According to Pew Research, 28% of Americans read an e-book in 2013. Amazingly, almost half of readers under 30 (47%) read an e-book last year while 35% of people between the ages of 50-64 had read one. With those two demographics strongly on board, it’s clear e-books are catching up to print books.

With demand comes supply. Anyone can publish an e-book and more and more businesses are choosing to reach out to their customers using this format. If you haven’t considered using this tool in your marketing bag of tricks, you should. For advice on how to create and publish an e-book, I spoke with Robin Siegerman, bestselling author and 20-year veteran of the home design and renovation business.
Q: Robin, what made you decide to write an e-book?

A: My first book, Renovation Bootcamp®: Kitchen (Design and Remodel Your Kitchen Without Losing Your Wallet, Your Mind or Your Spouse) [available on Amazon Canada and USA] was a physical book that was subsequently turned into an e-book. It was published by a new breed of publisher called a hybrid publisher, which means you have a traditional publisher that does all the things they do for a traditionally published book, you have access to their experience and expertise, but the author shares the cost, unlike a self-published book, where you’re on your own.

Writing a book like mine, which is loaded with colour photos, charts, checklists, drawings and cartoons, means it’s extremely expensive to print and you can’t print on demand as you could with a book that has no artwork inside. So you have to print a large run to make the cost per unit affordable, resulting in warehousing and shipping issues.  So for my second book in the Renovation Bootcamp® series (Design and Remodel Your Bathroom Without Getting Hosed), I decided to go straight to the e-book format because first, it’s a fraction of the cost, and the e-book market is exploding, while the paper book market is languishing, and you can bring the book to market in about half the time.

Q: How has publishing an e-book helped your business?

A: Having a book is a great differentiator. And because mine is an Amazon best seller, it sets you apart from your competitors, it establishes credibility, and opens doors to other opportunities. It’s a great closing tool and other designers actually use my book to close their own deals with potential clients because the information in the book is everything that every designer repeats to their clients over and over, so it backs them up. So it helps me, helps other designers, and it helps consumers. Win, win, win.

Q: What makes a good e-book good?

A: First and foremost, the content has to be great. And just because it’s easier to be published on an electronic platform doesn’t mean you can skimp on editing. Nothing makes me delete an e-book faster than sloppy grammar, spelling mistakes, and poorly formulated and formatted content.  I think that’s an insult to the reader.  And I’m a real stickler for that kind of thing, so I know my books are professional, as I’ve been told by veterans in the book business, and they’re products I can be proud of.

Q: What are important elements to consider when writing an e-book?

A: HIRE A PROFESSIONAL BOOK EDITOR. It’s expensive and it’s worth it. Don’t get your mother to do it. You will do your reputation more harm than good if you put out a sloppy product.

Q: How do you intend to promote your e-book?

A: I’ll promote it the same way I promote my physical book: in-person appearances and speaking engagements, media interviews, social media, blogging (my own and others), a virtual book tour, and word-of-mouth marketing.

Q: How does a virtual book tour work?

A: A virtual book tour works by pre-arranging an “appearance” every day on a different blog devoted to books and reading. It can either be a pre-written interview, Q&A, or an article written by me, with draws and giveaways of physical and e-versions of the book.

Q: Would you recommend writing an e-book to other businesses?

A: It depends on the business and it depends on what they want it to do for them. If they want to get rich from writing a book, NO!  But if you see it as a tool to build your credibility and help people with information you truly, passionately believe they should have, then go for it. It’s not something that can be done in a weekend. And anyone who tells you it can is not talking about the kind of book that you can be proud of.  Don’t write a book unless you’re passionate about the subject and you are DESPERATE to educate people about your subject.  That fire will keep you going when you hit a productivity wall!

You can find Robin’s books at her site, renovationbootcamp.com.

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Posted by: Reni