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And now? what do I do with this?

by Sandra Martinez
22 replies
Here is the story... I have a little community in a little niche, and we are a happy family. It is not for profit, not monetary profit at least.

Around last January, one of the members asked what we thought about the 2012 thing and I had no idea of what she was talking about.

So I went for a quick ride to be able to answer.

over 6 months, many books, ebooks, scientific papers, forum discussions and videos later I have my answer in the form of an ebook.

Three main things arose from this,

- this time I would like some compensation for it as it didn´t just wrote itself like it usually happens, and it was tough to go through some of the truths that uncovered.

- the ebook is not exactly good for my niche, it is actually too emotionally challenging for most of them. But it does work for a broader market.

- I feel I need to market it, and spread the word as much as I can.

I know how I want to charge for it already...

a free download, read first pay later system, with a paypal link on second page, together with copyright, etc. And it is dirt cheap so there are no excuses.

but... should it still be tied up to my community? setup a different site for it? How do I market this?

Thanks for any help,
Sandra
#2012 #ebook #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author Honest SEO
    Put some part of your books on google books . Google will index the whole text of your book so it will get traffic. and if visitors want to read whole book then they must buy either on amazon or through paypal .

    try it .

    otherwise its really hard to promote books without paid advertising .
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  • Profile picture of the author Kul
    Publishing it through Kindle could be a good option.

    If I were in your position, I would create a new site for this product. This would give me the flexibility to promote it to my community in a less 'in your face' manner and at the same time have it as an independent asset that could be sold down the line.
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  • Profile picture of the author webgranth
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Honest SEO View Post

      Put some part of your books on google books . Google will index the whole text of your book so it will get traffic. and if visitors want to read whole book then they must buy either on amazon or through paypal .

      try it .

      otherwise its really hard to promote books without paid advertising .
      I will put it on google. Thanks!! I have no issues putting it all there, the way it is setup now is free download, and it CAN be given away. I was counting with the viral effect of it. But I don´t think my community want to touch this.

      Originally Posted by Kul View Post

      Publishing it through Kindle could be a good option.

      If I were in your position, I would create a new site for this product. This would give me the flexibility to promote it to my community in a less 'in your face' manner and at the same time have it as an independent asset that could be sold down the line.
      I will grab the domain and setup right away. ypu are right, it is better. Last night I posted it on the community and the vibes where not good.

      Originally Posted by webgranth View Post

      For thin you can refer Google.
      thanks!!

      Thanks sooooo much for all the help. I have something to start with now.

      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    You would not be the first to market, all these titles are sold through clickbank, the home of self published works, unencumbered by editorial review, where affiliates typically get a 50% for bringing in buyers:

    (No aff links, zzzzz hops straight from the marketplace)

    2012 - The Project Enoch Danger

    Apocalypse 2012 Survival Books

    Countdown to 2012 and Beyond

    2012 Official Countdown To December 21, 2012

    2012 Enlightened: The Most Important Book Of Our Times

    "2012 How To" - Unique 2012 Preparation Guide, $27 Per Sale!

    2012 Exposed! Where will You be when history repeats itself?

    The 2012 Companion: A Creative Guide to Personal and Planetary Change

    Profecias 2012 - La Profecia Prohibida

    There are pages more listed...some of these titles have zero sales since the excitement from the movie has died down.
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    “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field” Niels Bohr

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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

    Around last January, one of the members asked what we thought about the 2012 thing and I had no idea of what she was talking about.

    So I went for a quick ride to be able to answer.

    over 6 months, many books, ebooks, scientific papers, forum discussions and videos later I have my answer in the form of an ebook.

    Be careful here...

    Obsession makes some people rich and others very poor... :p


    Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

    - I feel I need to market it, and spread the word as much as I can.

    If you feel you need to market it to compensate yourself for the time invested, then I am with you 100%...

    If you feel you need to market it to "save us from the future", then I will point my finger at you and snicker behind your back... :p
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      Be careful here...

      Obsession makes some people rich and others very poor... :p
      I have been obssessive all my life... learned to live with it and even function...

      rich or poor... it all depends on the variable you choose, isn´t it? :p

      Originally Posted by tpw View Post


      If you feel you need to market it to compensate yourself for the time invested, then I am with you 100%...

