Book Review: How To Market And Sell Your eBook Part 1

I introduced you to this ebook and its author in this post. Be sure to read that post if you haven't already, then jump back here for part 1 of this book. You won't want to miss it!

Have you ever considered writing a book?

I know I have. I mean, what girl doesn't at some point of her life? Especially after watching a couple of hours of Anne of Avonlea. Gets me every time. The dream of becoming a writer is very real, but the complications of actually doing so often stop us from trying.

The recent popularity of eBooks has changed that for a lot of budding authors. Getting a book out in cyberspace is significantly easier than getting it on the shelf of a Barnes & Nobles. Our secret dream of becoming a writer may actually have a chance at fruition....but where to start? And what should I expect?

Sarah Mae's book, "How To Market And Sell Your eBook" answers those questions for us, and many more. Today I'd like to share my thoughts from the forward and part 1 of this book.

The book starts with a forward by Mac Collier, founder of #Blogchat, a quick FAQ for those wondering if its "worth it," and Sarah Mae's own story about her first ebook, "31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way." Just reading Sarah's story is inspiring. Makes me want to get writing immediately. Her book started out as just a series of blog posts, but when she realized how much this topic was being soaked up by her readers, she pulled it off her blog and turned it into an ebook. Using social media, Sarah and her readers quickly raised publicity, and in the first two months of her book being published, Sarah sold over 11,000 copies.

"How To Market and Sell Your eBook" discusses and lays this all out for us, but hang on. We aren't to that part yet.

Part 1 talks about the popularity of ebooks today, and the "Million Dollar Woman" that made it work for her. I don't want to give that story away, but it is fascinating! I didn't realize before that with so little effort, you can easily make money and accomplish your goal of self-publishing. You just need to take the time to write it, and have a vision for the possibilities that are out there. Don't sell yourself short! As Sarah Mae puts it, "The eBook field is wide open for your content. What are you going to do about it?"

I'd be the first one to admit that ebooks don't have the "romance" of an authentic, hardcover book. I've been a bit leery of ebooks and Kindles and those things that (to me) threatened to do away with that great smell of paper and ink. For me, opening up a new book is just as exciting as opening the seal on a new can of coffee grounds. You know what I mean. On a rainy day, I just couldn't picture curling up with a good Kindle. Are they going to serve me virtual cups of coffee to go with it??

Its true that ebooks can not take the place of real books, but I don't think they will try to. I do think that ebooks are a good, cheap way to get information we need, without breaking the bank. If I want to read a book that I'm not really sure I'll like, I'd much rather only pay a few dollars for it. And if I want information on how to produce my own ebook, I'd like to read that information from an ebook, written by an author that has done it with success. Seems to make sense to me.

You can read more about Sarah Mae and her eBooks at her blog, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee. Stay tuned, part 2 of this review coming soon!