Writing/Marketing tip
The Secret to
Turning Your Knowledge into
Cash
by Diane Eble
Do
you dream of making a really good living from what you know and
love to do?
It is possible (assuming you
possess knowledge that other people are willing to pay
for).
Would you like to
know THE secret to turning your knowledge into
cash?
"Repurpose" or
repackage your content into different formats.
It's as simple as
that.
Most people think
of conveying what they know by writing a book. Nothing wrong
with that. It's still the best way to establish your
expertise. After all, books have a centuries-long history as
THE way to establish credibility. The media still look to
authors as experts.
However, that
same venerable history is also the reason why authors can't
generally make a living from their books alone. (Unless you
happen to be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen
King.)
The Economics
of Book Publishing
A book has a
perceived value of between $5 (or less, given amazon.com
where books can be bought for a penny) and $29.95,
tops.
Of that,
bookstores get a 45 % discount, which means the publisher
generally pays the author only what they "net" from their
sales. And the author may get 10 % of that in royalties.
That $24.95 book may net the author only $1.37 per book in
royalties, after they pay their agent the 15 percent of the
author's 10 percent.
A self-published
author may make more per book, but still has to factor in
the costs of production, distribution, paying a designer,
editor, proofreader, etc.
Where the Gold
Is
The content of
the book is the real gold, not the book itself. If you want
to/need to make a good living from what you know, you need
to find other ways to package your knowledge in
higher-priced, good profit-margin products.
(We're talking
nonfiction here. The best way to make a good living at
writing fiction is to be very prolific in a genre that is
very popular. Fiction is much less predictable than
nonfiction, in terms of what you can expect to make as an
author. It's also less adaptable to other methods of
packaging.)
The same
knowledge that can go in a book that sells for $14.95 (and
nets you 82 cents per book) can also be adapted to a
home-study, multi-media course that sells for
$495.
Lest this seem
too mercenary to you, consider this: Not everyone learns
best from reading a book. Some people learn through
listening; teleseminars or audio products serve them better.
Some people like to attend live events. Some people prefer
the step-by-step approach of a home study course in a
multi-media format. Others are more visually oriented and
learn best through visual elements; video works well for
them. Still others are online all the time and would
appreciate an email course.
When you package
your content in a number of different formats, you actually
make it possible for more people to receive your information
in ways that work best for them. You serve their needs
better, even as you yourself earn more money from selling
higher-ticket items with better profit margins. People are
happy to pay for what they want and need.
How to Choose
Your Medium
When you think of
different ways to repackage your material, I encourage you
to stick with your natural strengths.
Do you like to
write? Consider writing articles, Special Reports, ebooks,
print books (of course), ecourses, blogs,
newsletters.
Do you like to
perform? Consider public speaking, giving workshops and
seminars, video courses.
Do you enjoy
talking? Why not do podcasts, teleseminars, public speaking
(if you also like to get in front of people—not all talkers
enjoy this), Virtual Book/Product Tours, audio
postcards.
Or perhaps you
especially enjoy interacting with people. Coaching, whether
group or individual, being on other people's teleseminars,
interviewing people on your own teleseminars, social
networking online can be ways of establishing your expertise
and conveying your information in ways you can
monetize.
What to Do
Next
If these ideas
get your imagination going, I suggest you tune in to the "Ask
Your Book Publishing Coach" teleseminar I did with Jeff
Herring "the Internet Article Guy," about how he has
repurposed content to sell more—starting with articles.
I also shared my own thoughts about ways to repurpose
content.
If you have a
question about how to repurpose your knowledge to sell more,
feel free to ask your question now.
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