What Is An Ebook?

What is the best best way to monetize an ebook?

• I have a dilemma and would be most grateful for some advice. Background: I earn close to a quarter of a million a year as a one man band business consultant advising on business architecture to institutional clients. I am also a professional investor both on and off the stock markets. However, I also have a huge passion for health, fitness and nutrition. Ambition: For a long time I have had a desire to somehow monetize my knowledge on health & fitness and also sell my expertise on approaching the stock market. However, any action has always taken a back seat because I do well as a consultant so the motivation to write was clouded. However, I do not feel I would justify my existence if I didn't offer value on my health/investment expertise. After much deliberation I said to myself 'I'm going to write an ebook/training manual on fat loss/muscle gain, sell it on groupon and make millions in exchange for priceless value to my customers'. Then I engaged the experts and confused myself into procrastination. So I started again and started again and started again and here we are one year later. The good news is that I have now spent a year on an ebook on how to lose fat and build muscle. This is now complete and I am so very pleased with the work. I have also started an ebook on how to approach the stock markets. Now what? I have a big challenge which may counter intuitive to selling online. The experts tell me that I need to engage the audience, prove that my methods work, offer freebies and become a leader in what I do. The challenge is as follows: 1) I don't have a desire to be a leader or manage a facebook page. I can count my fb friends on one hand and hardly use it. I guess what I'm asking is - do I really need to be a marketing guru? 2) I want to monetize my knowledge whilst not having to vlog/blog frequently. I really don't want to be active on the internet. I want to be out doors, in the gym or in the park. 3) I understand that I will have to service my customers and ensure that they are receiving value from their purchase. 4) I have discovered my skill on systems thinking in business is applicable to any aspect of life. As a result I have a whole host of other topics I can write about (attracting a partner, job etc). 5) This may sound very strange, but I do not really want to manage a database of individuals. I'm not a marketer and don't wish to become one. All I know is that I can write and want to control the rights. I'm a simple guy. I just want a simple solution for maximum reward. Groupon? EBay? Thanks for reading Rq

• Answer:

  People are willing to pay you to give them advice about optimizing the way they have their business organized. Now you wrote a book that has nothing to do with your field. The field that is new to you is chock full of books that have been written by people who have reputations in the field and even they aren't all making much money on their books. Why is yours special? E-books are the new vanity press. Maybe one out of a thousand vanity publications are considered worthwhile by the reading public. I have no reason to think that your book is not worthwhile, but if you haven't talked to an editor, someone who knows the terrain and knows whether you have written a book with an interesting new perspective or just repeated something that was basically written 3, 5, 11 and 20 years ago by writers who have better reputations and love doing the bookstore and talkshow circuit, you don't know if you have a product worth selling. Do you want to know if you are a good writer? Go find an agent. Sign a contract if she requires it. Tell her that you will hire her, but that she has to read enough of the book to give you honest feedback. Give her the manuscript. Listen to the comments. See if she is willing to spend her time selling your book. Put your ego on the line. On another subject: Have there been any worthwhile investment books since Fred Schwed's "Where are the Customers' Yachts?"