While there is more to it than this, I’ve got some tips her on how to create an ebook to get you started.  Mind you, it’s one way to put together an ebook, not the only way.

Pick your niche first.
Some people pick a niche according to their passions or knowledge and others pick a huge competitive market because they know money is being made there.  Come up with a few ideas, making sure they’re not too broad or too narrow.  Too broad means too much competition from the big boys and too narrow means there might not be enough to the topic to continuously create content around.  Too narrow also means there won’t be a huge pool of people interested in the topic.  Even though you might be super passionate about art created from seagull feathers, for example, that doesn’t mean many other people are and it’s probably not the best subject for creating an ebook around.

Find your keywords.
Ideally, you want keyword phrases that are highly sought after and yet have little competition.  That’s in a perfect world, but get as close as you can.  Do take some time here.

Make sure the keywords are money-makers.
This means there should be some AdSense ads on the right side of the page when you put your keywords in Google search.  If there are ads, it’s a good sign.  That means there is money to be made, or the people footing the bill for the ads would take their little ads elsewhere.

Find the questions people in your niche are asking.
You can go to Yahoo Answers and see what people are asking easy enough.  You can also go to a few forums in your niche and see what problems people are having.  Find 5-7 questions or problems to work with.

Research the answers to these questions. 
Each question and answer will be a chapter in your ebook.  You can do an online search for answers and also look through the top article directories.  Write the ebook, one chapter at a time, in your own words.  If you feel the writing is beyond your abilities, you can outsource it.  But instead of paying out the nose for a ghostwritten ebook, you can outsource each chapter as if it were an article.  You will pay less for 10-20 articles and you may even get a discount for a bulk order and for handing them your research links too. 

Put the book together.
Make sure it flows from chapter to chapter.  Add disclaimer and privacy blurbs as well as a table of contents.  Also include any affiliate links in the body of the ebook and/or a resources page at the end.  Include perceived value by adding stock photos, screen shots, borders, and tips or quotes in boxes.

Turn the ebook into a PDF.
You can use Open Office or maybe your computer already comes with a PDF converter.  Once you have it as a PDF you upload it to your site, create a sales page, and get to work driving traffic to your new masterpiece.  Remember to use your keywords in everything you do!

So those are some of my tips on creating an ebook.  You’ve probably noticed there is a lot of research involved when getting started.  I have a handy dandy tool I use that helps me do all the necessary research faster.  I’ve blogged about it before, and I’m excited to tell you that the product creators have come out with a new version with even more features.  I got to test the new version to see if I could break it. ;)  They were relieved to know I could not.

As you can see from the picture, IM Research Power Tool is like a one-stop shopping center for research.  I can look at articles in article directories, Squidoo lenses, and through Twitter links.  It’s even got Yahoo Answers right there.  Of course, I also use it to check what’s on Amazon and Clickbank… and Google of course.  If I want to only look at pdfs on a particular topic, there’s a button for that too. 

Enough gushing, if you like what you see, go for it.  IM Research Power Tool    

Disclaimer - Yes, that’s my affiliate link and I’m darn proud of it.  I do stand to profit if you order from that link.  I really like and use this tool myself, and although it saves me time in my online business, I haven’t really put a dollar figure on my saved time.  Oh, and I did purchase the tool myself back in January 2009 and have been using it ever since.

I really like writing for the pet niche since it’s a topic I know a lot about. I used to be a pet sitter and I have a lot of knowledge about dogs, dog training and behavioral issues. In fact, I’ve done an ebook that will be on ClickBank soon.

Back to the PLR here, I’ve done things a little differently this time. Instead of just a bundle of articles, I wrote a short report and a bundle of articles. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, and I think you’ll love it if you’re in the dog or pet niche. Details following…

One report called Common Dog Training Problems:

Chapter Titles:
Introduction To Common Dog Training Problems - 640 words
House Training Your Dog, It Can Be Done - 541 words
Is Your Dog’s Barking a Problem? - 487 words
Dogs Who Dig, And What To Do About It - 705 words
OMG, He’s Chewing On Everything! - 436 words
How To Stop a Dog From Jumping Up - 523 words
Stop The Biting - 475 words
Leash Training Can Be Simple - 438 words

This report can be given away to grow your list. You can also throw some graphics in it and sell it to your list! Feel free to tear it apart and use each chapter as an article in your email ecourse, newsletter, or blog.

Plus you get 7 awesome articles:

Titles:
Crate Training Is For The Dogs - 456 words
Does Your Dog Have Separation Anxiety? - 492 words
Before You Get a Puppy, Consider These Things - 621 words
Prevent Dog Training Problems In The First Place - 524 words
Tips For Curbing Dog Aggression - 592 words
Why Won’t Your Dog Use Her Dog House? - 524 words
You Can House Train An Adult Dog - 438 words

The special price right now is $15 if you buy through this link.

Otherwise, full price on my website is $20.
Don’t wait - the numbers are limited to keep it somewhat exclusive, plus the sooner you buy it and use it, the sooner it can help you.

I’d like to report that I reached my goal, but alas, I did not. My time was 29:25.

