What you should know about eBooks

If there is anyone informed on ebooks and what they mean to the changing publishing industry, it is Monique McKenzie, MBA,  president of EXPRESS-eBooks-Now.com. Monique McKenzie is not only a multi-talented award-winning author/journalist  but totes the title eBook Queen. If you go to her website you will see why. It is full of free information- and really everything you need to know about publishing.  She sets some of the facts straight here and is giving away a free webinar! What more could you ask for?

If you think eBooks aren’t an important ally to the publishing arena–think again! Just check the stats.

• Accounting for almost 10% of U.S. consumer book sales, eBooks are a serious force in publishing. eBook sales increased by a whopping 193% from 2009 to 2010. This year, nearly $1 billion in eBooks sold and those sales are expected to climb to $3 billion by 2015 according to Forrester Research.

• Not surprising, the surge in eBook sales have largely influenced the sale of eReaders. Not only did those gadgets top the latest holiday season’s gift list, but eReaders were responsible for providing many retailers with a very Merry Christmas! Recently, bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. said its Nook e-reading devices are the biggest-selling items in the company’s history. It sold nearly 1 million e-books on Christmas. In fact, Barnes & Noble now sells more eBooks than conventional books on its Web site.

• Amazon’s third-generation Kindle was the bestselling product in its history. Kindle’s sales beat the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

So how can you benefit from this huge boost in eBook sales? Get your eBook online. You can do it in less than a week by purchasing prepackaged content (such as PLR or private label rights content) or in a few weeks if you write it from scratch or have it ghostwritten for you. For best results:

1. Select a topic that you know about: It will be easier to write about something you know about and on an area that you’re interested in. Plus, you’ll be able to better relate to your audience if you’re familiar with the content.
2. Keep it simple: When you first attempt an eBook, you want to ensure that you’ll actually complete it. If you overwhelm yourself, chances are you won’t finish. Try to keep your eBook to one main topic that will appeal to the most people. Then pull out four or five sub-topics that you want to cover. That should be enough for your first book.
3. Remember that quality counts: A simple approach doesn’t mean poor quality by any means. The content should be meaningful, interesting, compelling, and accurate. You shouldn’t print anything that hasn’t been fact-checked. Also, hire a qualified copyeditor to review your spelling and grammar.
4. Set a deadline: The eBook business isn’t for slow pokes. If you’re serious about authoring an eBook, you need to give yourself a deadline and stick to it. You’re not going to reap any benefits by completing an eBook that’s either out of date or no longer relevant. To keep yourself on track, work towards your deadline everyday and pace yourself.
5. Maintain printed versions of your book too: Even with the explosion of eBooks, readers still love conventional books too. In some instances, eBooks can actually boost the sales of printed versions of the book. People still want choices and since companies like 48hr Books (www.48hrbooks.com/) have extremely reasonable printing prices, it makes it so much easier to offer your customers the alternatives they crave.
6. Get help: You don’t have to go it alone. Sites like http://www.EXPRESS-eBooks-Now.com can match you with a ghostwriter, point you to prepackaged content, or help you write your eBook on your own. They also have a line of books that you can read for yourself. For a more personal approach, attend a free webinar on creating an eBook, register here: http://www.freebinar.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EC57D98585
7. Just do it: Action may not get you the quality eBook you desire but you do have to ACT if you want results. Forward movement is definitely a step in the right direction. Start creating your eBook today!

–Monique McKenzie www.express-ebooks-now.com