₦airaland Forum

QUESTION #1: I want to start an online business, but it seems to me that all the good ideas are taken. No matter how I try to modify it, it still looks like something that someone has done before. I feel completely stuck. How can I generate a new but great idea that no one has come up with?

ANSWER
This is a common problem that comes up all the time. In order to deal with this problem, you need to realise the following:
1. People aren't necessarily looking for something new. They are looking for something that can help them solve their problem. So focus on finding a way to solve that problem better. Make sure it is something that is more efficient than the ones in existence.
2. You can be one step away from having a blog, product or service. All you need to do is to add something extra. That something extra can be as little as adding more details, pictures or giving it a personal touch.
3. Sometimes all that an existing idea needs is repackaging. More on this point later.

TO BE CONTINUED

Many people have been asking questions relating to online business, particularly on blogging, product or service development, marketing and sales. So I wanted to share some of these questions with you and answer these questions for your benefit. I'm sure that many of us will be able to relate with these questions (perhaps you've even had the same questions in mind but didn't have anyone who could help you with adequate answers) and learn a lot from the answers that i'll be giving you.
If you're in let me see you say "i'm ready" and starting from tomorrow i'll be sharing some questions and answering them for you. Take care and God bless.

Let's face it: in this information age writing eBooks has quickly turned into a very lucrative business. There are many people out there constantly looking up information on how they can acquire a particular skill or how to solve a particular problem. A good number of people have also gone into D.I.Y. (Do it yourself) so they search for eBooks on how they can do particular things by themselves. This is not restricted to self-help books alone but it also extends to fiction novels. Millions of people download novels and short stories on a daily basis. The availability of smartphones and tablets make the reading experience quite personal to the user.

So, yes, there is a large market out there for your eBooks!

I mentioned in my earlier post ( https://www.nairaland.com/2393980/career-writer-little-things-go ) that your eBook cover is one of the things that potential readers look at. And it is one of the things that can go a long way in ensuring that your eBook sells.

Yes, you got that right! Your eBook cover is a marketing tool that can ensure that your eBook gets sold.

Look at it this way: no one can really know what is in your eBook unless they buy it, right? Then one of the ways one can have an insight of what is in the book is from the book cover. Therefore, if your book cover is not appealing, then the possibility of the book being sold reduces greatly no matter how amazing the content of your eBook is.

Not convinced? Imagine you put up your eBook on the kindle store on Amazon. Your eBook cover will have to face so many other eBook covers. Your eBook cover will have to compete with millions of other covers. One of the things that will move someone who browses through the list of eBooks to pick yours is the eBook cover. This means that the "Don't judge a book by it's cover" rule does not apply in this instance. Online, the eBooks are ALWAYS judged by their covers.

So, yes, eBook covers are VERY important.

Do you have an eBook that needs a professional eBook cover? You can hire someone to do it - like me Indie Picasso (very affordable ) email me at indie.picasso@yahoo.com for more details.

Check this out and tell me what you think
[img]http:///a/img633/9499/wYtuaD.jpg[/img]

Procrastination is something that happens to almost everybody in almost every field - so writers are not alone in this one. There are several ways to keep writing without losing steam:

1. Take everything in workable chunks:
Writing everything in one go can be very overwhelming because of all the work involved in writing. When you are overwhelmed you procrastinate. The best way to deal with is to divide your work in to bits. Have an outline and do one item at a time. As you do so you gain momentum and before you know it you'll be through with the whole outline.

2. Set a reasonable goal:
Note the word "reasonable". Sometimes when setting goals we get tempted to do more than we can handle. Set a little goal, no matter how small or simple it may seem. When you work towards achieving each goal, you feel proud of yourself. You become more confident. You also feel eager to start the next one. This helps build momentum and you start enjoying what you are doing.

3. Have a timetable and try as much as you can to stick to it:
Set a regular time for you to write. It could be early in the morning before going to work or in the evening before you sleep. Make sure that you also include specific time for a 5-10 minute break. This is to help you recharge your mind and system so you won't lose interest in what you are doing. Note: if you fail to stick to the timetable, don't beat yourself over it. Instead challenge yourself that the next day you'll stick to it.So be patient and gentle with yourself.

4. Have an jotter next to you:
When you have a jotter next to you, it will always remind you to write. Try your best to right at least a paragraph during your free time. For example, you're in the office and you're a bit distracted from work. Take your jotter and write a paragraph. Make sure that you write everyday.

ShakurM:
yeah, so I heard about John. The publisher might find a book uninteresting therefore not profitable in the 'book market' whereas it might be

That's why I like self-publishing. When you publish it yourself, you let the people decide if the book is acceptable or not.

Chuksemi:
Writing is an essential for me. I can't do without it. Making money from it though might be a little too difficult, here in Nigeria.

I really believe that making money from selling books is possible anywhere, even in Nigeria. If you have excellent content that people WANT and if you back your book sales with serious marketing, then you'll see the rewards.

