Books and Creative Writing

Online Book Publishing: The Many Benefits of OPM

This is another in my series of articles that explain the Online Publishing Model and how small-time authors and/or self-publishers can use the OPM as a viable alternative to the often archaic and dysfunctional traditional book publishing model.

It’s an excerpt from my book/ebook, Instant Book Writing Kit:
InstantBookWritingKit.com

Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains the numerous benefits of using the Online Publishing model (OPM).

Frankly, after my frustrating and disappointing experiences using the traditional book publishing model, I was truly blown away when I discovered the many benefits of the Online Publishing Model. I was thrilled to discover that there actually IS an alternative that will allow me to write and publish books and ebooks for a living.

BENEFITS OF ONLINE PUBLISHING MODEL

As I state on the Web site for the Instant Book Writing Kit, the benefits of the Online Publishing Model are numerous and compelling:

You’ll Make More Money
Instead of getting a paltry 3% to 35%, you’ll get somewhere between 60% and 90% of your cover price, depending on which of the three channels you’re using.

You Can Charge More
People are willing to pay more if they can get the information they are looking for almost immediately. Higher prices = more profits for you.

You’ll Get Paid Sooner
Many online payment processors will pay you within two weeks of making a sale. On the other hand, traditional publishers and distributors will make you wait 90 to 120 days for payment.

Your Costs Will Be Lower
With the online publishing model your up-front costs will be significantly lower than if you self-publish the traditional way.

You Won’t Have “Returns”
You can choose to NOT accept “returns”. Unlike the traditional publishing model, all sales onder the OPM will be final with minimal refunds. Returned “over-orders” will be a thing of the past.

Your Sales Will Be On Automatic Pilot
Once you have your Web site up and running and your files uploaded to the digital fulfillment and POD distributors, you’re ebooks/books will be selling automatically with little or no intervention by you.

You’ll Be In Charge
You’ll be in control of almost all aspects of the publishing and distribution of your book/ebook. You can publish or revise when you like. No more jumping to somebody else’s timetable.

You’ll Have No Inventory
You won’t have to keep track of an inventory and worry about shipping, storage, and damage hassles and costs. You’ll be completely inventory free.

You Can Revise Whenever You Like
Using online publishing channels you will have the freedom to make revisions to your books/ebooks whenever you like. You just update your book/ebook and post the new version at your convenience.

You Can Add Special Features
You can add value to your ebook by adding links to multi-media features and other hyper-linked bonuses.

You’ll Have Direct Access To Your Data
Dealing with online fulfillment houses and distributors you’ll have direct online access to current sales and earnings data.

BOTTOM LINE ON OPM

When I realized the full power of the online publishing model I truly was astounded! Discovering this new publishing model hit me like a breath of fresh air.

After all, using the conventional book publishing model, I had spent more than two years banging my head against the wall in frustration — getting nowhere and going broke fast.

That’s when I decided that I should write this information down and share it with other small-time authors and self publishers so they wouldn’t have to go through all of the trial-and-error and expense that I did. My goal was to create a turnkey, paint-by-number blueprint, that any aspiring author and/or self-publisher could easily implement. I believe I’ve done just that.

So, I finally wrote it all down in Instant Book Writing Kit for the express purpose of sharing the Online Publishing Model with anyone who is interested in writing a book/ebook and making some decent money by publishing and marketing it online. Essentially, anyone who wants to duplicate what I have done.

If you are a small-time author and/or publisher you owe it to yourself to look into the Online Publishing Model before you write and/or publish that next book.

(C) Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous how-to books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks, including his popular book that explains all about how to implement and profit from the Online Publishing Model:
http://InstantBookWritingKit.com

Online Publishing Profits:
Print-On-Demand Will Double Your Sales

Typically, you will create your book and/or ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into a PDF document, or other POD format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model:

1. Sales-Mini-Sites.
2. Digital Download Distributors.
3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.

This article explains Channel 3, Print-On-Demand (POD) distribution.

I have to tell you that I was pretty darn excited, to say the least, when I found out about the digital fulfillment channel for publishing eBooks. However, when I found out about how I could ALSO take advantage of the print-on-demand model I was ecstatic!

POD FULFILLMENT: DEFINITION
It’s important that you understand exactly what I’m talking about when I use the term “POD fulfillment”, as opposed to “digital fulfillment” which I explained in another article that I have written about the OPM.

Print-on-demand (POD) fulfillment refers to when your book is delivered to the customer strictly in printed paper form as a standard book. With POD, when a single order (or low volume order) for your book is placed, just that small quantity is printed, bound, and drop-shipped directly to the customer by your POD fulfillment company. Hence the term, print-on-demand.

A typical example of POD fulfillment in action would be when you provide your POD electronic files to a digital fulfillment company that distributes POD books to booksellers like amazon.com, for example. Booksellers such as Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com would then offer your paperback POD book to those of its customers who want a standard printed version of your book.

POD FULFILLMENT: A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE
For an example of this, take a look at my Instant Recommendation Letter Kit book as listed at amazon.com. To do this, go to the amazon.com Web site.

Do a “book search” on the phrase “recommendation letter”. Instant Recommendation Letter Kit will show up in the first few search results (usually number one or two). Click on the title to the right of the cover and it will take you to the details page. Look immediately below the cover and you will see the heading “Other Editions”. The link there will say “paperback” or “digital download”, depending on which version you are currently looking at.

The point here is that, via amazon.com customers can also order the paperback version of that book if they prefer it to the digital version.

