Introducing Kylie Welsh - 'Writing as an Expert'

[Barbara Gabogrecan]

Kylie - I have produced a number of e-books and just ensure I have a cover, a disclaimer, an index and the content and then save it as a pdf file. I find that is what most internet marketers do. However, I have just been investigating some software that looks like a book and it has pages that turn over when you click on them. It looks a lot more interesting, but the disadvantage of this is that you have to use the inbuilt 'magnifying glass' to read the text then take it back to its original size to turn the page over and then repeat the process. I guess this is not too much of a nuisance, but some may object.

What format do you think works best?
Barb

[Kylie Welsh]

Hi Kylie

You've given us some great tips here - thank you!

What are you thoughts on how many pages you should include in an e-book and what sort of content it should contain? My advice to date has been to keep it to around 30 pages maximum and to include some hints, tips etc, but not give too much away as you still want people to subscribe to your newsletters, attend your seminars, receive coaching etc. Would you agree?

Cheers, Deanna

Hi Deanne, that is correct. If you are providing a free e-book you are totally on the right track. 30 pages or less would be ample and should contain information you are happy to give away for free. This can be research, stats, case studies, tips and hints. If you are charging for your e-book then you will need to put more in there so your customer feels like there is value for money. A good guide is putting the 'what' people need to do for free but the 'how to' is your area of expertise so shoud be charged for, whether this is through an e-book or some of the services you offer.

Hope this helps. Cheers, Kylie

[Kylie Welsh]

Kylie - I have produced a number of e-books and just ensure I have a cover, a disclaimer, an index and the content and then save it as a pdf file. I find that is what most internet marketers do. However, I have just been investigating some software that looks like a book and it has pages that turn over when you click on them. It looks a lot more interesting, but the disadvantage of this is that you have to use the inbuilt 'magnifying glass' to read the text then take it back to its original size to turn the page over and then repeat the process. I guess this is not too much of a nuisance, but some may object.

What format do you think works best?
Barb

Hey Barb, I use the pdf format also and recommend this with my coaching clients. It tends to be easier and therefore makes publishing an e-book together a more realistic goal for busy business owners. Let me know the software you mention as I'd like to check it out too. Cheers, Kylie

[Kylie Welsh]

Hi Everyone, since I've had a few questions about e-books I thought we would get started on this today. Here are some tips for making your e-book come to life. These tips were originally from an article I read when starting out by Earma Brown.

How to Write a Great E-book.
The best E-books are organized like a paved road guiding readers through their chapters. That paved road of organization includes mile markers, exit signs and other road markers for each chapter. Think about it; we easily get lost unless the path is clear. It's stressful to take a journey without a clear road to travel.
To create chapters that guide your readers like a yellow brick road include these 10 elements:
1. Sizzle your chapter title: Create ‘grab you by the collar’ chapter titles. You can immediately follow up with a subtitle that emphasizes and explains the title's meaning.
2. Insert brief quotes: You may follow each title with one or two quotes from your speeches or other authorities in your field which support the title.
3. Write an Introduction: Begin each chapter with a paragraph of introduction. The introduction may include a short story presenting the chapter's main ideas. For short E-books 1 to 2 paragraphs work best. You don't want your introduction to over-power your chapter.
4. Create an opening statement: For example, you could open each chapter with a thought provoking question or a startling statistic. Many authors begin with a short analogy or story. Whatever you decide to open with, create an attention getter to hook your reader.
5. Prepare an idea statement: After your short introduction including your hook (opening statement), write your idea statement. Keep it simple; let your readers know what benefits await them if they keep reading. For example, one author friend uses sizzling bullet points to entice the reader into the chapter. You may place them right below or directly below introduction.
6. Write 3 to 5 points: Next, you may be write lessons or present tools used to achieve the goal presented in the introduction.
7. Include case studies: Incorporate one or more story form case studies that support the chapter's central idea. This can maek it more contextual and emotionally engaging for your readers.
8. Add self-evaluation tools: Add brief questions so the reader can measure their progress.
9. Summarize your chapter. It's a good idea to end with a paragraph that summarizes your main idea or supporting points. Don't forget to hold the carrot out at the end: insert 1-2 sentences at the end of your summary to entice your readers with benefits waiting in the next chapter.
10. Use engagement tools. Create active participants of your book readers using engagement tools like worksheets and note sheets. Make lists, questions to ponder or boxed tips to actively engage your readers.

