Writing and Public Speaking
If I had a quarter for every time someone said to me, I have a great idea for a book! Ill share it with you, you write it and well split the royalties 50/50!
If I had a quarter each time, by now Id have, well, a lot of quarters.
The problem with this scenario is that writing is hard. Ideas are easy. Cheap and plentiful, once you get going. Coming up with an idea, even a well conceived, workable idea, doesnt compare to the process of writing it well.
So why bother? Contrary to what many of the Internet scribblers claim, its not a simple job to get your thoughts on paper, or screen.
The good news is that, just like golf or rock climbing, practice improves skills and techniques. You may never be Tiger Woods, but you can certainly compete with the best of them.
Compete? With writing?
Of course. At any given moment, there are a number of things competing for our time and attention. Kids, dogs, TV, newspaper, advertisements, telephone, Internet.. everything places a demand on our time. Who gets that attention depends on how interested we are in taking time for that particular thing.
If you had an hour, would you rather read an e-book or watch TV? What if the e-book was boring and pointless and the show featured swimsuit models (either male or female, your choice)? No contest.
Okay, what if the e-book explained how to travel safely, cheaply or in first class for coach prices, and the TV had coverage of the Senate filibuster?
Maybe neither one would appeal, but you get the idea. The TV and e-book compete for your time and interest, and you have to make a choice about which one wins.
In order to get your attention, your e-book has to be informative, appealing to your target audience, and easy to read.
Which begs the next question - why do you want to write the e-book?
Usual reasons for writing an e-book include information, persuasion or credibility.
The informative e-book explains or educates the reader, and often has a numerical presentation (10 Ways To Grill A Steak) or a statement summing up the purpose in the title (How To Buy Socks, When To Call A Plumber).
If you intend to persuade, your e-book may be titled accordingly (Buy Local Produce) or you can take a softer approach (Eat Well For Less and Support Your Neighbors).
An e-book can help establish credibility by offering you a chance to show off what you know, and providing material the reader can use (XYZ Company Experts In High Quality Homebuilding) or (I Made A Million Dollars In The Stock Market).
But wait, you say. They dont seem all that different to me!
And its true you can write a book combining all three, but you would still have one as your primary purpose, and that will determine the direction of your marketing and promotion.
If you are writing for information, the e-book should stand on its own merits, and be worth a reasonable investment from your reader. Your marketing will involved promoting the book and selling it for a price that makes your time and research worthwhile.
If your primary goal is to persuade, you might decide to offer the book for free, because you realize most people have their minds made up and dont want to spend money to be told they need to change their minds. So make it fun! For example, you might want to offer the Local Produce book with a purchase of local produce!
If credibility is your main objective, your e-book is undoubtedly one part of a complete plan to present your credentials. So finish that book and start planning the next!
When youve written, edited and rewritten and are ready to turn your work into a real e-book, find an e-book publisher that knows the value of a well written book. If you go to someone who publishes anything, even the boring, the sloppy and the pointless, readers will assume you are just as bad and never give your book a chance. You look for good value for your money, and your readers will expect the same, too.
