your Book Through a Minisite or Promotional Page
The core of your promotional platform is your own website. Some people promote creating a new site to promote each book you write. However, such a site would generally only be two or three pages, and such a small site is not going to get any traffic without advertising. So let's put this miniisite idea for now.
Since it's recommended you publish multiple books on related topics, and especially if you're offering courses and other offers related to those books, having a site you build up significantly about the topic, with lots of great content, well, that can work very well to attract visitors and create new readers and customers.
It's vital you publish fantastic free content on your site regularly as this visits visitors through:
Social sites (as people share your content)
Links from other sites when they recommend your content / site
This all helps build up your platform, and is known as content marketing.
An example of a site that supports sales of his books is by Steve Scott.
Getting Interviewed on Podcasts for Rapid Publicity
Millions of people listen to podcasts every day, and there's podcasts on every topic imaginable. Whatever you write about, you'll find relevant podcasts for that topic.
So just like people listen to the radio when whatever they're doing does not require 100% of their attention, more and more people have replaced that with podcasts. Either through iTunes, or by simply downloading audio files from websites.
If you're a first-time author, wait until your book is published before you start contacting podcasts. Because their priority is that you provide great content to their listeners.
You can promote a little bit, but it's all about providing value, to help make that podcast great. Then people listening will want to find out more about you, and a percentage of them will become customers.
Or if you already have books published and have established platforms, it will be easier to get the attention of podcast publishers since you'll have credibility you can leverage.
And that's what's so important – coming across as reliable to the podcast owners so they feel confident that you'll provide value to their listeners. If your first podcast goes well, it will then become easier as you can mention that to new sites you contact.
So simply contact podcast publishers, through email, or even through social channels like Twitter or Facebook. Do not bombard them, but try to get their attention, and it certainly helps if you listen to their podcast and become familiar with them before you contact them.
As a podcast interview example – returning to the example of Steve Scott, he was interviewed on Smart Passive Income about how to publish for profit.
Guest Posting for Credibility, Publicity, Traffic and Sales
While posting fantastic content on your own site is absolutely vital if you're looking to build up an audience, publishing incredible content on someone else's site gets in front of their audience, and can attract new website visitors, book readers, and customers to you .
Be aware that guest posting on a low traffic site will not give you much benefit. And this is especially true if the link to your site (or book) is at the bottom of the article you publish, rather than at the top. Sometimes this will be negotiable, other times not.
But you really want to aim for getting published on very high traffic, high quality, and relevant sites. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but the rewards can be significant.
In some cases emailing sites directly about this may be required, but in fact many sites often publicize the fact that they're looking for new writers, so often searching Google for "write for us" and some keywords relevant to your market, can bringing up some useful results.
For example: write for us habits
New York Times bestselling author Chris Brogan wrote for Lifehack and he says "… It was most definitely one of the pivotal points in my blogging career because it exposed my ideas to lots of sympathetic and interesting people …"
Have Active Social Accounts and be Part of the Conversation
If used effectively, social accounts can reach a broad audience, present you with a lot of credibility, and drive book sales and create customers.
In this section I'm referring to the main text and image social networks like:
Having a Twitter account
Having a Facebook page
Having a LinkedIn profile
There's also less social accounts that can be helpful in certain circumstances similar to Pinterest and Quora, although spending too much time on second tier social accounts is not recommended.
You can see hundreds of social networks listed here.
Now, it's been said that:
Facebook is for traffic
Twitter is for networking
Obviously that tweet can be taken with a grain of salt, but since it comes from someone who website gets millions of visitors every month from Facebook, there's more than likely a kernel or truth in it.
So different social networks are for different purposes, and be sure to publish great content to them (this is easy if you're writing great blog posts), become part of the conversation in your market, and in time you'll get seen as a thought leader and influencer.
Now, this is not a non-fiction example, but best-selling independent fiction author Amanda Hocking is very active on Twitter and Facebook interacting with readers and promoting her books.
Use the Second Biggest Search Engine in the World: YouTube
A five minute video can get tens of thousands of views, and send visitors to your website and to your book page on Amazon.
Now consider if you have 100 videos on YouTube.