Other Ideas to include:
• Research, recent studies
• Quotes (expert and non expert too)
• Anecdotes/personal stories
• Cartoons or something humorous

Cheers, Kylie

[Tina Blackmur]

Hi Kylie
I have been following this forum with great interest and thank you for your valuable insights to date. I would love to hear more about how you turned your blog into a thriving business.
Cheers
Tina Blackmur

[Ruth Barnard]

Thanks for all the writing tips Kylie - as a fellow writer it's good to see your suggestions/recommendations mirror my own!
I've been thinking about publishing an e-book for a while just haven't got around to doing anything about it. With a background in marketing communications there are lots of topics I could write about and I think the most important thing is to research what people want to know so that I can write an e-book that meets their needs. The research could involve asking for feedback through a blog post or requesting it via a newsletter. How do you go about ensuring the topic you are going to write on (ie, in an e-book) is something that your audience wants to know more about? What research methods do you use?

[Kylie Welsh]

Hi Everyone, I thought I would do a post today on the importance of setting aside the time to write an e-book.

E-books are changing the publishing world. As a business owner it is important not only to build credibility through demonstrating your expertise but also to continually attract new customers and E-books are a wonderful and effective way to do this.

Why write an E-book?

1. Brand Awareness - your audience will grow to recognize you and your business therefore trusting your name and experience

2. Good revenue generator - E-books, if written well are priced higher than printed books, most E-books will be priced between $20-$50 on the internet. Even if you decide your E-book will be FREE to attract new customer sign ups - how much future revenue is this worth?

3. Low up-front cost and no on-going cost - this becomes a pure attraction strategy for new clients and once you have written it, the work is done and the revenue will keep rolling in. I'm a big believer in do the work once and keep getting paid. It makes life much easier for busy business owners.

4. Instant gratification for potential new customers - no lengthy delays as customers receive their E-book immediately and are more likely to take action.

Why NOT write an E-book?

Being a writing coach I can honestly say that one of the biggest challenges facing our talented female business owners is TIME. However, in the wrong run writing an e-book saves you so much time. I'm a big believer in do the work once and keep getting paid. It makes life much easier for busy business owners.

What about you - what do you find challenging about writing an e-book?

Cheers, Kylie

[Kylie Welsh]

Hi Kylie
I have been following this forum with great interest and thank you for your valuable insights to date. I would love to hear more about how you turned your blog into a thriving business.
Cheers
Tina Blackmur

Sure Tina and thanks for your interest. I started writing a blog about women in Brisbane and was really interested when I discovered all the talented women taking that leap of faith and starting their own business. My readership kept growing each month and soon I had a database of inspiring business owners. I wondered how I could turn this into a business and realised the struggle that many small business owners have in the first 12 months - turning their passion into profit. I came up with the idea of a supportive community and started running workhops/networking evenings where I would invite a member of Brisbane Woman to run the workshop so they could showcase their expertise but also assist with women with running their buisness more successfully. There was also a strong networking component as I wanted our business owners to make meaningful alliances with other like-mined women and start growing their businesses. Brisbane Woman has continued to grow from there. I feel very lucky to be doing what I do because I love it so much and and meet such wonderful women all the time.

Cheers, Kylie

[Kylie Welsh]

Thanks for all the writing tips Kylie - as a fellow writer it's good to see your suggestions/recommendations mirror my own!
I've been thinking about publishing an e-book for a while just haven't got around to doing anything about it. With a background in marketing communications there are lots of topics I could write about and I think the most important thing is to research what people want to know so that I can write an e-book that meets their needs. The research could involve asking for feedback through a blog post or requesting it via a newsletter. How do you go about ensuring the topic you are going to write on (ie, in an e-book) is something that your audience wants to know more about? What research methods do you use?

Excellent point Ruth. I ran as Masterclass last week and was pointing out just how important this area is. One of the things I do is research. I look at what books are out there, what they are offering and what might be my point of difference. I also know my database quite well but sometimes get it wrong so if I am not sure I use 'survey monkey' which is a free tool and allows you to survey your database so you are really getting concrete data. Another option is to provide a free e-book and monitor this. If you are getting heaps of interest and know there potential then I would turn this into an e-book that I charge for.

Cheers, Kylie

[Greg Chapman]

I have for some time womdered about the use of Facebook and Twitter in a B2B environment. The evangelists for these media spend a lot of time accumulating friends and linking with each other, and then regularly talk AT each other rather thn with each other. It then just becomes white noise. What is your experience?

Regards

Greg Chapman