      If you feel you need to market it to "save us from the future", then I will point my finger at you and snicker behind your back... :p
      it is to compensate myself, actually. It was beyond crappy many of the things I found out.

      and to spread the word so others can take informed decisions...

      "save others?" I have no the saviour type and actually run away from them. My answer when someone asks for help is always the same: follow you gut. This ebook is no different.
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  • Profile picture of the author Terry Hatfield
    I would come up with a good excuse why the world isn't going to end in 2012 but most likely 2013 or 2014. That way you will get much more time to make sales and will stand out from everyone claiming 2012 is the end.

    Just play with the math on the Mayan calender and you could keep readjusting the date every couple of years.

    Unless of course the world really does end in 2012. From my understanding it isn't going to be an apocalypse but an evolution to a higher state of consciousness for mankind. But I guess what is going to make us evolve is mass suffering through war, famine and natural disasters.

    I know anyone who buys the book I would send them upsells for survival stuff like dehydrated fruits and food, survival training and even precious metals. Big opportunity once they are in your sales funnel that is unless the world really does end in 2012.
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by Terry Hatfield View Post

      I know anyone who buys the book I would send them upsells for survival stuff like dehydrated fruits and food, survival training and even precious metals. Big opportunity once they are in your sales funnel that is unless the world really does end in 2012.

      If anyone survives, it really isn't the "end of the world", is it?
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      Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
      Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Terry Hatfield View Post

      I would come up with a good excuse why the world isn't going to end in 2012 but most likely 2013 or 2014. That way you will get much more time to make sales and will stand out from everyone claiming 2012 is the end.

      Just play with the math on the Mayan calender and you could keep readjusting the date every couple of years.

      Unless of course the world really does end in 2012. From my understanding it isn't going to be an apocalypse but an evolution to a higher state of consciousness for mankind. But I guess what is going to make us evolve is mass suffering through war, famine and natural disasters.

      I know anyone who buys the book I would send them upsells for survival stuff like dehydrated fruits and food, survival training and even precious metals. Big opportunity once they are in your sales funnel that is unless the world really does end in 2012.
      Thanks Terry,

      the world is deffinitely not going to end. What I found after the research is that there are 4 possible outcomes, and which one will come will depend on the "state of mind" of the collective. And there are also individual timelines, no matter what the collective chooses. And this is why I want to market this.

      with sqr(1% of the population) projecting together, which is around 100,000; any desired outcome can be condensed into reality.

      and a vital point from the decision making standpoint is 11/11/11 - or arount it. As this year fall started on Sept 23 instead of 21...

      I can´t say more, as it goes out of marketing... and the admins will kick this out or shut it down with all reason.

      Thanks for the ideas!!

      Sandra
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    • Profile picture of the author czilbersher
      Originally Posted by Terry Hatfield View Post

      From my understanding it isn't going to be an apocalypse but an evolution to a higher state of consciousness for mankind.
      So, you mean that all the autoblogs and no-value, repurposed content sites will be taken down and removed from the Internet? Awesome!
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  • Profile picture of the author Carol_A
    Sandra,

    Have you researched to see what you can expect as far as people following through on payment AFTER they read it and decide its value?

    Interesting way to monetize it...reminds me of the opportunity I have to donate to the creators of certain free plug ins I like.

    Have a great day.
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    Carol Amato
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Carol_A View Post

      Sandra,

      Have you researched to see what you can expect as far as people following through on payment AFTER they read it and decide its value?

      Interesting way to monetize it...reminds me of the opportunity I have to donate to the creators of certain free plug ins I like.

      Have a great day.
      Hi Carol,

      no, I haven´t yet. I will have stats once I finish setting up the site, and promote it. On its way now. I will have it setup in a couple of hours. Found a domain, not the one I wanted... but, will have to do.

      I already took the banners out of my community. It feels better.

      I have never seen anyone using this method before.

      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author Kul
    It's a decent template you've got on the website.

