There really is no good place to begin. But, if I had to pick a spot, it would be the delivery of Joe Vitale's book on how to write an e-book. My coach, Strong Paulson bought a copy. I wouldn't have, but I'm glad Strong brought it to me.
The one piece that is missing from this book is marketing. And truthfully, we should be thinking about marketing from the start. In fact, instead of write-publish-market, this blog should be entitled market-market-market, but that doesn't sound quite right, does it?
It is though. From the beginning, you have to ask yourself four questions:
P - Do I have a passion for this subject?
L - Is there a lack of supply in the marketplace?
A - Do I have the ability to produce this work?
N - Is there a perceived need for this work?
Of these four elements, the last one is the most important - even if there is a need for your information, if people don't know they need it you're pushing a big rock up a big hill. You want to find a need that people already realize they have and then write a book that fills that need.
Don't guess - don't assume there is a need just because you think there is. You'll write a book on how to make your own soap at home and find that you can't sell a single copy. Even if people did need that information, if they don't know they need it they won't buy it.
So, your e-publishing career begins with finding a need. A realized need.
Unless, of course, you are writing for your own enjoyment. In which case, you start with writing, move to publishing and finally into marketing.
My daughter did this when she was five, and she now makes a bit of residual income every month off "The Broken Leg Book." So, you don't have to start with a marketing plan, you can just write for fun. But, if you need money, and if you need it fast, you can cut years off your learning curve if you learn to accurately and objectively assess the market first.
We'll start there with the next post, but for now, it's enough to just say, the best place to start is right here, right now, where you are with what you know.
