The purpose for this series is to share what I learn as I create, promote and sell my first eBook. This whole process, I have to admit, is a little intimidating to me because I only have a vague idea of how to create, promote and sell an eBook. I’ve resisted the temptation to trash the idea of writing this series and only posting about it if things go well. But, we created this website as a vehicle for sharing what we learn, even if it comes from failing, I mean, delayed success. So sharing the process of eBook creation and sharing what I learn as I’m learning it, will hopefully serve as a guide for others who want to create their own eBook but don’t know where to start. This is where I’m starting.

Starting from Scratch

I can’t say that I have absolutely no knowledge of how this process works. The truth is, I have a general idea. I know that it’s best to write from what you know through education, experience or both. I know how to create a pdf file, which apparently is the most common format for eBooks. I have purchased a couple of eBooks and I know a little about what prompted me to buy them. Again, this is all general—even vague—knowledge. But having general knowledge really doesn’t compare to having specific knowledge. However, I tend to be pretty analytical so I’m hoping that will work strongly in my favor.

So where do you begin when you don’t know where to begin? Obviously, I can at least begin working on my content. Other than that, I know eventually, I’ll need to set up a way to sell my eBook. If you’re new here, I’ll tell you a little about what I’m creating. My plan is to make two eBooks:

1. A free eBook about motivation and how to use it to improve your life today. The motivation series of posts that I’ve written here are the foundation of the free eBook. But they’ll be tweaked and compiled into one collection, plus there will be more articles not previously published on this site.
2. A motivation eBook for purchase. It will include everything that’s in the free eBook plus expanded content, strategies for applying what you learn, and much more.

Since I want these eBooks to be the best they can be, I’m planning to get plenty of opinions and advice. Already, I’ve received some comments on some of the posts in the series, not to mention the 9-10 star ratings. I’m excited and grateful for the feedback which has been great.

So there it is…my overview. But as I said, general knowledge isn’t nearly enough, so I recently decided to write out the details of this goal—more of a step-by-step action plan. To accomplish this, I chose the “think from the end” goal-setting method. This is where you plan each step of your goal (to the best of your ability) by starting with the last step—in my case, receiving notification that I’ve made my first sale—and working back to the beginning, which, for me, would be writing content. The following are the actual results after an hour of brainstorming, copied and pasted directly from my document.

Goal: Motivation EBooks

Below, I’m going to list the steps I think will have taken place after having reached this goal. The steps will be listed in reverse order so I can work them out by thinking from the end.

• Receive notification about my first sale.
• Post-launch promotion.
• Officially launch/announce both eBooks.
• Pre-launch promotion.
• Test POS system. [Point Of Sale]
• Put finishing touches on the pitch page.
• Set up POS system for Internet eBook purchases.
• Research POS systems for Internet sales.
• Update pitch page according to feedback received.
• Send out links to pitch page for feedback.
• Finish pre-final pitch page.
• Last review of final motivation eBook product.
• Last review of final free motivation eBook.
• Put finishing touches on motivation eBook product.
• Put finishing touches on free motivation eBook.
• Review motivation eBook product after feedback revisions.
• Update motivation eBook product according to feedback received.
• Send out motivation eBook product for feedback.
• Start working on pitch page.
• Review early review-copy feedback and compile pitch quotes for eBook and pitch page.
• Finish writing pre-final motivation eBook product.
• Send out early, unfinished review copy of motivation eBook product.
• Make pdf of draft 3 of motivation eBook product to send for early feedback.
• Complete draft 3 of motivation eBook product.
• Review draft 2 of motivation eBook product; make punctuation and grammar corrections, etc.
• Complete draft 2 of motivation eBook product.
• Review and rewrite draft 1 of motivation eBook product.
• Officially begin draft 1 of motivation eBook product.
• Complete final draft of free motivation eBook.
• Begin writing final draft of free motivation eBook.
• Review draft 2 of free motivation eBook.
• Write draft 2 of free motivation eBook.
• Review draft 1 of free motivation eBook.
• Compile and write draft1 of free motivation eBook.
• Write and post “Accountability — the secret key to goal achievement”
• Write and post “Conviction — digging deep to tap hidden reservoirs of power”
• Write and post “People overlook small details that impact motivation and success“
• Write and post “Enthusiasm lasts about a week (maybe two)“
• Write and post “If you do things the same way, you’ll get the same results“
• Write and post “Change occurs from the inside out“
• Write guest post (Nine tips for setting and achieving your goals) for Business Opportunities Weblog
• Write and post Motivation Series introduction

Keep in mind that all I did was think about each step and write it down, even if I was only guessing about what step would be next. The top item on the list is what I expect to be the last thing that will happen; and the last item is the first step I need to take (some of which I’ve already done). I realize that each step may contain several subordinate steps. But this plan of action is detailed enough to keep clear about where I am and where I’m going in the process. At the time that I’m writing this blog post, I have already begun and completed several steps. As I continue this process, I’m going to keep you posted as to where I am on this plan. I may also add steps when I realize that I’ve missed one. I may change the order or revise my plan completely when I have new data to support any changes. Again, I am completely guessing which steps are needed and when they should happen. But I think this goal-setting method is good for working out details about which you aren’t very clear.

How You Can Help

If you have created, promoted and sold your own eBook, I want to hear from you. Please comment about any steps I’ve missed, services you’ve tried that you recommend, or any suggestions you have for me. Also, I am told that you should spend a lot of time developing a big network; otherwise, it’s harder to reach a lot of people and make good sales. Our blog was launched on January 18, 2009, so it’s not very old and we don’t have a “big network” yet. If you like anything you read here, please promote it. We can use all the help we can get.

Also, I want to say a few things about my purpose for writing these eBooks. First, I have been involved in motivating people for more than 15 years. I’ve been studying human behavior and motivation for longer than that. There is something deep inside me that is compelled to help people to reorganize the pictures and concepts in their minds in such a way that give them the internal leverage to rise to a greater level of happiness and achievement in their lives. Foremost in my purpose is to share and help anyone who I can. That’s why my free eBook is really the heart and soul of what I want to share. If I make no sales at all on the expanded motivation eBook, but my free eBook gets widely distributed and is well-received, I will have succeeded in the most meaningful way possible. If people find the free eBook helpful and want more and are interested in the added strategies that you can apply right away, as well as other content, the expanded version will be available for purchase. Obviously, I hope I sell a million of them because I would love to move into helping people as my full-time career. But, foremost for me, is that I write the best content I can write for the free eBook and go from there.

So, here it is—my plan for creating, promoting, distributing and selling my eBooks. Whether I succeed or fail, you can follow my progress. I plan to be brutally honest throughout this process. I will seek the advice of “experts” and share what I learn. So this will be an adventure for all of us. Stay tuned….