Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett
This is another in my series of articles that explain the Online Publishing Model and how small-time authors and/or self-publishers can use the OPM as a more lucrative alternative to the often archaic and dysfunctional traditional book publishing model. In short, using the OPM you'll make more book sales and you’ll net more profits, faster.
Typically, you will create your book/ebook in a source word processing program such as MS-Word or WordPerfect. Once you have converted it into PDF format you’ll be ready to start selling it via the three primary channels that make up the Online Publishing Model: 1. Sales-Mini-Sites, 2. Digital Download Distributors, 3. Print-On-Demand (POD) Distributors.
This article explains Channel 1, Sales-Mini-Sites, the first of three channels that make up the Online Publishing Model (OPM).
SALES-MINI-SITES - A MUST
Based on everything I've learned over the past number of years about online book publishing and marketing, there is only one way to effectively sell a product such as an ebook from a Web site. That is, from what I call a "sales-mini-site". In fact, the creation of a sales-mini-site is an absolute MUST if you are to be successful.
This Web site will normally be your primary book/ebook sales and distribution channel, out of the three channels in the Online Publishing Model. I REPEAT. You MUST have a dedicated sales-mini-site to sell your ebook effectively online.
SALES-MINI-SITES - DEFINED
A sales-mini-site is a dedicated Web site with a URL name (i.e. domain name) specific to the product being sold on that site. The entire purpose of that sales-mini-site is to provide specific information to visitors about the one product being sold there, with the ultimate objective being to convert a certain percentage of those visitors from "browsers" into "buyers" before they leave that site.
For typical examples of sales-mini-sites, you can look at any of my writing kit sites via my WritingHelpTools.com site.
I'm sure you'll see that each one of those sites has one purpose and one purpose only - to convince the targeted visitor to purchase the particular ebook being offered.
There are of course, literally thousands of sales-mini-sites just like those above, offering thousands of products across the Internet, one-product-at-a-time.
SALES-MINI-SITES ARE CHEAP AND EASY - REALLY!
Now that I've said you've got to have one, the good news is that creating and maintaining a sales-mini-site is not expensive, and they are not particularly difficult to set-up. Really!
For example, to host each of my sales-mini-sites costs me LESS THAN US $70 per year, per site. That's the equivalent of 2 to 3 ebook sales.
Here are the basic tasks involved in creating a sales-mini-site:
• write your sales copy
• create your Web site in HTML
• upload your completed site to a Web host company's server
• select a payment processor and set-up payment links
Don't worry; you DO NOT need to be a techie to get a sales-mini-site built for your book/ebook. These things are WAY easier to create than they look. You can do some of the work yourself if you like, or there are MANY ways to get free or inexpensive assistance.
There now exist dozens of powerful interface tools that allow non-techies to design and build their own Web sites by just pointing and clicking. You may not be aware of this, but thousands of total non-techies are running businesses these days from their own Web sites.
So, if you're serious about getting your book or ebook online, don't be scared off by the seeming "techiness" of creating a sales-mini-site. It really IS NOT AN ISSUE once you know where to look for help. And you won't need a lot of help. Trust me on this one folks!
Of course I can't cover all of the details here as to exactly what to do, and where to find the resources to develop a sales-mini-site, to the extent that my Instant Book Writing Kit ebook does. After all, it's a book and this is an introductory article! Just believe that it is possible!
I hope you're clear by now that a sales-mini-site will be your most important sales and distribution channel under the Online Publishing Model.
About the Author:
Shaun Fawcett is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His popular book that explains how to implement the Online Publishing Model can be found at: http://InstantBookWritingKit.com
Online Book Publishing: Sales-Mini-Sites Are Mandatory
