Jun
Hopelessly Unvisionary Author Claims It Is Impossible to Earn a Six-Figure Income on One $47 eBook
Brand Carolyn Lee Boyd a fool, but the New England author adamantly refuses to charge anything for the download of her new ebook, citing reasons of both practicality and uncontrollable uppity integrity. Real News sat down with this frankly stubborn and “slightly” bizarre woman and had the following totally unbelievable conversation:
Q: Carolyn, you are offering your novel as a free download. Why not charge something, ideally ending in the number 7, for it?
A: Well, I can look at my market in one of two ways. First, I can assume that out of the 6 billion people on earth, at LEAST 100,000 (or 1 out of 60,000, I mean, 1 out of 60,000) are chomping at the bit to read my book. At least 30,000 of them will be on the Internet and immediately find my site because there is nothing to stop them as I registered with all the major search engines. Then, they will each happily plunk down, say, $47 for the book, making me $1,400,000.
Or, I can think of it this way: my site is one of more than 100 million on the web, so that the chances of anyone both finding the site and wanting to pay $47, or about four times what a novel costs in a bookstore, for my book are slim. Maybe five will actually buy it, which would make me $235. It will cost me, say, $1000 to pay a virtual assistant to set up the snazzy site and shopping cart system and $100 a month to maintain it, so, after a year I am out about $2000. Oh wait, it will cost another $100 for my accountant to do a schedule C to report the $235, so that’s $2100 I’ve lost. So, my VA, God bless her/him, and my accountant will make money off this charging-for-my-ebook-business while I lose money. Being unrelentingly realistic, I tend to think the latter is more likely. Plus, I don’t need the money.
Q: That’s right. Unlike most Internet marketers, you have a salaried job. Don’t you go around helping old people or something?
A: Yes, I run an agency which assists elderly people to stay safely and independently in their homes. Last month I tried desperately to take a job that would have halved my salary, putting me at just about subsistence level, and in which I could tackle global human rights issues. But, they didn’t want me, so I am still stuck firmly in the middle-class, gosh darn it.
Q: Whatever floats your boat. And the novel – which is called Temple of the Subway Goddess – there’s some kind of woo-woo premise to this book?
A: It is about everyone valuing the sacred within themselves and each other. At the end, the two main characters find happiness by giving up their professional jobs to help build this community temple in a ravaged urban neighborhood. That’s another reason I offer it for free. It illustrates the point that you should do what gives your life meaning – and having people read the book gives me joy – whether it’s paid or unpaid, while benefiting rather than exploiting others along the way.
Q: Okay! So someone downloads your free ebook - here’s a good place to give us your link, Carolyn…
A: Oh! You can download the book by clicking here now.
Q: Good! Now — someone downloads your free ebook. What’s the upsell?
A: What’s an upsell? Doesn’t that have something to do with the Marketing Funnel to Eternal Damnation?
Q: Okay! We’ve had enough of you now. Thanks Carolyn! Next week: Real News readers will learn how an ordinary marketing teleconference call turned into a hotline to hell.
(Full Disclosure: The link to “Subway Goddess” is a real link to a real book and the zany plot is just as she says. Carolyn Lee Boyd is the lovely volunteer copy editor for Real News stories.)
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Click here to buy me a beer, because damn, I need to get drunk to forget how much internet marketing sucks!
I think the fundamental point here is that yes you can make a six figure income selling an ebook ending with the $7.
But first and the most critical aspect is that you have to build audience, provide and add value, gain trust and credibility and finally gain acceptance and permission.
Now, this is not an easy thing to accomplish. Again yes its achievable.
@Joseph
Skip the value, trust, and credibility. Those are overrated in the internet marketing world.
All you need is a good sales letter and a marketing plan that targets n00bs. Then you’re golden.
Thank you for giving your knowledge freely back to the community it’s more than just money.
@Sucker
yea writing a good sales letter to attract noobs is good but now a days noobs are more cautious and willing to ask questions on forums before doing anything. unless you have good credibility or good testimonials then you won’t be making 7 digit figures
@baloch
Good credibility and good testimonials can easily be faked. And who’s to say that an ebook author didn’t pay a bunch of kids to go into forums and leave positive reviews?
@baloch
Seriously, do you know how easy it is get real testimonials, too? (a) It gives a marketer yet another live link on a Web page and (b) it’s another place to be seen yet again.
@ Dust Collecting,
Thank you for that nice comment!
Thanks for taking the time to blog for us. I am off to download the book to learn more.
What? An anti-make money online blogger? Thank god. I whole-heartedly applaud your swimming upstream. Off to check out the book now. Cheers, Vivienne
Thanks, Pain and Vivienne!
@sucker
I see your point
Yeah man, these internet marketers are very sly and cunning (or at least immoral,) so you never know who to trust!
Now, hold on there, Sucker. We’re not even up to the next installment of “Real News” where it is proven that Internet marketers are in league with Satan…
Very interesting discussion been going on here. Very well put.
I definitely believe trust and credibility is not just enough by itself, you need a good sales, marketing plan or testimonials are not just enough.
The competitive nature of internet marketing requires more - different mixed proportions that you keep testing until you know which one works for you.
Thank you for sharing this. It is really interesting and very helpful.
LOL - I don’t know what to do with my 300 page ebook that I just finished writing! This is so disheartening
She is right at her stratagey and it is great also. Check carefully her answer to the first question. It is these intelligent stratagies which helps.
Thanks for that, gonna read it. I am sure that it is useful…
Does make sense she will be more famous and quickly without much spending on advertising. Word-of-mouth will be exceedingly fast here.
too many ebooks out there. Noobs are becoming more cautious in buying them. I think its not easy to get 6 figures income. You must know what you’re into, must be smart to earn that big.
All you need is a good sales letter and a marketing plan that targets n00bs. Then you’re golden.
Good reputation in the targeted niche is part of the requirement to be able to sell successfully. What we are looking for are repeated sales on other of the ebooks too. - Rif Chia
It’s very important for elderly people to stay safely and securely in their homes. Anyone over 38 shouldn’t be out in the cold and wet anyways.
Thanks for that, gonna read it. I am sure that it is useful…