Okay, some are going to do well, whereas others are going to be largely ignored, and you generally can not predict success, so if you take this promotional approach then being prolific is important.
But with so much traffic on YouTube, if you can come up with relevant video ideas that can funnel traffic from YouTube to your site and books pages, that can help attract a lot of readers and customers, as long as your YouTube account is quite relevant to your books and site.
Publicity the Old-Fashioned Way
It's important to realize that your audience may not spend a huge amount of time online, so podcasts and guest posts may pass them by entirely. Not everyone has a smart phone, and even those who do, many of them are not that interested in constantly browsing the internet.
So speak to them where they are. This includes radio, newspapers, magazines, even television.
You can start by contacting your local papers and your local stations, get some media experience, and grow from there. You can of course contact journalists and publishers yourself, or hire a PR professional if the cost is justified when factoring in your publishing goals.
For example, this author had a full scale publicity campaign that helped with sales, but not to the estimated expected. However, the credibility that comes from being on the radio, in newspapers, and even on television, can open a lot of doors.
Drive Huge Sales With Timed Promotions
Using your existing platform (if you have one), and promotional partnerships with other sites and authors, you can get a lot of people promoting your book all on the same day, or at least the same week.
And often such timed promotions offer the customer a bonus bundle if they buy from Amazon within a certain time.
To receive the bonus bundle, the customer often needs to forward their Amazon receipt to a special email address, and in return they get tons of valuable bonuses sent to them as downloads.
This helps focus the customer to buy now rather than later.
And the reason for this is lots of sales in a short space of time can get your book to number one on Amazon, or at least the top of your category. This is hugely reliable to help with future promotions ("# 1 bestseller") and also builds momentum for your book right from the start.
As you can see, the bonuses get more and more valuable as more copies are purchased, with larger offers being aimed at businesses.
Get Lots of Reviews by Giving Away Copies
A book without reviews does not get much attention, since it's a risk buying a book with no reviews as you've no idea what you're getting. But if no one buys the book, you will not get any reviews.
So it's vital you jump start the process by giving out review copies. This forces you to make the book the best it can be in the time you have available before launch.
And your book can be given to top reviewers in the market, to friends, associates, fellow authors, review sites …
Ideally, if people post their review on Amazon and also talk about your book on their site or social channels, that's ideal. With this in mind, it's vital to start the relationship building process for reviews long before the publication date.
Publishing More Books Helps Sell Even More of Your Books
An analogy I like to use is that each of your books is a fishing rod in a river. With one rod, you may catch a fish occasionally. And of course in this context a fish is a book sale.
But with multiple fishing rods, you catch many more fish. Clear, right?
Well, having multiple books has a multiplier effect since it casts a broader net to attract readers. It's also likely that readers who like one book are interested to see what else you've written. And if you write numerous books on related subjects, you're likely to turn a reader of one book into a reader of several.
And although you can not predict this, with enough books published (as long as the quality is high), one may well become a breakout success, and totally change the scale of your book sales. So again, being prolific is hugely important.
Why Your Email List is One of Your Most Valuable Assets
One of the most powerful assets you can build online is an email list of subscribers who enjoy hearing from you.
You build this list by offering visitors to your website a gift (ethical bribe as it's known) in return for becoming an email subscriber. They have the option to take them off the list immediately of course any time they choose, since you'll be managing your list through a service like MailChimp.
You can also segment your lists by:
Free subscribers (no purchase history with you)
Book customers
Course and consulting customers
This can help you target for different audiences.
However, what a lot of people do wrong with email lists is just send out promotions. Well, if you subscribe to a newsletter and only get offers, why would you stay on the list?
If you blog regularly, you can email your list once or twice a week sending them to your latest blog post, or the best blog post of the week perhaps.
This way they enjoy hearing from you since you're providing value, and you're sending them back to your site each time, which makes them more likely to take up one of the offers you advertise on your site.
And if you do not overdo it, you can also send offers direct to your email subscribers. That can be hugely powerful, but it's generally best if it's a special offer. Sending run-of-the-mill offers to your list may burn them out and then they stop reading your emails.
Returning to the example of Michael Port, his main site and also bonus site are both focused on building email lists for regular follow-up.
