Sunday, April 27, 2008

How to Price Your eBook

You've written and compiled an ebook. Now you have todecide how much to charge for it. Finding the rightprice is essential to the success of your product. Ifyou charge too little, people will think it's oflittle value, and they won't purchase it, or even itthey do buy your book, you will have to sell thousandsof copies to get to the point where you can begin tosee a profit. If you price it too high when comparedwith your competition, you will find yourself steadilylowering the price, which will cause you all kinds ofnew problems in the future. For example, if you sellyour ebook at first for $39.99, and later reduce it to$24.95, don't you think the people who bought it for$39.99 are going to be PISSED?
Choosing the right price for your ebook is one of themost critical parts of the marketing process. Thefirst rule of pricing ebooks is to never underprice.Determine the highest price your audience can afford,and then if you find your book isn?t selling, you canalways reduce the price. Before you take that step,make sure you are promoting your book like crazy onthe Internet and on websites. The price should beaimed at bringing in profits, but you should neverforget that price is one of the factors that peopleuse in judging the value of your ebook ? before theybuy it. So always start with the highest price, andthen launch a mega-marketing campaign.
Pricing an ebook is particularly difficult becauseebooks are a fairly new commodity. Since they aredigital, the value of an ebook is as confusing as theunderstanding of what digital actually is to theaverage layperson. This means that we must look atebooks in a different light in order to determinetheir actual worth in this brave, new cyber world.
Let's look at the difference between a book in printand an ebook. A printed book is an object you can holdin your hand, store on your bookshelf, even hand downto the next generation. It is priced on factors suchas paper stock, design and production costs, andmarketing.
But the fact that unites ebooks and print books isthat they are composed of ideas. It is the ideas inthese books that have the ability to change, orpossibly transform, people's lives.
What do you think an idea is worth when evaluatedagainst the cost of paper and ink?
It is the IDEAS that are valuable! That is how youdetermine the cost of your ebook.
What should I charge for my ideas?
There are all different formulas and methods fordetermining the correct price for your ebook. Let'sbegin with honing in on your ultimate goals.
Decide if your goal is to get wide distribution andmaximum exposure. This goal is aimed at drawingcustomers to your business or service, or toestablishing the credibility of your reputation. Ifthis is your main goal, you should aim to keep yourprice on the low side. Some authors have even pricedtheir ebooks at a profit loss to draw a high number ofnew customers. The key is to find a price thatmaximizes your profits and the number of books yousell.
This is an excellent pricing strategy if you arelooking to acquire long-term customers. Long-termcustomers are extremely likely to buy from you againand again ? as long as the first ebook they buy is ofexceptional quality and beneficial to the customer.
However, if your book contains valuable ? and moreimportantly NEW information, references, or techniques? then you should aim to price it on the high end.
After you figure out your goal, you must figure outwhat your audience's need is for your ebook. Forexample, does your book solve a particular problem? Ifit does, and solves it in a way that hasn't beenwritten about in one hundred other ebooks, you will beable to achieve high sales at a high price. If yourbook solves a problem or answers questions in a newand unique way, you should price your book as high asyou can go. You will achieve larger profits this way,but bring in fewer customers. Just make sure thequestion or problem that your book solves is one thatis important and relevant to the majority of yourmarket audience. If your ideas are not commonknowledge, or you are presenting a brand newtechnique, you will be able to sell books at a highprice. Just be prepared for your competition toundercut you on price as soon as they hear about yourbook.
Keep in mind that the above pricing strategy istemporary. Eventually, you will cease to sell books atthis high price. So figure out in advance how long youplan to offer your ebook at this high price, and whenthat time is up, change your pricing strategy.
If you want to see large profits over customer draw,aim for an audience that is looking for easy solutionsto their problems at a low price. If your book isaimed at solving one particular problem rather thangeneral advice, then you can charge more. Start at thehighest price the market will bear to bring in thelargest profits, and plan to discount the book anumber of times throughout the year.
Marketing Strategies
The key that unlocks the sales potential of your ebookis to find a single sentence that becomes your sellinghandle. This sentence states what question or problemyour book answers and the benefits your ebook canprovide. Then be sure to use that sentence in everypiece of sales and promotional material, and everytime anyone asks you about your ebook.
Besides promoting your books assiduously online, thereare several other strategies that can help you sellmore books.
One is to give something away for free with your book,such as a valuable bonus item. Or bundle severalebooks under one price, which lowers the price foreach ebook if they were sold separately.
An effective technique for figuring out a price is tosend out a survey to your current customers. If thesecustomers have already bought an ebook from you, askfor their opinion in terms of price. Do this bycreating a sales page for the new book, but don'tinclude a price on that page. Instead, add a number oflinks to survey questions that ask pointed questionsto aid you in assigning a price to your ebook.
Another strategy is to test out prices by creating anumber of duplicate sales pages with different priceson each page. Make sure your sales copy is exactly thesame on every page, and includes your selling-handlesentence. Then figure out for each page the conversionratio between visitors to your site and sales of yourbook. This will tell you what your optimum price is.
Ultimately, if you've written a book that solves aproblem or presents a new technique, your book willbring in both traffic and profits. So be sure to writethat selling-handle sentence that sums up what problemyour book solves and what the benefits of your bookwill be to the customers who purchase it. And thenwatch your market come to you!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Rating eBook Compilers