Once the customer places their order online, the amazon.com electronic ordering system immediately sends an electronic order to my POD distribution company which instantly begins their internal print-on-demand process to produce ONE single copy of my paperback version for direct drop-shipping to the paying customer’s address.

This sure beats printing and storing into inventory, 1,000 or 2,000 copies, or more, up-front doesn’t it!

WHY CHOOSE POD FULFILLMENT?
As explained above, when people order a print-on-demand book they get a real hard copy paperback book that they can hold in their hands.

But why choose to produce a POD version when you already offer an ebook version? This is a good and logical question.

The main answer is this: an ebook is NOT a perfect substitute for a printed book.

This becomes particularly clear when marketing the two products through an online bookseller like amazon.com. It turns out that even when amazon offers a 30% discount on the digital download ebook version, about 50% of buyers of the same title still choose the more expensive POD paperback version.

So, not only are these people willing to pay more, but they are also willing to wait anywhere from 5 to 7 days for the POD book to be drop-shipped to them.

These are the traditional book buying people. They want a conventional paper book that they can hold in their hands. They want to be able to turn the pages. Many of these buyers don’t really understand what an ebook or digital download is all about.

And, even if they do understand the “e” part of ebook they don’t want to have anything to do with something that sounds so “techie”.

Clearly, if you do not provide a conventional paperback book option via POD for these traditional book buyers you will be leaving that money on the table. Those people will not buy your digital download products.

PODS LOOK AND FEEL LIKE REAL BOOKS
So, what does a POD book look like you might ask?

The quality of my POD books when printed is quite acceptable. The full-color glossy cover is printed on standard cover stock and the book is perfect bound. The interior is comprised of standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper stock, printed both sides. It’s like an excellent quality Xerox job between professionally designed full-color glossy covers. So, people who order them get a paperback of equivalent quality as to what one would normally find on the shelves at a bookstore.

That’s just the format I use for my “how-to” books. You can also have PODs produced in all kinds of sizes, shapes and bindings, including hard cover books!

BOTTOM LINE ON POD
If you want to sell books to the traditional book buying public you have to give them what they want – a printed book. Print-on-demand (POD) is a technology that lets you do just that — one copy at a time.

And, just like the situation with digital download fulfillment, these POD sales are IN ADDITION to any sales that you will make via your Web site or digital fulfillment channels.

Again! Just like with the digital fulfillment channel, using the POD channel of the OPM will be just like “found money”. You just have to know how to find it.

You Too Can Write A “How-To” Book

Are you aware that “how-to” books are among the “easiest” books to write? Yes, that’s right, they really are! After all, how hard can it be to write about something you already know really well, something that you are passionate about? Heck, you may not even need to do any research! What other kind of author has that luxury?

As I say in my ebook on the subject, I am a firm believer that 99% of people who have specific knowledge of ANY subject, coupled with a passion to share that knowledge with others, are natural how-to authors.

In fact, as I state in the Introduction to my book…

“If you can organize your thoughts enough to explain something to someone, and then write that down in simple step-by-step terms, you too can be a how-to author.”

That’s right. How-to books can be written by anyone who is capable of writing down what they are “speaking” as they explain to someone all about something that is near and dear to their heart.

It really is that simple. And the beauty of writing how-to books is that you already have the knowledge inside of you!

Most how-to books are written by “experts” in a particular subject. The cool part about this is that each and every one of us is an expert in some, or many areas! And that includes you!

Yes, YOU ARE An Expert…
Really, you are! You possess a unique combination of knowledge and valuable life experience that no one else on this planet possesses. In fact, you are the only one truly qualified to write about your knowledge and experience from your own unique perspective.

And that last phrase – “from your own unique perspective” – is a very important one. It’s important because “how-to” books are all about people sharing their individual unique take on something. And it really doesn’t matter what that something is.

Think about it. What are your big interests and/or activities in life? What’s your favorite hobby, or your preferred sport or leisure activity. What do you excel in at the office? What books and magazines do you seek out? What subjects are guaranteed to grab your attention in any situation, or when depicted in the media? What are you good at – at work and/or at play? On what subjects do friends, family members, and co-workers constantly seek your advice and/or expertise? Do you have valuable life experience to bring to the table?

Now that you’ve thought about it, I bet you’re beginning to realize that you are indeed an “expert” on numerous subjects – aren’t you? Seriously, whether you’re an avid gardener, a fanatical sports fan, an obsessed collector of “stuff”, a jazz pianist, a weekend carpenter, or a card maker; it doesn’t matter what your subject. YOU ARE AN EXPERT at those things that you love and are good at doing.

VLE Does Count!
Whatever you do, make sure you don’t discount your own personal “valuable life experience”. In fact, VLE is the basis for almost All self-help books. After all, what are self-help books except “how-to” books about how to live life. And in these days of Oprah, Dr. Phil, Chicken Soup Books, and Reality TV, I don’t have to tell you how marketable VLE is!

In fact, it was Oprah who said you can “Turn your wounds into words”.

Don’t Underestimate Yourself…
Remember, YOU DO NOT have to be the world’s foremost authority on your particular subject(s). As long as you have a keen interest in your topic and have acquired an above average knowledge of it, you are in a position to write about it from your own unique perspective.

Believe me, there are thousands of people out there ready and waiting to hear from people just like you who offer new knowledge and fresh perspectives on your shared special area of interest.

All you need to be able to do is write down what would naturally come out of your mouth if you were explaining your favorite subject to a friend, colleague, or family member.

Bottom line? Don’t sell yourself short.

A few years ago I didn’t even know what a “how-to book” was. Now I’ve written 15 of them. Really!

I’m willing to bet that you too have more “how-to” books in you than you ever imagined.