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If you're not confident about your writing skills, you can always hire a writer to write the contents of your eBook. Obviously, you will need to pay the writer for his services. It is advisable that you somehow convince the writer to take a percentage of your sales, just like the royalties that authors get when they get a book published by print publishers, however he'll still want some up front money. There are books out there on how to hire freelance writers -- including standard contracts so that you won't get ripped off. If you decide that you want to use a professional writer to do the writing (and that may be an excellent idea), then go to your local library and research the details on hiring freelance writers. Don’t forget to thoroughly research before making any sort of commitment.
However, you may not have to go through all of that hassle. There are hundreds of ebook sellers who are offering commissions of 50% or more if you refer a buyer to their websites. No, you don't have to go hunting throughout the web to look for them. Many of them have signed up with one particular company to handle their signups and commissions.
You are likely to get phenomenal results if you hire a pro to do it right.
Many business owners and marketing professionals have legitimate apprehension about letting an outsider develop their content. After all - it's your business, you know it best, and your image is critical. However, you're wrapped up in your business every day. A good writer can see your business in a new light, draw out the key benefits of your products and services, and communicate that excitement to your clients and prospects.
Working with a writer isn't a complex ordeal; however it will benefit you greatly to become familiar with how the relationship typically works and ways to help the process move along smoothly. The following are some of the tips on how to choose and work with a writer:
1. Understand your project.
A crucial factor in streamlining the writing process is determining the principal points you need to communicate - before you bring in a writer. Who is your target audience? What is your message? What is unique about your company? In what type of tone do you want to speak to your reader? What type of response do you ideally want the reader to make? Having this information agreed upon before you get a writer involved will save you unnecessary copy revisions and keep your costs down.
2. Work out a rational agenda.
Yes, you've heard this all your life, but haste makes waste. Avoid hastily hiring a writer and dumping a rush job on her. Not only will you not have time to thoroughly check her experience and references, but, no matter how wonderfully talented she is, her first drafts will not be "fully cooked." This is because most writers need time to let words and ideas simmer.
Most writers will request a few weeks to develop your copy, so set a realistic schedule to give the creative process ample time. Count on going through one or two revisions as your writer refines the piece's angle and conveys the key benefits of what you're promoting.
3. Don’t look for only ‘experienced’ writers-expand your choices.
"So you've never written for a _______ company before?" I've heard many prospects say. Don't worry. A writer's ability to write well for the medium is more important than her having prior experience in your industry.
Make sure that your writer is fully aware of what you expect, don’t expect that the writer will read your mind and deliver just what you need. Also, don’t underestimate them, just because they don’t have any experience in the kind of field you require, that does not mean that they will not be able to write on it. As a side point, a lot of writers are true generalists and write just as well for an edgy new media start-up as they do for a giant hospital network. They're very skillful at diving into your business, learning it inside and out, and churning out great prose to entice your target market. Now of course, if you're creating a technically oriented business-to-business EBook or marketing piece, you may want to hire a writer with experience in both your project's medium and your industry.
4. Ask for references, and contact them.
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