Now that you've finished writing your eBook and have a
basic understanding of what an eBook compiler does,
you may be feeling overwhelmed by the number of
compilers on the market. To help you make your
decision, I have tested and reviewed the best-rated
eBook compilers currently available.

* E-ditor

This software has a demo version that you can download
to try out before purchasing. You can't actually use
the demo to create an eBook, but you can run the
software and test it out thoroughly to see if it does
what you need it to do for your particular eBook.

This eBook compiler is one of the easiest to use. The
software has a very user-friendly help menu that
provides instructions for and explanations of every
field on every screen. The program also includes video
tutorials demonstrating every step of this compiler
with clear explanations of all fields that need to be
filled out. There are 7 screens that you use to choose
your eBook options.

This compiler requires your files to be in HTML
format. You follow simple directions, and the compiler
loads your files. If you decide to edit your eBook
after it has been compiled, make any changes in your
original files and click on "Compile you eBook" and
your changes will appear in your compiled eBook.

E-editor allows for some customization of your eBook.
You can create a special page that appears when the
eBook is opened; create customized icons that appear
on the desktop after downloading; use your own logo on
the task bar of your eBook; customize the task bar's
buttons, where the task bar appears in your eBook, and
choose the task bar's colors. Additionally, you can
choose to have the eBook open to the last page read,
which many of your buyers will appreciate.

An excellent and unique feature of E-ditor is the
capability to choose a standard Microsoft window or to
create your own design for a window to personalize
your eBook. The program provides some sample window
designs, but you can use any .bmp (bit map skin)
graphic you have stored on your hard drive.

E-ditor is a good choice if you are new at producing
eBooks because it is easy to use and allows you to
customize the appearance of your eBook.

* Desktop Author

This compiler does not require a browser, nor do you
have to download software or plug-ins. The program
converts exe. files into pages that look like a
standard book. You can create and produce eBook pages
scaled to fit on your computer screen without any
scrolling. Additional features include WYSIWGY (what
you see is what you get) page editing and creation,
the ability to manipulate internal images, cut and
paste functions, hotlinks to pages, email, website, or
other files. It is an excellent compiler to use for a
marketing tools, such as creating brochures and
manuals in addition to eBooks.

* EBook Edit Pro

This compiler provides a demo version, which allows
you to test out its features. The software uses a
Wizard that leads you step-by-step through the set-up
and creation of your eBook. Customization includes
text editing that appears on the pop-up starting
message window; the ability to allow or prevent
resizing of your book and the mouse-click pop-up menu;
enabling or disabling the navigation bar and choosing
the buttons you want to appear; and customizing the
eBook's desktop icon and the logo that appears on the
navigation bar.

Ebook Edit Pro is loaded with excellent features that
allow you to create multi-media Ebooks, and includes a
Wizard that is customized for beginners and for
advanced users. The software uses HTML files,
downloading them from the directory where they are
saved. Edit and resave your files in the original
software used to create those files, and then with a
single click you can re-compile your Ebook.

Features include customization of icons, toolbars, and
the "about box." This compiler has a particularly
useful feature called the Rebrander feature. This
permits you to enter customized code into your Ebook
pages and distribute the Rebrander software to your
affiliates or distributors. They can then customize
the links included in the Ebook, but they can not
alter any link or information that you have not
entered a customized code for.

The software includes "eBrand-It" software that allows
custom fields for your customer's name, affiliate ID
or URL. This feature is a powerful marketing tool
because affiliates are much happier giving away your
Ebook from their own site when they can customize it.

