Creating a great eBook

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eBooks January 9, 2013

description

eBook readership continues to rise, spurred along by the explosion in tablet ownership. From identifying the goals of your eBook and finding great content, to choosing the right format to optimize the reader experience, there are many key steps and questions in the eBook publishing process.

Transcript of Creating a great eBook

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eBooksJanuary 9, 2013

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why it matters

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Definition

eBooks are . . . . .• A white paper on steroids

• A report, generally 12-40 pages or more that presents complex information in a visually attractive, reader-friendly format

• Filled with content that is both informative and entertaining with a tone that is collegial

• Organized in a “chunky” format to facilitate skimming and scanning

source:

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Why eBooks

• Nearly 1 in 4 Americans read an eBook in 2012

• For every 100 paper books Amazon sells on its site, it sells 114 eBooks

• Worldwide eBook sales hit $3.2 billion in 2012. That number is expected to more than triple by 2016

• 32% of B2B marketers outsource their white papers and eBooks - second-highest outsourced type of content

Source: Pew Research Center, American Association of Publishers & Amazon

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Tablet Takeoff

• Currently, 1/4 of Americans own at least 1 tablet

• 112.5 million U.S. adults will own a tablet by 2016 - that’s more than 1/3 of the U.S. population

• Tablet users spend an average of 14 hours per week with their tablets

• People prefer tablet for reading over mobile phone, computer, newspaper and magazine

Source: Forrester Research & Online Publishers Association

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Benefits

• Builds expertise and thought leadership in a particular industry or a particular topic

• Collects information about those who download

• Engages prospects in long sales cycles

• Becomes a place to repurpose content (blogs, white papers, etc.)

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Usage

32% of marketers produced eBooks in

2012, doubling the 2011 total

source:

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how we use it

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Key Steps

• Establish goals

• Identify content sources and how information will be presented

• Decide on format

• Set distribution strategy

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Goals

Key Questions:

• Who is the target audience?

• What type of information are you trying to gather?

• What do you want readers to gain from the eBook?

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Content & Presentation

Key Questions:

• What do you know that’s of value to your prospects and customers?

• How can we illustrate our best ideas and insight?

• What do you want readers to take away from the e-book?

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Content & Presentation

Content:

• Introduction - establishes what the eBook is about and why it’s being written

• Body - content that you’re repurposing or creating

• Graphics - charts/graphs, videos, callouts, lists

• Conclusion - serves as a transition to a deeper engagement with your company/brand

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Content & Presentation

Common eBook Strategies:

• Solving a problem

• How to avoid 7 content marketing mistakes

• Lead to success

• 10 secrets to building your blog

• Sharing insight, surveys, research

• What advisors say about the impact of the fiscal cliff

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Format

Key Questions:

• How do you expect prospects and customers to view your eBook?

• Will you be incorporating video content into your eBook?

• Does the layout need to remain fixed?

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Format

Popular eBook formats:

PDF

ePub

• Can be viewed on almost all devices except Kindle and Kindle Fire (conversion available to Kindle-friendly formats); popular because of HTML5 & CSS3 integration

Kindle format

• Can be viewed only on Kindle or Kindle Fire

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Tools

Converts PDF to various eBook formats, also handles distribution to bookstores

Converts PDF and other file types to various eBook formats

Calibre

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Distribution

Key Questions:

• How do you plan to distribute your eBook?

• In addition to your prospects, who else do you want to know about your eBook?

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Distribution

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how it’s done

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Examples

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Examples

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Examples

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summary

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1. eBooks are a great way to deliver a higher level of content and build a thought leadership position

2. Tablet use continues to skyrocket, driving the surge in eBook readership

3. The user experience can help determine the format you choose for distributing your eBook

4. eBooks can help you gather more information about your prospects

5. Balancing graphics and content will help make your eBook more reader friendly

Key Takeaways

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1. eBooks are a great way to deliver a higher level of content and build a thought leadership position

2. Tablet use continues to skyrocket, driving the surge in eBook readership

3. The user experience can help determine the format you choose for distributing your eBook

4. eBooks can help you gather more information about your prospects

5. Balancing graphics and content will help make your eBook more reader friendly

Key Takeaways

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Salva O’Renick is an interactive content marketing agency focused on helping clients change the way they engage customers to drive business. Visit our website to learn more.

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