    However, I found myself distracted by the sidebar on the home page. If possible, set the page template to exclude the sidebar. Or if the theme allows shifting the sidebar contents to the bottom of the page, that could work too.

    Also, while the ebook can be read without paying upfront, you might want to add some compelling reasons for people to actually read it. I've noticed (with myself too) that if something is available for free, it can create the feeling of 'I'll come back to this later.'

    You could mention something along the lines that the current model of 'read now, pay later' is an experimental one and could be replaced by the traditional 'pay now, read later' in due time. This would give people an incentive to read the book, at least part of it, right away.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Kul View Post

      It's a decent template you've got on the website.

      However, I found myself distracted by the sidebar on the home page. If possible, set the page template to exclude the sidebar. Or if the theme allows shifting the sidebar contents to the bottom of the page, that could work too.

      Also, while the ebook can be read without paying upfront, you might want to add some compelling reasons for people to actually read it. I've noticed (with myself too) that if something is available for free, it can create the feeling of 'I'll come back to this later.'

      You could mention something along the lines that the current model of 'read now, pay later' is an experimental one and could be replaced by the traditional 'pay now, read later' in due time. This would give people an incentive to read the book, at least part of it, right away.
      I did find a minisite template for WP, but I liked this one better. Might have to mess up with the php? Let´s see if I manage to make it happen - maybe will just create an html page for the front and the blog behind. I am more of a joomla girl, there is more control over what show on what page. I did notice the leaking points, what I did do was to make sure to create a funnel that goes back to the same place, that is both pages mention the ebook one way or another.

      About the scarcity element... I think you are right. Will add something like it, or maybe really change it altogether. The main feelings I am picking up are confusion (which is a deal breaker and gives that need to leave) and fear of opening it because it feels like some sort of moral trap. Never imagined that would be the emotional reaction.

      I guess breaking someone ´s sense of order has unforeseen consequences...

      Thanks for all the help!!

      Sandra
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      • Profile picture of the author Kul
        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        I did find a minisite template for WP, but I liked this one better. Might have to mess up with the php? Let´s see if I manage to make it happen - maybe will just create an html page for the front and the blog behind. I am more of a joomla girl, there is more control over what show on what page.
        I'm guessing that the main page is a 'page' and not a 'post' in wordpress.

        If this is the case, then while editing the page, there should be a block of 'Page Attributes'. In this block, you can select a template to be applied to the page. Most templates allow you to choose the template 'without sidebar'. If your template allows this, you won't have to mess with the php.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
          Originally Posted by Kul View Post

          I'm guessing that the main page is a 'page' and not a 'post' in wordpress.

          If this is the case, then while editing the page, there should be a block of 'Page Attributes'. In this block, you can select a template to be applied to the page. Most templates allow you to choose the template 'without sidebar'. If your template allows this, you won't have to mess with the php.
          it does have it, but it is not functional. Have been looking around in the editor and it calls the posts template instead of the pages template, and there is no page template. This is a light version of a premium template. The premium version does have all the toys.

          It´s ok, with the hint you gave me I have where to look. Will find a way (or another template).

          Thanks!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Kul View Post

      It's a decent template you've got on the website.

      However, I found myself distracted by the sidebar on the home page. If possible, set the page template to exclude the sidebar. Or if the theme allows shifting the sidebar contents to the bottom of the page, that could work too.

      Also, while the ebook can be read without paying upfront, you might want to add some compelling reasons for people to actually read it. I've noticed (with myself too) that if something is available for free, it can create the feeling of 'I'll come back to this later.'

      You could mention something along the lines that the current model of 'read now, pay later' is an experimental one and could be replaced by the traditional 'pay now, read later' in due time. This would give people an incentive to read the book, at least part of it, right away.
      ok, changes done. And found a template I could tweak. It is taking shape now.

      I have this next week busy. But will come back to this and report after. I´m planning on doing a blog commenting campaign. It gives results for stuff like this.

      So far there are, 54 unique visitors, 41 hits of the download page and 2 downloads. Many might come from here, should have to find the way to take them out.

      btw, today and Oct 10 are days to think only on what we want as well. They are 11-11-11-11 days.
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