* Ebook Compiler

This compiler offers a demo version that allows you to
compile 10 files. If you don't include graphics, you
can create a 10 page Ebook that allows printing and
copying of the Ebook. The catch is that you can't sell
any Ebook you create in the demo version.

The purchased software is user-friendly with
easy-to-follow help files that not only guide you
through the steps of compiling your Ebook, but also
explains what an Ebook compiler does. The software
provides detailed instructions on how to create source
files from Microsoft Word 2000 and 1997, PowerPoint
2000 and 1997, and HTML documents. It contains less
detailed instructions for creating source files from
other programs.

This compiler allows for password protection of your
entire Ebook or for selected pages. Additionally, you
can set a time limit on your Ebook. When the runs out,
the customer no longer has access unless they pay for
it. In other words, it allows you to create a demo
version of your Ebook for marketing purposes.

You can set a single password or multiple passwords.
Using multiple passwords assigns each user their own
specific password. Online help files guide you through
setting up your passwords. You can also create a Sales
and Thank-you page for selling a password protected
Ebook. This is a good choice for the novice,
particularly since it includes basic features for
password protection and distribution.

* Activ Ebook Compiler

This is an easy to use compiler that provides
excellent features. This software can support HTML,
JPEG, GIF, and all active plug-ins. Features includes
password protection, branding, internet linking, icon
customization, assigning unique serial numbers, splash
screen, file compression, and start-up messages. It
also provides free lifetime upgrades. Additionally, it
includes a preprocessor, re-brander, active script,
and detailed instructions for using HTML, Power Point,
and Microsoft Word files.

There are several other excellent Ebook compilers on
the market that are worth looking into.

Ebook Generator features splash screens, password
protection, branding, icon customization, and
compression control. Additionally, it includes virus
prevention that alerts the user to any modifications
made to your Ebook and offers usage statistics so you
can track your Ebook's use. With all these advanced
features, this is an excellent compiler for the
beginner because it is exceptionally easy to run.

Ebook Creator is another excellent compiler,
supporting HTML, JPEG, GIF, and PNG graphics, and
Javascript, VB script, and Java applets. It also
supports all Internet Explorer plug-ins. Standard
features include unique serial numbers, direct linking
to a form or a page on your website, disabled right
clicking, and search functions. The software allows
for expiration after a set number of days or usages,
which allows you to create demo versions. You can
create up to 1000 different passwords; every time the
Ebook is downloaded, a unique password is required to
access protected pages. The software provides
user-friendly menus and buttons that allow the
beginner to the advanced user to easily create their
Ebook.

Obviously, there are some excellent compilers out
there. So figure out EVERYTHING you need in terms of
features, and then compare prices and options. Do take
advantage of demo versions if they are offered before
purchasing. And then, have fun creating your Ebook!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Choosing an eBook Compiler

What is an eBook compiler?

You've written and revised your ebook, hired an artist
who has produced outstanding graphics, and now you're
ready to actually put together your ebook. What you
need to make an ebook is software called an ebook
Compiler.

There are many different compilers to chose from, but
first, you need to know exactly what an ebook Compiler
does. Here is the simple explanation:

An ebook compiler is a software program that converts
either text pages or HTML text into a single
executable file or an ebook.

If you or someone you hired has created a file with
graphics in HTML, you will need an HTML ebook
Compiler. This type of compiler requires a working
knowledge of the HTML tag language. You can also use
software to do this for you, such as Microsoft
FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver.

How do you choose an eBook Compiler?

There are a large number of ebook Compilers available
on the market, all with glowing sales copy and tekkie
language. It can get very confusing and overwhelming
very fast without some simple guidelines to help you
figure out which compiler is right for you.

Choosing an ebook Compiler depends on a number of
factors:

1. How did you create your pages? Did you use HTML or
PDF format? There are many more compilers available
for HTML, but you can find some very good compilers
that will covert your PDF files into an ebook.

2. Consider how easy the program is to use and the
thoroughness of the software's instruction manual. It
is absolutely necessary that the compiler you buy have
an instructional manual, documentation, or online
"wizards." If it doesn't, your chances of figuring out
how to correctly use the program are compromised, and
the time required doing so is going to be significant.
Many manufacturers of compilers offer a free trial
version so you can play around with it and see if it
suits your needs. Download the trial version and
ascertain that it actually does what it claims to do.