How to Self-Publish an E-Book Through the Kindle Platform
You know how to write beautiful stories and/or detailed instructions. You have many legends to share or topics to discuss. You have written books that you will be proud to share with others. Now, it is time to publish your work. Self-publishing serves as one of the major options for people who want to succeed in the world of writing.
In this article, you’ll know how to use the Kindle platform in publishing your books.
1. Create an account – Sign up for an account at Amazon, so you can publish Kindle e-books. Visit the KDP Amazon sign up page.
2. Sign up for a “publishing account” – Use your regular Amazon account to get a publishing account. The system might ask you to provide more information based on the data you entered previously. You have to provide bank details for you to receive the royalties.
3. Set the title – Once your publishing account is ready, you will be forwarded to a webpage called “Kindle Dashboard”. That webpage lets you upload your e-books and check sales reports. Hit “Add Title” to publish a book.
4. Specify the details of your book – You need to give Amazon some detailed information regarding your book (e.g. authorship, pricing, title, etc.). Don’t worry if you don’t have any ISBN code. That is not necessary in the Kindle platform.
5. Assign the book’s categories and keywords – Amazon divides books into different categories. Choose one or two categories that best describe your work. In addition, assign keywords for your book. Use keywords that potential readers might enter to find your product.
6. Choose a book cover – Amazon doesn’t require you to set a cover for your e-book. However, a book with a cover is generally more attractive than one without. The Kindle platform has guidelines regarding the book covers that you can use. Read the guidelines thoroughly before designing the cover of your work.
7. Upload your book – This is a simple process, thanks to Amazon’s intuitive interface. You will see two check boxes on the screen, saying some things about DRM (e.g. digital rights management). It is unlikely that you will lose money because of disabled DRM, thus, you may leave it disabled and just hit the “Browse for book” button. The Kindle platform accepts these formats:
a. PDF
b. ePub
c. HTML
d. Text
e. DOC/DOCX
8. Format and preview your work – You won’t have to worry much about formatting if your work has a basic structure (e.g. typical novels or how-to eBooks). The default formatting system of Amazon is enough to maintain the book’s structure. However, you should review your e-book carefully if it has a complex structure (e.g. if it has a lot of images).
9. Choose a price – The Amazon system is tolerant when it comes to book prices. Set the price that is appropriate for your work then choose either 35% or 70% royalty. Note that the 70% royalty option is not available for e-books priced $2.99 or lower. Additionally, the 70% option is applicable to large markets only (e.g. U.K., U.S., Canada, etc.).
With these guidelines, it will be easier for you to take full advantage of Amazon’s Kindle platform.
The Top 8 Myths You Need to Shatter To Become A Published Author
One of the greatest feelings on earth one can experience is to join the ranks of published authors. Once your book is published you join the ranks of the immortals. You begin to rub shoulders with legends like Homer, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, Tom Peters, Peter Drucker, to mention just seven.
With the advent of the internet many are joining the book writing train with gusto but the overwhelming majority is being held back by pervasive myths about book writing and the book trade in general. This article sets out to debunk the top 8 myths, clearing the way for you to jump into the writing writing fraternity and publish your New York Times best seller starting now. Jump in, the water is warmer than you think, but first, the myths.
1. Book writing is for the most educated people
The most educated people are professors, some with triple PhDs. The likes of Marshall Goldsmith, Michael Porter, Ali Mazrui all come to mind. But do you know the very first writer had no education at all? Homer, one of the earliest writers who works date back more than 2500 years ago had no academic qualification. If Homer could do it then, you have no excuse whatever with all the resources available in the internet, Google, Amazon, that make book writing a walk through the park.
2. Only old people write books
This myth is related to the fact that the earliest drawings and artworks of writers always depicted them with long white beards. The earliest writings by prophets, the apostles, and disciples all had this hue. While that might have been the case in ancient times, today a writer can be of any age. Dorothy Straight was only six when her book, How the World Began, was published in 1962. Christopher Paolini, the author of The Inheritance Cycle, a best-selling book series that has sold over 20 million copies was 15 when the first cycle was released . So start writing your book as young people write books too.
