My Progress

[Neil Taylor]

Hi,

I wanted a place to write down the progress I'm making in business things alongside my degree. I finished TMF a few days ago (what a book), and have been jotting down various ideas, and I'm still looking for one to start executing on.

One thing I have taken action on is writing an ebook for amazon. I had this health issue a while ago (something I fixed myself over time) which is searched on google heavily. There are a ton of articles about it, but no books. I like writing, I'm good at it, and in a couple days I've written 1500 words.

I'll need to learn how to self-publish, get a couple people to read it through, then i'll put it on amazon and see how many people it helps!

I'm confident about the information inside it given it's something I've been through personally. One concern I have with it is that I'm not a qualified personal trainer or anything, so when I'm outlining exercises to do, that info is only based on knowledge I learned while fixing my issue. I'm not sure if the book needs to include a disclaimed so I don't get sued for someone who drops a barbell on their neck and gets paralysed. (Although we don't really do suing in England so I might be ok).

 

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[Neil Taylor]

Hi,

I wanted a place to write down the progress I'm making in business things alongside my degree. I finished TMF a few days ago (what a book), and have been jotting down various ideas, and I'm still looking for one to start executing on.

One thing I have taken action on is writing an ebook for amazon. I had this health issue a while ago (something I fixed myself over time) which is searched on google heavily. There are a ton of articles about it, but no books. I like writing, I'm good at it, and in a couple days I've written 1500 words.

I'll need to learn how to self-publish, get a couple people to read it through, then i'll put it on amazon and see how many people it helps!

I'm confident about the information inside it given it's something I've been through personally. One concern I have with it is that I'm not a qualified personal trainer or anything, so when I'm outlining exercises to do, that info is only based on knowledge I learned while fixing my issue. I'm not sure if the book needs to include a disclaimed so I don't get sued for someone who drops a barbell on their neck and gets paralysed. (Although we don't really do suing in England so I might be ok).

I've also been thinking about the price. I want to charge a good price for it in correlation with the value I feel is in the book. Although, maybe the actual value it gives to people will be less than I intended.. hopefully not.

 

[Philip Marlowe]

Welcome @Neil Taylor A good place to start would be to read literally every post by @ChickenHawk . Plenty of other posts if you use the search function - a lot have been written on your interest area.

On price, it's important to know how you're going to deliver your material. I've seen some people send a PDF (they keep most of the money but the material can be pirated), while others use Kindle and make 35 to 70% of the sale price.

You could probably research the topic of self-publishing for weeks online.

 

[Neil Taylor]

Thanks for the input @Philip Marlowe!

I've finally finished the book! All I need to do now is format it for Kindle and let it loose. I need to think about how I'm going to sell it. I'll likely do a Facebook post, Instagram post, Twitter post, and try to find some related forums to post it on. Not sure what I can do apart form that.

Even if it doesn't sell too well (which I hope it does because I think it can help a lot of people out), I've enjoyed the process and keen to get started with something else. I'm also excited that having finished the book, it has the potential to make money while I'm not doing anything. That's a little taste of the Fastlane I guess!

Edit: I've designed the cover myself, it is a little basic but I'm not sure it needs too much more.

 

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[Neil Taylor]

Thanks for the input @Philip Marlowe!

I've finally finished the book! All I need to do now is format it for Kindle and let it loose. I need to think about how I'm going to sell it. I'll likely do a Facebook post, Instagram post, Twitter post, and try to find some related forums to post it on. Not sure what I can do apart form that.

Even if it doesn't sell too well (which I hope it does because I think it can help a lot of people out), I've enjoyed the process and keen to get started with something else. I'm also excited that having finished the book, it has the potential to make money while I'm not doing anything. That's a little taste of the Fastlane I guess!

Edit: I've designed the cover myself, it is a little basic but I'm not sure it needs too much more.

[GALLERY=media, 85]Ebook by Neil Taylor posted Oct 16, 2017 at 11:54 PM[/GALLERY]

 

[MJ DeMarco]

[GALLERY=media, 85]Ebook by Neil Taylor posted Oct 16, 2017 at 11:54 PM[/GALLERY]

Please post your image in this thread, not in the MEDIA section.

 

[Neil Taylor]

Thanks MJ. Still getting used to the forum.

 

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[Neil Taylor]

So! I have returned, eBook all self-published! It took me a while to figure out, but the book has been live on Amazon for 6 days now.

3 of those days were the free promotion, I spammed reddit with FREE EBOOK, and the book was downloaded 17 times. In the 3 days since, I've had one sale and one 5 star review! When it came through, I was very happy. It doesn't seem to have got the ball rolling, however.

