How to create an eBook

Having your own info product is intimidating. You may question your expertise or think no one would buy an eBook from you – but you’re probably wrong on all counts.

Print publications are slowly going the way of the dinosaurs – toward extinction. More people get their news and information online, or via their mobile electronic devices, such as iPads, smart phones, and ereaders.

This is bad news for media companies based in print, but it’s wonderful news for people who can now self publish their creations without having to go through the grueling process of traditional publishing houses.

An info product can be created and sold on your own site, or you can put it on Amazon for print order (they’ll print it on demand each time it’s ordered). It can also be housed and available for Kindle readers.

So we’re going to go over the main steps you’ll need to know. You can dig down deeper into it if you decide this is a business model you want to pursue. But try not to neglect info product publishing forever – because it really enhances your authority. 

How to make money with Google Adsense

When you’re doing things like blogging about your products (or someone else’s), there’s going to be room in the sidebar area for you to put things. Some people put an opt in box there, links to their social networking profiles, or hyperlinked images to the products they sell.

But don’t forget about using the space for ad revenue, too. Blogs in particular can be high traffic entities, so publishers and product owners love the idea of placing their ads on your blog.

Most people know these are not personal endorsements by you. If anyone asks, just be honest and let them know that’s a paid ad spot. There are two methods you can use to fill the ad space in your blog – or static website – AdSense and Direct Sales. 

Selling Ad Space on Your Sites

Selling ad space on your website will usually be an option once you get your traffic flowing in on a regular basis. Ad buyers will want to see stats of your site – and you can usually prove this by using a free tool called Google Analytics.

You can sell ad space in your sidebar, for example. You’ll do the very same thing in order to place the ad that you did with AdSense, only you’ll have the customer give you the code.

They may want a text hyperlink or an image ad.

Don’t let them have control over exactly what’s in the ad – set a few parameters. For example, you may restrict racy images for a dating site ad if you have an innocent parental site.

And don’t let them include text on the ad that makes it look as if it’s a personal recommendation coming from you.

What do you charge?

For this question, it’s going to depends on many factors – not just traffic. You’re going to want to see how competitive pricing is for ads in your niche. You might even contact some competitors of yours and ask them what they would charge for ad space.

Because traffic is what ties all business models in the Internet marketing world together, it’s important that you learn as much as possible about pulling in the right kind of visitors, so let’s move on to that topic now.

Brand your online business

We see it all the time with celebrities – branding that looks like a cute nickname, when it’s really a whole lot more than that.

The Barefoot Contessa from the Food Network is a good example of branding. You instantly get the image of a beautiful Italian woman leisurely cooking a delicious homemade meal in the comfort of her own home.

30-Minute Meals is a brand that isn’t instantly connected to a person’s name, but immediately, you grasp the concept – simple and easy. This would appeal to very busy people.

Paula Deen used to be “The Lady and Sons” when she was starting out and had her sons as part of her main business. She became so popular that her name overshadowed her starting business brand. 

Prepare your family to work from home

When you first tell friends and family that you’re going to pursue a work at home career, be prepared for some less than enthusiastic responses. This is normal and understandable so try not to get defensive about it.

The key is to learn how to best handle their reactions and assuage their fears. You’re going to have to plan your business out a little so that you can present them with the facts and let them see that you’re serious and you know what you’re doing.