Should you write an ebook

We’ve been getting lots of questions about eBooks so we decided to dedicate our first Public Words newsletter to the topic.

Many authors ask us whether they should write and publish their own eBooks. In this post on Forbes, Nick explains some of the current e-options that have sprung up around traditional publishing and self-publishing.

Some recent eBook examples

We recently worked with client Glenn Llopis to craft two eBooks: one on the role of Hispanics in the workplace and one on how to create your own personal employee brand.

You can download them here and use them as models to jump-start your own thinking. As Glenn says, “These eBooks have been tremendously important for us to move the conversation forward on topics that we care about, and to build awareness of our presence in the marketplace.”

The books have helped Glenn gain national attention. You can follow this success story in Glenn’s press room to view his resulting prime-time media slots.

A new generation of publishers

For the past year we’ve been working with a new venture, New Word City, which selects, edits, formats and publishes eBooks for sale on Amazon and iTunes. They sell the books for about the cost of a cup of (Starbucks) coffee, and it remains to be seen whether the experiment will work. Will people be willing to pay for eBooks, or will they expect to get them for free? Will the value that New Word City adds – quality control and selection – be enough? The early signs are promising, but stay tuned to see whether this hybrid of traditional editing and modern electronic delivery will succeed.

The New Word City folks are great to work with, smart, fast-moving, and eager to try new things. If you’re thinking of publishing an eBook and you want the distribution and attention that ‘real’ publishing brings, give them a look.

So you want to write an eBook? 30 tips for success

If you’re inspired to write an eBook of your own, don’t miss David Meerman’s Scott’s great advice in this blog post.

Want to inject new energy into your traditional printed book sales?

Consider creating your own audio excerpts. Publishers typically own the rights to audio book production, and yet they are often reluctant to fund the creation of an audio book (CD or download) once the book has been on the market for more than 6 months. So instead, create a series of podcasts based on your book. I did exactly that with my 2005 book, Give Your Speech, Change the World, and experienced a significant spike in book sales for the month that the series ran on my blog. Even better, though, was the enthusiastic feedback from listeners who appreciated the different way to get the content.