books blog | ebooks blog

It wasn’t that long ago that I was working a full-time job that I wasn’t really very happy with. Not only did I dislike the nature of my job, but some of the people I worked with weren’t much fun to be around. I’d often find myself daydreaming of a time when I’d own my own business and be able to do my own thing. Maybe you can relate to this feeling? I really think that most people can at least relate to the idea of wanting to make some extra money while holding down a full time job.

What I eventually discovered was that having some kind of service oriented business really wouldn’t work. After putting in a full day at work, the last thing I wanted to do was to have to spend a bunch of time in front of the computer doing work for someone else. That meant I had to develop a product that could be bought and downloaded by a customer without me having to do anything — aside from answer the occasional customer service question.

That ultimately led me to the realization that eBooks were a viable way to make money. It took me a while to figure everything out, but eventually I was able to launch my own eBook publishing business that today provides me with a very comfortable income. Here’s the bottom line: if you’re someone who is interested in making some extra money without having to quit your day job right away, you should really think about making money with eBooks. You’ll be glad you did.

Many folks start out with a strong desire to write and sell eBooks online with dreams of financial freedom dancing in their head. But, if you are not born with the natural ability to write, like myself. Than those dreams are quickly shattered once you realize that writing is a skill. Although it is a skill, it can be learned and mastered like anything else with practice and dedication. First of all you’ll need to put aside the notion that this is a “Get Rich Quick Business” Weather you want to sell eBooks as an affiliate or write your own eBooks, this is a real business just like any other business. It takes work and dedication to succeed. Keep working at it and you will find success. Here are few goal setting techniques to help you complete your first eBook.

1. Understand Your Goals With a Mission Statement

When you get serious about writing, sit down and actually write a mission statement. Identify why writing is important to you, what you expect to get out of it, and what result you want from your writing.

Do you want to earn money? Do you want to experience a sense of accomplishment? Do you want to be recognized as an expert? Do you want fame or credibility? Do you want to share your knowledge and experience to help others? Do you want ALL OF THE ABOVE? (And then some!)

When you need motivation, look at your mission statement and re-read what it was that opened your heart to writing in the first place. For the writer that finds great success, it’s perfectly fine to be proud of your accomplishments and awards, but don’t get so caught up in things that you lose sight of why you started writing in the first place. A mission statement will also help keep you grounded.

2. Create an Action Plan

To help you achieve your goals and stay focused on the objectives, you should have a well laid out action plan. This plan will cover the steps you need to take to get you from where you are currently, to the ultimate goal of where you want to be.

Many folks tell you to set high goals and try to get to them. Personally, I think that’s a recipe for discouragement. If you set ten goals and you only get to one of them, how do you feel? Like a failure. At least that’s how I feel. On the other hand, if you have ten reachable goals and you nail them all, how do you feel? Like a success. And that feeling fuels you on to accomplish more and more.

I like to do what I call “above and beyond goal setting.” I set myself realistic, reachable writing assignments and then I try to go “above and beyond” that goal. For example let’s say my goal is to write 5 articles a day. Than I’ll tell myself maybe I can write 6 or 7. If I write 7 then WOW I have exceeded my goal, but if I only reach 5 than that’s great to because I have reached my goal.

Quick Tip— Reward yourself for your success. Set yourself 1/4 mile stones and celebrate once you have reached each milestone. This will help keep you motivated and mentally fresh.

3.Use Checklists

Another thing I to do to stay focused on my objectives is to use a checklist. I actually write down my entire action plan for a project. And I do this in steps. By using a checklist you are able to visualize what you’ve accomplished, and the more you will stay focused and get your objectives accomplished.

For example: step 1. Write my mission statement, step 2. Free write for 20 minutes about my subject, step 3. Pick the main ideas I want to share in my eBook and create a simple outline. You get the idea.

Once you complete the items on your list cross them off as you go.

4. One Goal At A Time

While sometimes with writing it’s important and necessary to look at the big picture and not so much the little things, when goal setting and staying focused, you might try focusing on only a few goals at a time. If you start looking at everything at once, you can become confused and frustrated, and might lose sight of where you want to be.

It’s like when you travel someplace new, most people take a look at the full map to see where they will be going and to get an idea of which way they’ll be traveling. But, during the road trip itself, you tend focus on one road at a time. All you need to know is which way to turn next. What’s important during the journey is where to turn next or what’s the next step.

The same thing applies to writing an eBook – yes, take a look at the whole map and see where you are going by focusing on the next entry on the checklist. You can’t complete the journey until you take the next step in front of you.

I sincerely hope you found these tips useful and wish you much success in your new eBook writing adventures.

After reviewing different EBooks that teach people how to make money on the internet I ended up compiling a list of the ones I thought were best. I went through a good thirty books before I decided on the winners. For second place I decided on an Ebook named The Big Secret which left me feeling depressed I could only award first place once. Though, the author Brian Koz actually participates in the Warrior Forum community. Which is where the majority of great internet marketer’s gather.

Now the book is a method that Brian Koz developed personally which made me respect him more. Since, the majority of time Ebooks that are sold sell the same method. Since, Brian Koz is selling his own method it definitely helps people with market share. Since, you’re not buying a method that a thousand people are doing which means your chances of making money are less. Now, my lawyers advice that I don’t reveal the big secret, which means I’ll have to talk around it.

If you’re an internet marketer then you’ve probably heard of the warrior forums. Well, some of the testimonies received are from members. Meaning, if your uncertain about this product then you could always go to the Warrior Forums and ask about Brian Koz. I’m sure the people their would be willing to give him a vote of confidence. Which, ultimately means that he is also a trustworthy source if you want a refund. Overall, I gave the book a good grade, since if anyone followed the method they will actually start to see good profits that cover the price of the book in no time.

A good friend of mine has been sitting on the fence for a long time trying to figure out if it makes sense to try making some money with e-books. I can understand the hesitation. Any time we try something that’s new, there is a tendency to not really be sure if it’ll be worth our effort. After all, who wants to spend their time and effort working on something that has very little chance of making any money?

The best thing I can tell you is that I also had this same level of hesitation when I first got started. In fact, had I not started seeing some success quickly, I probably would’ve quit. The funny thing is that, when the going got tough as my business started to grow, I nearly quit a second time. Can you imagine?

So I can totally understand the fear and hesitation that a person has as it relates to whether or not they should get serious about starting an e-book publishing business. One thing that really helps is to have a step-by-step blueprint that you can follow and get results from. Instead of doing a lot of experimenting and engaging in endless amounts of trial and error, why not follow the road map that somebody else who has reached the destination you are seeking to reach has created? Does that make sense?

You don’t have to try to figure everything out by yourself. You can save yourself a lot of time, frustration, and money by simply following an established been proven to work. Keep in mind that your very first effort may not necessarily work out exactly the way you’d hoped it would, but if you stick with it, you can completely change your life forever. That’s what I did, and I’m really glad that I didn’t give in to the urge to quit.