Was I unhappy with that? Yes, I was a little disappointed with my time, but let me break this down:

I got the flu (courtesy of my son) and was not able to run for a week. This was the week before the race and the timing was the worst. I felt like I ran out of gas during the race.

My son dislocated and broke his elbow in a football game. They had to put him under to put the 2 bones that were out of place back in place. It was stressful, to say the least, to see my 15 year old in pain and to have to make decisions regarding surgery.

I will sum up the whole race goal with this:

• I had a goal, which pushed me to work harder than I had been working at my running. Having goals with my internet marketing does the same thing. I thrive on having goals, even if I don’t quite reach them.
• Subsequently, I ran faster than I had been running. When I started I was running 3 miles at 30+ minutes. So I did have measureable results.
• Life threw a wrench - I got sick. So what. Stuff happens like that. My son was injured - I lost my focus. These things might have caused me to go down a side street for a bit, but I doubled back and found my way. How many times has that happened in business? I’m learning to get back on track sooner rather than later. Focus! I did not give up, even though I saw I wasn’t going to hit my mark.

What’s that saying? Reach for the moon and you might land among the stars? That’s what happens when I set goals in my business. I might not reach them, but I haven’t failed. I’ll have learned what works, what doesn’t work, where I need to do better, and I may have fallen short of the goal, but I still had positive results!

A while ago someone asked me what they needed to know, what they should learn, to get started with Internet Marketing.  This is what I told him…

There are several tools and talents that are needed to get started with Internet Marketing.  I would even go so far as to say they are necessary for your success.  You should learn them, even if you are planning to outsource them.

 
Copywriting Basics
Copywriting, or sales copy, is the life blood of an internet marketer’s business.  Even though you may consider yourself a dog trainer with an online presence, you are really in the business of selling.  While you may think you don’t need to know copywriting because you’ll hire someone to write your sales page, that would be a bit shortsighted.  You are actually creating mini sales copy every time you write an email to send to your list, every time you review a product on your blog, every time you are interviewed, and more.  Study anything by copywriter, Michel Fortin.

FTP
FTPing is what you do when you have something on your computer like a PDF ebook file or an html website-page that you need to upload to your website so that it’s visible and accessible to others.  You might create a PDF, but no one can see it until you FTP it and it can be found attached to your website address.  www[dot]mywebsite.com/rockinsecrets.pdf is an example.  FTP is something that sounds very scary to new marketers until someone shows them how.  Then they realize how easy and quick it is. There is no excuse not to know how to FTP.  You will be doing it all the time. 

Ability to Create a Website
Yes, you can outsource the creation of your website, but what happens when you want to add a page?  And believe me, if you’re an active marketer, you’ll want to add pages often. Some pages I am constantly adding are new squeeze pages, affiliate pages, sales pages, more product pages, giveaway pages, etc.  Or what if you want to tweak and test the price or the sales copy?  Do you want to pay someone else to make these small changes and have them done at their convenience?

Domain Names
It’s important to own your own domain names and really easy to do.  They don’t cost much, depending on who you buy them through, and the price varies per extension.  For example, .com names usually cost more than .info names.  Once your business gets rolling, you’ll probably buy more names than you have time to set up sites for!  I use Namecheap to buy my domains.  But first I do an internet search and find a coupon to use.

Webhosting
Leave the free hosting to other beginners and pay for yours. You won’t be sorry as you’ll most likely have better service, less down time, more tools and analytics and more.  Everyone has strong opinions on the best webhosting and you should listen to what they have to say.  Pick one that not only works for you now, but will work for you when your business has grown.  You don’t have to pick the most expensive as there are many reasonably priced hosting companies that can fit your needs. Just remember to think ahead to what your needs will be.  I recommend D9Hosting and Hostgator because you can get unlimited domains for one price.

This is the short list and should get you started.  Of course, you’ll continue to learn new things as they come along. Someday you may be making tons of money and can afford to outsource everything.  You might even eventually have someone working for you who handles it all.  Doing it yourself directly helps you when you don’t, as yet, have the money to outsource, and knowing how to do it will help you know what is involved and what is a fair price to pay when you do outsource.

There are many resources available, free and paid, to help you learn what you need to know.  Start with learning from a marketer you trust and look for what you need.  Some things, such as FTPing, can be learned from YouTube videos if you do a simple search for them.

Go for it!

I find that I operate best when I have goals, big and little, to go after.  You probably do too.  If I don’t have goals, I just kind of wander aimlessly.  This is true with not only my Internet Marketing business, but my personal business as well. 

I was thinking the other day about my business in conjunction with a new personal goal I set for myself.

I want to run a 25 minute 5K (3.1 miles) at Race For The Cure.

That’s my goal!

Can I do it?

Hell no.

Let’s look at where I am now, what I’ve got going:  The race is in 26 days.  I can do 3 miles without stopping right now although it’s ugly.  I haven’t timed myself but I’m pretty sure I’m at over 30 minutes for a 5K.

