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Web writing - make an ebook free, and then cash in

March 31st, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

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Want to get known as a Web writer? The EASIEST form of self-promotion is to write an ebook - make it ten, 20 or 30 pages (only if you must, SHORTER is better on the Web) and then give it away.

“Free” as a form of self-promotion will never go out of style.

Here’s Seth Godin, marketer extraordinaire, on “You should write an ebook”:

Seven years ago, I wrote a book called Unleashing the Ideavirus. It’s about how ideas spread. In the book, I go on and on about how free ideas spread faster than expensive ones. That’s why radio is so important in making music sell.

Anyway, I brought it to my publisher and said, “I’d like you to publish this, but I want to give it away on the net.” They passed. They used to think I was crazy, but now they were sure of it. So I decided to just give it away. The first few days, the book was downloaded 3,000 times (note: forgive the layout. It’s not what I would do if I was doing it today). The next day, the number went up. And then up. Soon it was 100,000 and then a million.

What if a million people knew your name - and knew that you were a Web writer? Do you think you’d get lots of writing gigs?

Well, duh…

Here’s my new ebook “Write and Sell an eBook: Every Writer’s Quick-Action Guide To Writing Ebooks” which shows you how to write an ebook quickly.

Reprise: SHORTER is better - but not too short. You should be able to write your ebook within a few days.

Marketing Your Web Writing - Self-Promotion Is Not Bragging

March 30th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Many Web writers are self-conscious and shy. There are a million and one reasons for this, but to write successfully - that is, to get paid what you’re worth - you need to become comfortable at promoting your Web writing. If no one knows what you do, you’ll always be scrabbling for the next paycheck, when you could be turning away Web writing clients because you’re booked solid.

Here’s a snippet (quoted with permission) from an email message I received this week:

“I’ve tried the out-sourcing sites, but it’s ridiculous - 100 articles for $250. Come on! I’m getting discouraged. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a writer at all… I know you said I need a Web site, but aside from the effort of learning how to do that, and the time it takes, I don’t like bragging. It’s just not me.”

I’ve written about $2 articles. I’m not against them - some writers are happy to write for $2, and why not? Web writing is a global occupation, and $2 goes a lot further in India than it does in Europe, the US or Australia. I also know a lot of writers writing for these amounts are college students, earning some extra money.

This is fine - but these people are not professional writers. There’s a lot more to professional writing than writing, so to speak.

No one, least of all me, is suggesting that you churn out $2 articles. However, to get paid reasonably well, you do need to put effort into self-promotion.

Self-Promotion Is Not Bragging, It’s Marketing, And It Works

All businesses market themselves. Whether it’s a local store hiring a sign-writer to plaster the week’s specials across a window, or a giant fast-food operation buying blocks of TV advertising time and spending millions in the process, it’s promotion, which is a form of marketing. It’s not bragging. It’s business.

I know that many writers suffer under the impression that they shouldn’t need to market their writing. You’re an excellent writer - so why should you hustle? It’s demeaning.

Well, it’s not demeaning. When you know how to do it, it’s a lot of fun. I used to be a writer with a “self-promotion is bragging” attitude. So I took a marketing course at my local college. It was the best time and money I ever spent. Of course you don’t have to go back to school to learn marketing, you can visit your local library and take out books on marketing.

It’s really up to you. There’s a lot of money to be made in writing for the Web, and many writers have already made the switch because Web writing has huge benefits. But yes, you do need a Web site, and you do need to do some self-promotion.

Try it - you have nothing to lose, and much to gain. Once you do, I promise you that you’ll have a lot of fun. I went from a person who hates all forms of self-promotion to someone who loves it, and you can too.

Discover how you can make a great income as a Web writer with my ebook: “Beat Your Paycheck: Web Writing Secrets”.

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Credits: Angela Booth's Web writing manual, "Writing For The Web" | Fab Digital Photography Blog - Digital Photography Tips And Inspiration - If you write for the Web, you need to take photos for the Web too.