The book is really only to help people who have this specific posture problem (hyperlordosis), so I know it's not going to be a best seller. What I would like, however, is for it to be presented on google when people search the issue. I want people to google the problem, see my book, and since I think my book is one of if not the best resources for fixing hyperlordosis (APT), be able to buy it easily.

I tried a few google searches.

1. 'Hyperlordosis'. My book was nowhere to be seen.
2. 'Hyperlordosis book amazon'. Still nothing.
3. Even though no-one will search this: 'Hyperlordosis book amazon Neil Taylor'. Here, the fifth result was the Japanese Amazon site detailing my book?! Also, the first result was my amazon seller page with the book in the small font that nobody reads.
I've tried to look for a way to get it onto google's search, and it seems the only way is for the book to sell more and get more reviews.

I'm going to spend a little on the KDP advertising, and though I don't know if I'll make a profit for a while, it'll be interesting to see how much it helps, and to increase interaction. I also have two days left that I can do a free promo, so I'll do that at some point. I also want to get my book onto forums where people ask about this issue, but I don't think that's feasible since it'd be spamming.

Really enjoying the process, though.

 

[Deleted50669]

So! I have returned, eBook all self-published! It took me a while to figure out, but the book has been live on Amazon for 6 days now.

3 of those days were the free promotion, I spammed reddit with FREE EBOOK, and the book was downloaded 17 times. In the 3 days since, I've had one sale and one 5 star review! When it came through, I was very happy. It doesn't seem to have got the ball rolling, however.

The book is really only to help people who have this specific posture problem (hyperlordosis), so I know it's not going to be a best seller. What I would like, however, is for it to be presented on google when people search the issue. I want people to google the problem, see my book, and since I think my book is one of if not the best resources for fixing hyperlordosis (APT), be able to buy it easily.

I tried a few google searches.

1. 'Hyperlordosis'. My book was nowhere to be seen.
2. 'Hyperlordosis book amazon'. Still nothing.
3. Even though no-one will search this: 'Hyperlordosis book amazon Neil Taylor'. Here, the fifth result was the Japanese Amazon site detailing my book?! Also, the first result was my amazon seller page with the book in the small font that nobody reads.
I've tried to look for a way to get it onto google's search, and it seems the only way is for the book to sell more and get more reviews.

I'm going to spend a little on the KDP advertising, and though I don't know if I'll make a profit for a while, it'll be interesting to see how much it helps, and to increase interaction. I also have two days left that I can do a free promo, so I'll do that at some point. I also want to get my book onto forums where people ask about this issue, but I don't think that's feasible since it'd be spamming.

Really enjoying the process, though.

Neil, I visited the Amazon page for your book. Glad to see it's got a strong review!

One constructive comment would be to tighten up the "Look Inside" section. I buy many ebooks from Amazon, and I always use the Look Inside tool to get a sense of what I'm paying for. The content itself is great; clear, brief, and to the point. However, it seems there's room for improvement in how much you describe the benefits of the book, and why it's important to solve APT. Looking at some of the best-seller books out there, they have a large section dedicated to just that; what's the pain? why should I solve it? Here's an overview of how I solve it.

 

[C-Jay]

View attachment 16689
Thanks MJ. Still getting used to the forum.

Hey man,
I'm not a publisher by any means, but I am a frequent purchaser of books (both ebooks and standard books).

I really, respectfully, think you should invest $50 on a freelancer to design you a better cover. Book covers are huge in the ebook marketplace. I'm sure I've missed out on a few books full of great content by misjudging it based on cover, but whatever.

All I can see when I see covers that look like they were created with powerpoint is "lazy cover = lazy book" -the marketplace is far too saturated for ugly/boring covers these days.

You can have a new cover produced in under a week and for a bargain of a price. Hop on upwork or freelancer and start browsing.

 

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[Neil Taylor]

@404profound and @C-Jay thanks so much for your input, I've taken both your suggestions and done the best I can. I haven't had any sales since the first one, but the new book cover has only recently gone live so hopefully that'll make a difference. I'm still not sure where to go from here, I'm going to look at other business ventures and find an idea to get going on.

Also, the ad campaign has been running the whole time, I've had a few impressions but no clicks yet...

 

[Deleted50669]

@404profound and @C-Jay thanks so much for your input, I've taken both your suggestions and done the best I can. I haven't had any sales since the first one, but the new book cover has only recently gone live so hopefully that'll make a difference. I'm still not sure where to go from here, I'm going to look at other business ventures and find an idea to get going on.

Also, the ad campaign has been running the whole time, I've had a few impressions but no clicks yet...

Is it possible that a large part of your audience has APT but calls it "duck butt" or something else less scientific? I'd guess most people wouldn't know to search APT or hyperlordosis. The marketing has to match their level of competency on the topic. "Does your belt line tilt? You may have APT. Fix it." etc.