Genea:
how abt d inspiration to write

Inspiration can come from anywhere! Just look around you and keep an open mind. I get my inspiration from music, my experiences, people's life experiences, thought provoking questions and those everyday challenges that one may go through.

If you are planning to write a "How-to" book, then look for things that people WANT and not necessarily what you think they NEED. Be sensitive to what people want to learn these days. Good luck!

starlingslimnet:
Simplicity is what most writers miss thereby limiting their readers. Like chinua Achebe now; you can't read a paragraph without a dictionary. We writers are supposed to be simple in words usage and avoid superfluous information especially in descriptive writings.

If a write-up is making me consult the dictionary every minute, I get tired. I don't know if anyone has the patience and the time to go through the dictionary every minute in order to decode what the writer wants to say. Simplicity is the golden key.

Sitex:
make sure the foreword is written by some notable person in a field related to the subject of your research. This is like an endorsement.

Incorporate excerpts by literary critics in that field that are favorable to your work.

State your qualifications most preferably at the backpage, sometimes readers want to be certain they are not wasting their time on the senseless musings of an ignoramus

Great point! Thank you so much for the contribution.

HenryDion:
I love this post. Great info op. I love emphasizing more about diction. You know how to drop big words doesn't make you intelligent. Rather, it makes you robotic and boring. Sometimes, i love looking for words that's are easier to understand by an average person by using my Thesaurus Dictionary. It helps alot... 1000 likes for you op.

Thanks so much! Oh, yes a Thesaurus is very handy! I always keep mine close by

lulu69:
Loose ends not lose ends. (Carefully edit)

Thank you so much for pointing that out. I'll definitely edit it. God bless.

ShakurM:
- Never give up

Sounds common but vital

JK Rowling never had Harry potter published till she went to the 13th publishing house, the other 12 turned her down.

- look up to other writers

Well said! I also heard that John Grisham went through the same ordeal. I think he went to more than 20 publishers before he could have his first book published. I wonder why these publishers are being difficult.

Jarizod:
op is making maximum sense

Those rules have helped me to a reasonable extent

Thanks so much. Those rules are quite subtle but are paramount in order to have a great book that sells

Writing is a great way to let out your feelings and your thoughts about certain issues. Writing also can also be a fun way to while away time. When writing is done constructively, it can be a great tool to teach, enlighten and entertain people.

Being a writer is not an easy task. In fact, no job comes easy in this world. A good writer needs to go into intensive research in order to get their facts straight so as not to misinform or anger the readers.

If you are interested in going into writing and making it a job, then you have to ensure that your book has to be the type that your readers would love to read and greatly benefit from. For this you need to consider a couple of things:

1. You need to do your homework.
Research, research, research. That's one of the most important things you need to do. The more you read about the subject matter you want to write on, the easier it will be to write your book. This is because research constitutes the bulk of the work. Another thing is that you may never know when your book will be read by someone who knows a lot about the subject matter of your book. Remember, it is important to make yourself a credible writer. When you research well, then you'll write a great book. A great book will satisfy the readers and satisfied readers give you great reviews. Great reviews will then bring in more people to read your book and more readers will amount to increase in sales. It's a chain reaction, so don't underestimate the importance to research.

2. Be Simple
Simplicity can go a long way. There's no need to use big words. Just be simple. Let the information flow in a simple and coherent manner. Imagine your words flowing like water. There should be no obstructions, or in other words, the person reading should not have difficulty understanding you.

3. Carefully Edit
I used the word "carefully" because it takes a lot of patience and thorough reading to go through the whole manuscript, correct mistakes and tie up the lose ends. Watch out for grammatical errors, bad English and incorrect spellings. Believe me, it disrupts the flow of the reader. Remember, you have to satisfy the reader so that the reader will give you great reviews, and great reviews will bring you more readers and increased sales. If you don't have the patience to go through your work carefully, then employ the help of an editor.

4. Catch Your Reader's Attention
When you want to buy a book what do you do? In no particular order, you'd most likely do the following:
i) You check out the title:
The title is one of the things that can catch one's attention. The title should make someone curious and eager to find out what's inside. So take time to come up with a good title.
ii) Turn the book over to read the description at the back of the book:
A well-written description is an excellent tool in capturing and maintaining the one's curiosity. Let the description be simple and luring. Pet the reader's curiosity, increase it and the person will buy the book in no time.
iii) Have an attractive book cover:
This is a very important part of the book. Remember the saying "don't judge a book by it's cover"? When it comes to books, this particular rule does not hold. When it comes to book buying EVERYONE judges the book by it's cover. We are very visual. So when we see an attractive cover, we get moved to pick it up to have a closer look. A book cover must not only be attractive, it must be professional. So if you don't know much about graphic design, then please leave it to the experts. Don't jeopardize your book sales by designing or having a shabby book cover designed.

When you are writing, make sure you have the above points in mind so as to guarantee your book sales.
If you need someone to design your book covers, Indie Picasso is at your service. For more details send me an email to: indie.picasso@yahoo.com

Take care and happy writing