So I’ve reset my goal… 27 minutes for this 5K.  Then shoot for the 25 minutes for another race on Thanksgiving day.  Now both of these are doable if…

I come up with a plan to get there.  A plan is crucial!  I can’t just wish and hope for a great race, I’ve got to pin down what I want and how I’m going to achieve it.  Just like with my online business, I can’t just wish for 5 figures a month and not do anything to reach for it.

And I need to cover all aspects…

Proper nutrition - I need to do some research on what foods will fuel me and help me recover quicker after runs.  Same with the IM business, research what I need to know to help me reach my goal(s).

Good shoes - This is the foundation of this whole project. With good shoes I minimize the risk of injury and start off on the right foot. This is like having the right platform before going forward with Internet Marketing.  HTML editor? WP plug-ins?  Scripts?  Other tools?

Great attitude - I need to talk with runner friends because this is what motivates me. I can bounce ideas off them and listen to their tips.  I can model myself after other successful runners just as I can model my online business after successful marketers.

Running plan - This is what will get me from dream to goal.  I will follow an established plan and interestingly enough, it’s not about doing one thing.  It involves doing many different things that when put together, will enable me to reach my goal.  So rather than run my ass off every day, I’ll have some long slow days, some speed work days, and some rest days. I’ll spend time with weights and on abdominal exercises.  I’ll also work on perfecting my technique.  Just doing one of these things will not make a huge difference in my running time, but doing them all will make my goal reachable.

This makes me think about how having multiple streams of income will help me reach my business goals.  Just one of them will not get me to 5 figures a month but several of them, working together, can get me there.  One of my streams is writing and selling PLR in packs and through a membership site. Another is my Cookin’ Kids website.  I also create and sell info products and have several niche sites.

The next stream I’m going to add is eBay niche stores.  I’ve been inside Alan Petersen’s Niche Stores Unleashed and watched every video.  It’s my kind of thing… easy to implement and more hands-off.  I was impressed by Alan’s take-you-by-the-hand-step-by-step approach.

What about you?  Are you taking action that will get you to your goals?

 
Just letting you know what I’ve been up to lately… since it’s obvious I haven’t been blogging much here…

I’ve been cranking out my best PLR.
Here’s what’s new and available at a discount:

Anxiety and Panic Attacks PLR

Get Fit PLR

Affiliate Marketing PLR

Money Saving Tips PLR

Golf PLR

Next week I start working in earnest on my newest crafty plan to help you make the most out of your PLR. I’m actually quite excited about it; it’s going to be huge.

Interesting title, huh?

If you’d like to read the rest and you’re not already on my list, you can opt-in to read it here:

What Do Gurus Have That You Don’t?  

I think you’ll like it. 

The squeeze page is a little lame. I’ll work on it again tomorrow, I’ve used up my quota of creativity today. However, I do like my double-dashed red/blue opt-in box. Maybe that’s what I used up all my creativity on?

Flickr

Photo credit: Striatic

I was asked recently about how to start making money right away on the Internet. The guy’s skill is writing and he loves to write, but he lacks credibility because he’s new on the internet marketing scene.

I suggested ghostwriting for several reasons:

1. It’s a service he can do and get paid for immediately. The more he works, the more he gets paid.

2. He’ll actually learn about internet marketing while getting paid because much of what he’ll be asked to write will have to do with different aspects of internet marketing.

3. There is always a huge demand for good ghostwriters and he should have more than enough work to keep him constantly busy and then more after that.

Ghostwriting may not be where he wants to stay because eventually, if he’s caught the IM bug, he’ll want to leverage his time to make lots more money. He may get tired of doing a direct trade of time for money. Then instead of writing for others he might start creating his own products. By that time, he’ll understand the IM world a lot better, he’ll know how to create products (having ghostwritten quite a few already) and he’ll have established some key relationships with other marketers that will help his career.

Another arena he could go into once he’s established as a ghostwriter is to write sales copy. If he becomes good at that, he could command some serious top dollars. IMHO, copywriting is something you have to learn and work at and build up your clientele and your reputation, so it’s harder to get some money flowing into the coffers right out of the gate.

Back to the ghostwriting idea…

If you go into the Warriors for Hire section of the Warrior Forum, you can see that many of the ghostwriters end up closing their posts because they get more requests for work than they can handle. In fact, the customers sound kind of desperate. This could be a good place to start if you are a new ghostwriter to build your credibility. You need customers to try your services out and tell everyone how good you are. These testimonials are gold.

If you’re interested in becoming a ghostwriter, Jason Fladlien has a product on it (not an affiliate link.) When I first got it, it was a good report. Now he’s added videos on subjects like how to get more customers than you can handle, how to get top dollar fees, how to write faster, and more.

There are certainly other ways to start making money on the Internet and most of them involve trading time for money, that is, offering a service.

We did go to Washington State to visit family. I’ve included a few pictures here.

Seattle ferry to moms

Sand sculpture, Port Angeles, WA

Me, my daughter, my mom and a waterfall

Leavenworth, WA

Here ya go, my first podcast…

Podcast about Doug Champigny

and here’s the link I told you about in the podcast:

ArticleMarketing

So how’d I do? 

Tips, suggestions? (Other than get a new voice)