3. You must be wise to write a book
This myth is closely aligned to myth one but takes the myth a notch higher. Wise men by definition have stellar education, have white beards, and a sprinkling of blessing from on high so the saying goes. Nothing can be further from the truth as myth two already debunked above clarifies. Some of the world's most beloved authors are ordinary men and women that have found their passion and a message to share with the world. Such is the case of the Delany sisters, Sarah Louise Delany and Annie Elizabeth Delany, who wrote their first book in 1994, aged 106 and 104. Sarah was a school teacher and Annie a dentist. Their book, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years, set the reading world on fire and became New York Times best-seller. The import of the story is that you are never too old or too young, and you do not have to be a wise person to write a book.
4. You must be an expert before you can write a book
This myth is closely aligned to myth two also earlier debunked but with the added twist that you must be a celebrity recognized the world over as an expert in your field before you can write a book. In this regard, Ben Carson, widely recognized as one of the world's most gifted neurosurgeons, quickly comes to mind. Ironically none of Ben Carson's over 10 books, including The Gifted Hands, The Big Picture, and A More Perfect Union, is on neurosurgery. Neither are Bill Gates books, The Road Ahead, and Business At the Speed of Thought on coding and computer programming. So you do not have to be an expert to write a book as you can write on any subject that tickles your imagination.
5. You need an agent to get your book published
This must have been the case in the era that no longer exists when the powerful and monopolistic publishing houses held sway. Today, with self publishing companies, broadly derided before by the powerful publishing monopolies as vanity publishing, helping less mortals like me and you to bring our ideas and stories to light, anyone can write a book and get it published. So say goodbye to literary agents and get your book off to a roaring start starting now.
6. It is very expensive to publish a book
This was the case in the analogue age when literary agents held sway. It cost a small fortune in those days to get a literary agent. Literary agents were like investment bankers, the charged by the hour and only the most financially well-qualified could afford them. Thanks to technology, today that's no longer the case. In fact, some self publishing technologies, like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Create Space, and ACX are so simple, you can produce an E-Book, a paper back or audio book from the comfort of your laptop only. You do not even need to convert your book into any arcane language like mobi or epub, the Amazon platforms do everything for you. Type your book in MS-Word and leave the rest to the Amazon platforms and you're a published author. So is it very expensive to publish a book? The answer is self- evident.
7. You need seven years to write one book
This point is both a myth and a fact. It is a fact, in the sense that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Take Michael Jackson, widely revered as "King of Pop", as an extreme example. On average it took him between three to five years apart to come out with his mega albums such as Off The Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). At the same time you do not need seven years to come up with a well crafted story. John Locke who has written more than 12 books and sold more than a million eBooks publishes his books an average of nine months apart. Recently I learn from Chandler Bolt a "secret" how to write a 200-page book within 90 days, so be rest assured you do not need seven years to write a thriller.
8. Book writing is difficult
This myth is a summary of all the other myths we have so far covered. If you have read this point, you will agree that writing a book and getting it published is easy and achievable by anyone – baby, man, woman, educated and not so educated. Anytime any of these myths rear their ugly heads, take a deep breath and shout at the top of your voice, I know what you are, you are just a myth and I am going ahead to write and publish my book right now.
There is no better time in all of human history than now to write a book and get your voice heard the world over. Everyone has a story, tell yours as others have told their. You could become a New York Times best-selling author. Take the case of JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame. Her first book was rejected by several publishers but she persisted and today she is one of the wealthiest people in the UK. The same can also be said of Jack Canefield and Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup for the Soul fame. According to them, the first book in the series was returned a whooping 400 times but they pressed on and today the Chicken Soup for the Soul series has sold over a billion copies. So start writing even if you hate writing. There is a trick you can unleash to start loving to write. I promise to reveal to you the secret if you are willing to let me show you. This is the secret: start writing now. Pick a piece of paper and a pen and write on the top of the blank paper I LOVE WRITING and just keep writing until you have written 250 words. Was that not simple?