 

[Laughingman21]

I have no idea what 'Hyperlordosis' is or how many people it affects, but just a couple of quick thoughts from a marketing perspective.:

• Definitely get a new front page. I know the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" isn't supposed to be true, but when a cover is bad, it often is.
• Have you looked for groups on Facebook with people that suffer from 'Hyperlordosis' or similar. Could you mention your book on these or advertise on Facebook to these?
• Do you or your book have a website? No matter how basic, it adds some credibility to you and your book if people find out about you and your experience.
• Are there any online "personalities" or influencers that have talked about 'Hyperlordosis' that you could send a copy of your book to? They may give it a review and link through to its listing on Amazon.

 

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[Neil Taylor]

Is it possible that a large part of your audience has APT but calls it "duck butt" or something else less scientific? I'd guess most people wouldn't know to search APT or hyperlordosis. The marketing has to match their level of competency on the topic. "Does your belt line tilt? You may have APT. Fix it." etc.

That's possible. I think most people google search it and after reading two sentences of an article, have come across the terms hyperlordosis or APT. However, there will be people who don't get that far- I think the first thing I ever searched was 'my belly sticks out'. I'm just not sure how to cater to that marketing wise... I'll put it in the amazon ad.

I have no idea what 'Hyperlordosis' is or how many people it affects, but just a couple of quick thoughts from a marketing perspective.:

• Definitely get a new front page. I know the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" isn't supposed to be true, but when a cover is bad, it often is.
• Have you looked for groups on Facebook with people that suffer from 'Hyperlordosis' or similar. Could you mention your book on these or advertise on Facebook to these?
• Do you or your book have a website? No matter how basic, it adds some credibility to you and your book if people find out about you and your experience.
• Are there any online "personalities" or influencers that have talked about 'Hyperlordosis' that you could send a copy of your book to? They may give it a review and link through to its listing on Amazon.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've a new front cover now. I've searched on Facebook, all there seems to be is posts from personal trainers/chiropractors promoting their services. Maybe I should start a Facebook group for the book/for the condition, though I have doubts that anyone is actually searching it on Facebook. Google is where I want to be shown. I'll make a website for the book I think and see if that can help the google impressions.

I've searched it on youtube and there's actually a video about it with 8.3 million views and tons of comments talking about how they have the problem. I've posted a comment with my book, I'm not sure if that's good practice or whether I should contact the guy who made the video to see if that's okay. I'll keep looking around youtube and forums for similar stuff.

Big news also today, Ive had a second sale! Hopefully I'll get another good review and that the cover has made the difference for that buyer.

 

[Neil Taylor]

I've contacted the guys with the top videos on youtube that talk about APT. The only thing is I don't have too much cash to spare to get a spot on their video description or a comment, but I've sent them all great emails thanking them for what they do and talking about helping people with my book, and only put it on there if you like the book kind of thing.

Anyway, I need to get going on another business venture, so I'll get back into the fold on that one. I've been slacking on this recently. Time to weigh up options and then execute on the best one.

 

[Neil Taylor]

So I've been busy with college but I've been thinking about needs along with different strengths I have and I've had a few ideas.

1. Do YouTube videos.

I think I'd be pretty well suited for this and it would let me explore a few different things. Firstly, I remember this summer just gone my friends and I were on Miami beach. I was the only one who had the balls to go up and talk to this girl, and when I eventually came back, they'd all been watching and my friends said that I should be one of those youtube guys who does it for videos. I think there's always a need for entertaining guys on youtube doing this sort of stuff.

It'd also be a place where I could promote the music I write, and any writing I do. From a business POV, it might be good to build up a following on there. And then sell t-shirts or whatever too. I also have in mind somewhere down the line to do a sort of self help subscription based thing.

2. I had a couple of ideas for products that I think would be an ok idea but they're all things which would require design and engineering and manufacture for which I have not the funds. Especially these ideas. The ideas were:

a) A Tennis ball cleaner. My friends and I are finding that tennis balls are getting dirty very quickly esp on the outdoor courts we use. There isn't much info on the web except that you put them in the washing machine. But it could be cool to have something that just does tennis balls- you might not want to put on a washing load just for a few tennis balls, but if you had a brightly coloured, specific-to-tennis-balls cleaner that works fast and gives you clean tennis balls, then it could be good. Would also save money for the people that would just then buy new tennis balls even when the dirty ones have a lot of bounce left in them.

b) Electric fretboard cleaner. Cleaning your guitar's fretboard can be a bit of a hassle. But if there were some cleaning machine you could just attach to your guitar neck, it would make life easier. This would be very hard to design/engineer/manufacture to fit all guitars, (I would imagine) so I doubt I could do this one.

Anyway, I hate this feeling of thinking about ideas and not executing on them. Any ideas on all this would be appreciated.

 

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