I  just launched a “lens” at Squidoo about How to write and publish ebooks — I’ll keep you posted on how I do with it

Here’s a taste of my first post:

Many authors think they need a “publisher” for their ebook in order to make any money. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, having a “publisher” could actually hamper your sales and leave you making a lot LESS money than you otherwise could with a little knowledge.

First, let’s define “published.” To me, “published” means:

1. Your ebook is available for sale to anyone who wants to buy it.

2. People can automatically get your ebook when they pay for it (no interaction by you).

3. You get paid automatically for each sale you make.

If that is the definition of “published” then you have 2 main options for getting your ebook up for sale. I suggest doing BOTH of them (not one or the other).

Get the rest here at Squidoo => How to write and publish ebooks

I stood in the lobby of a conference where I spoke recently when an attendee walked up and asked me a seemingly innocent question. “With all the competition online, do you think it’s easier or harder to start an online business now, or back when you got started?” The person asking the question seemed to feel as though they’d waited too long to add digital marketing to their business and had fallen too far behind their competitors. But when I broke it down for them in the following manner, they realized it’s never too late to start getting business online.

Web Hosting & Domain Names
In 1997, I paid $125 per month for 10MB of web space and shelled out $100 per year to register 1 domain. In 2011, you can

Have you ever wondered why people published books, CDs or DVDs?

How about articles, podcasts or blog posts?

Traditionally, authors don’t get rich selling books or CDs (the average business book sells less than 1,500 copies). Authors, especially business-people who author books, made their money because their book attracted new customers or their CD made a nice gift or back-end sale to existing customers.

However, now in this age of print-on-demand and Internet digital download distribution, any small business (retail, service, or profession) can use info-marketing to both attract new customers AND make a nice tidy profit at the same time.

Ask any small business owner their number one desire on a daily basis, and many will tell you they need to get a handle on their seemingly endless to-do list. In fact, in a recent online survey, small business owners ranked feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their day-to-day activities as a major source of stress. The good news is that, with a few tweaks, the tried-and-true pen and paper to-do list can once again become your ally in efficiency, providing you learn to avoid the 5 biggest “to-do list” mistakes small business owners make.

Ask any website owner what they want when it comes to their website’s success and 9 out of 10 will tell you they want “Page 1 of Google!” Why? Because according to Google, the #1 listing for any particular keyword search gets 40% of all the Google traffic connected with that search. Eighty percent of all U.S. Internet users utilize Google and “Page 1” holds the keys to more traffic and visitors every website needs to survive.

Most people think making Google’s front page is complicated. It’s not. In fact, these 5 methods help you make it to the top on Google faster than you might even think possible.

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The “Magic” Formula For More Online Sales?
-By Jim Edwards

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It’s a fact! We all need to save as much time as possible at every turn we take, especially as business owners. Whether writing ads or streamlining back-office procedures, we all want to find patterns we can depend on to produce predictable results, especially when it comes to generating more sales. It’s been said that we are “creatures of habit.”

I disagree!

We are actually creatures of “pattern,” especially patterns we can repeat over and over to get results. Bottom line: if you want to get more done in less time, start discovering and recognizing the most highly leveraged “magic formulas” you can apply to your own business right now.

Here’s another fact: every business needs

Unless you’ve been hunkered under a rock or in the back of a cave, you’ve at least heard the term “social media.” Depending on your perspective, social media either represents the fall of western civilization or the perfect marriage of people and technology.

The term “social media” actually refers to 4 specific types of tools.

The first type, “social connection sites” like Facebook and Linked In, allow users to make, share, build, and interact with social contacts online.

The second type, “social stream of consciousness” sites like

As a follow up to a recent article on how small businesses can use screen capture video, I thought it appropriate to share even more options for putting the power of screen capture video to work online. Screen capture video truly is the fastest way to create content, training programs, and marketing materials for the online world.

1. Affiliate Promo Videos
One of the fastest ways to make money online is to sell other people’s products as an affiliate, and specifically sell other people’s software. Use screen capture video to demonstrate how to use the software, and then refer people through your affiliate link. You can also

Nobody can deny that video now plays a huge role on the Internet. In fact, Youtube now rates as the Web’s second largest search engine right behind Google. Most people think online video requires a video camera, special skills and a face made for TV. However, with “screen capture” video, any small business can put the power of online video to work with nothing more than a mouse, computer, microphone, and a good idea.

Screen capture video does just what the name implies: it captures whatever shows on your screen along with narration. It doesn’t require a video camera, fancy set, lighting, or Hollywood special effects. If you can point, click, and talk, you can create video to use in your business. Typical uses include

I recently spent 2 days deep-sea fishing in Aruba with my wife. We shelled out almost $1,000 to charter a boat with two enjoyable guys name Marcelino and Jimmy. Our friends also chartered Marcelino’s boat twice during the same week. At the end of our time, we all walked away promising to go fishing again on our trip next year. However, chances are we’ll never see them again because Marcelino neglected to do one simple thing: ask for my email address so he could keep in touch.

The sad truth is that most businesses, whether they sell high-dollar services or $40 gift-baskets, completely “miss the boat” when it comes to asking for customer emails.  Though email predates the Web, the following 5 mistakes highlight just how much opportunity still remains for improvement in small business email marketing.

Mistake #1: Not Asking

How hard do you work to get people into your store or office?

How much do you pay in advertising to get people to your website?

Cultivating a list of customers and prospects you communicate with via email rates as the most