Book Summary: Cash in a Flash – Fast Money in Slow Times – By Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen
This book is a New York Times Best Seller and I can see why. If you are not familiar with the authors, they are hitters. Mark Victor Hansen is the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul with Jack Canfield. This book and series have sold over 65 million copies. That is really unbelievable. I read one of Robert Allen’s books back in the late 90’s called Multiple Streams of Income. This was and is a great book and is more relevant today than before. Think about it. Years ago, one person could work and support the family and then both spouses needed to work to support the family. In times like this, two people working are not enough because of the job situation and pricing pressures on living expenses. Multiple Streams of Income shows you the power of having your money working harder than you in multiple areas. I will profile that book in a future summary.
Why is this important to me?
When asking you to invest your time to read two books in one, it has to be worth it. This book is worth it because it speaks to the importance of recurring revenue streams of income. Setting up systems that pay you ever month is the master key to riches. This concept eludes most people and that is why this book and the other books by these authors are worth the time to read.
Incentives drive behavior. This is one of the most powerful concepts of the human condition. Think about it. Have you ever tried to lose weight and have failed? What was your compelling “why” for doing it? If it was because you want your pants to be one size smaller then that is not a great reason but if your energy was drained and you were really unhappy then you MUST change and that is a compelling incentive. Compelling incentives drive behavior so when there is enough pain then change will happen.
This book caters to both the left and the right brain. It is two books in one. There is a fictional story of a mastermind group and there is a non-fiction book on facts, figures and “how to” actions. In this summary, we will talk about 3 core things:
1. Wow Now – Have you ever been wowed by something? Can you remember it vividly? Wow Now in a nutshell, has to do with you not only visualizing your future but virtualizing it. This means you need to imagine it with your whole mind and body. Remember that thoughts are things. The IPOD was born in somebody’s mind at Apple. Wow Now is designed for you to wow yourself by virtualizing your future with all 5 senses. Another critical component of this is to silence you inner whiner. Blair Singer’s book called Little Voice, speaks to this concept in great detail.
Your Little Voice if not controlled ends up being your inner critic. This is a big deal because it is the number one cause of inaction and a mediocre life style. This is the voice that says: “I am not good enough”, “I cannot do that”, “and Cash in a flash is a joke and not possible”. All of these excuses come from the primitive brain designed to protect you. It is fight or flight. If you see a bear in the woods, you don’t ponder what to do. Your adrenaline kicks and you react. The negative inner critic does not want you to fail and is very risk averse. This is why that 82% of Americans say they want to write a book and only 5% do it.
Your dreams must be bigger than your fears!
2. The Inner Winner – The Inner Winner is your inner voice that comes from your heart. This is where the true passion for life lives. The Inner Critic comes from your head. In profiling several books, one clear point stands out. The highly successful people in ALL of the books love what they do for a living. None of them would call it work. Warren Buffett, the world’s greatest investor, loves to stock pile money and watch it grow. He does not want to make a few extra dollars, HE LOVES to STOCK PILE MONEY. If you truly listen to those words then you will see the difference.
3. Dream Team – In Napoleon Hill’s book, Laws of Success, he talks about the power of the Mastermind group. This concept is really simple. Two heads are better than one. Out of all the learning techniques, mentors and association are by far the best. The Mastermind allows you to emulate the best of the best. If you want to run companies like Steve Jobs then study him. Find out what makes him tick. If you want to grow your company from X to 10X then seek out a team that has already done it. This will save you years of heartache. Take it from me; I wasted a ton of time trying to figure it out myself. This turned out to be a big waste of time. Things that took years to “learn” by trial and error could have been completed in months through the use of masterminds and mentors.
Cash in a Flash is an excellent resource from two highly successful authors. Both bring their uniqueness to the table and the principles they share are sound.
Once you bridge the mental limitations of your inner whiner, the “how to” stuff is easy. Creating cash flow strong income streams using real estate, licensing and information are very strong concepts that require little cash investment. It does require study and time.
I hope you have found this short summary useful. The key to any new idea is to work it into your daily routine until it becomes habit. Habits form in as little as 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is the power of the Mastermind. When you have a problem that you want solved, talk to somebody who has solved it already which is the essence of the mastermind. Do this daily and good things will happen. With the power of the internet, anything is possible and almost all the answers are right at your fingertips. Get into this idea daily and your whole world will change.
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