How To Use Public Domain Files Intelligently Part 3
One of my favorite ways to use public domain info is to compile
and publish it as an ebook.
All the content is already written. Simply take the sections you
want and produce an ebook. Or two!
You can sell the ebook. Or give it away free.
The key is to re-package it to meet a specific need or to solve
a problem that people have. Then you have an ebook that people
want! The key is to have an understanding of what your public
domain content is all about.
It costs nothing or very little to create an ebook unlike
producing something in print format. You know, people love
ebooks because they're convenient and they're instantly
downloadable.
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the title of the ebook
you're going to make. Let me just say that the title of your
ebook will make or break it. And ebooks can contain useful and
valuable information on tips and solutions to problems.
Which of these ebook titles would appeal to parents of a
difficult toddler?
"Your Toddler" or "Handling Your Toddler's Tantrums".
Obvious, isn't it? Presumably, a toddler's temper tantrums are a
parent's biggest worry (and fear). They're probably at a loss on
how to deal with that. If your ebook can help, then say so.
Right in the title! Think of the biggest benefit that your
customer will get from reading your ebook. Or ask yourself "what
is the biggest problem my ebook solves for the reader". Then use
that benefit in your title. This niche about 'tantrums' may be
just one chapter in your entire public domain file but do you
see how you can re-package it to something that can be very much
in demand by your target customers i.e. parent's of toddlers.
You provide information they need. And that can be a very
profitable venture.
Once you decide the angle you want to take, divide your content
into chapters with relevant headings.
What format should your ebook be? Most ebooks are in either PDF
format or exe format. PDF is usually preferable. One advantage
is that it can be read by both Windows PC as well as Macs. You
need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or read a PDF format ebook.
How to create a PDF file? First copy your text into a Word or a
html file. There are plenty of services online that charge over
$100 to convert your file into PDF. But I'm going to show you a
software you can download for free and create all the PDF ebooks
you want for free. But first....
What to do with your new ebook? Well, you can sell it. If you
have a website, like we discussed in Part 2 of this series, you
can promote your ebook right there. You can use Paypal so
customers can pay you before they download your ebook. Your
ebook should, of course be related to the theme of your website.
If your website is about toddlers, you don't want an ebook about
dating there. Duh!
If you use Clickbank as your payment processor to sell your
ebook, you have the added advantage of recruiting affiliates to
sell your ebook for a commission. Remember, in part 2, I
suggested how you could look for an ebook on Clickbank to sell
on your site? Well, now others will be signing up as YOUR
affiliates to sell YOUR ebook for a commission. You get to
decide how much commission you will give and everything - sales,
payments, downloads, commissions - are handled by Clickbank.
This is an effective way to sell more of your products and
faster too. However there is a signup fee of $49 to use
Clickbank. If you're not comfortable investing this amount, you
can still use Paypal.
Remember, it's your ebook, so you can sell your ebook at any
price you want, royalty-free, and you get to keep all the
profits. You can even sell it on eBay if you like.
You can even give away your ebook for free if you like. Why do
this? When you allow people to download your ebook for free and
allow them to pass it along to others, you're creating a viral
ebook. As people keep passing it on and then those people pass
it on to others, you'll have a product that will be distributed
widely. And remember, if your ebook contains your links, your
website URL (where you sell a more complete ebook), and your
affiliate links that earn you commissions, you will be making
from that free ebook for months and even years to come.