3. Security features. If you plan to sell your ebook,
check out the security features of the compiler
software carefully. Security features should include:
prevention of the reader from modifying text, access
only to the pages you assign or by entering a
password, different ways of generating passwords such
as secure passwords, user-friendly, and open
passwords.

4. Supported scripting. Find out what scripts the
software supports. Scripting allows you to create
special effects, customize menus, and create and
modify other user interactivity. Choose a compiler
that permits you to include graphics, search windows,
hyperlinks, forms, surveys, etc.

5. Pricing. This is a factor that is not always easy
to gauge. The highest priced compilers are not
automatically your best choice. Choose your compiler
based on the necessary requirements for your Ebook.
That means you need to know exactly how you plan to
use your Ebook and what functions you require.

Let's look at some of these factors in more detail.
First of all, make sure you have the correct browser
to run the compiler. The majority of HTML compilers
use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape. Check out
the version that the compiler supports. Compilers that
require a browser will not run on a computer that does
not have the required browser installed. However,
there are ebook HTML compilers that don't require you
to have any browser installed on your computer. These
compilers run on any Windows system.

If you choose a compiler that requires a browser,
check to ascertain that the browser is installed
correctly and that it is properly configured to the
specifications of the compiler. Check to see if
certain functions are turned off or on, and make any
adjustments according to the compiler instructions.

Security is an essential element of any compiler,
regardless of whether you plan to sell or give away
your ebook. One of the main reasons for using a
compiler is to prevent the reader from modifying the
contents. A secure compiler allows access only to the
pages you want the user to access unless they enter a
correct password.

To find out how secure an ebook HTML compiler is, open
an ebook on it. While it is open, check the temporary
directory of your computer. This can usually be
accessed by typing in C:\Windows\temp. If you see a
bunch of files when your ebook is open or running, it
means that your computer is decompressing the secure
data from your ebook before showing the ebook to the
viewer. This method is not secure! It means that
anyone with the knowledge of how to access these
temporary files can steal the secure data and then
they can fiddle with your ebook to their evil heart's
desire. Remember, one of the main purposes of buying
and using an HTML compiler is to protect your
property.

Next, let's discuss passwords. When trying to choose
an ebook Compiler, check out the type of passwords
that the compiler supports. Almost all compilers offer
some kind of password protection that insures that the
user can only access the contents they have purchased
from you. However, the best compilers offer varied
ways to generate different types of passwords. Choose
a compiler that gives you the options of secure,
user-friendly, and open password generation.

Another important factor when it comes to passwords is
how the compiler generates them. A compiler that has
internal password protection generation built into the
software is more secure than compilers that link to
live Internet password control systems.

Find out if the compiler generates passwords online.
If it has this option, it allows you to choose any
payment processing system you want or to do the
payment processing yourself.

Next, look into the size of ebook the compiler
supports. The best compilers can create ebooks up to 2
GB in size without decompressing the HTML pages or
images to your hard disk. Usually, ebooks that are 2
GB in size can easily support 6 GB of compressed data.
The catch here is that only text files will generally
be compressible.

You do not want a compiler that decompresses this
amount of data when the user attempts to open your
ebook. This would mean that anyone who purchases your
ebook will have to wait for all the data to decompress
before they can access your ebook right after
downloading it. So look for compilers that only
decompress temporarily files that are NOT HTML to the
local hardisk. Non-HTML files include Flash, Word, and
Acrobat files. This type of compiler is more secure
and certainly faster.

Make sure the compiler you choose is compatible with
your system software. Check out what version of
Windows it requires, and make sure you have that
version before buying your compiler.

Support issues are extremely important. Choose a
compiler that includes an installation program. This
program allows your user to choose a number of
different places on their computer to install the
ebook, to place a shortcut on their desktop, and to
add the ebook, if they choose, to the Start Programs
menu.

You also want excellent and accessible vendor support.
Make sure you can access quick technical support! At
three o'clock in the morning, this factor will be VERY
important. Also, check to see the terms of free
technical support offered. Unlimited technical support
is obviously the best option.

Check to see if the company that puts out the compiler
software offers a service level agreement. This
agreement is to assure you of their quality response
to your questions or problems.

A good thing to consider is how long the compiler has
been on the market. Usually, the version number will
give you an idea. The longer the program is on the
market, the higher the version number, the more bugs
have been worked out.

When choosing an ebook compiler, do not be swayed by
incredible promises and dazzling sales copy. Do your
homework first, and then consider all the above issues
and factors before choosing an ebook compiler.