Good ebooks can be invaluable resources for entrepreneurs. For many small business owners, time is our most valuable commodity, and like a traditional book, a good ebook synthesizes countless hours of an author’s expertise on a subject and presents it in a coherent and cohesive framework, giving you the information you need in an efficient and effective manner.
Sure, the Internet is awash in free content – and much of it is very good. However, even after you have sifted through the fractured and contradictory information on the Internet to find voices whom you trust to provide quality information, often that information is still spread out over years of blog posts, not presented in a logical order, and mixed with a variety of other topics. Such is the nature of blogging and blogs.
Ebooks solve this problem. Quality ebook content – well-edited and well-presented from a trusted and authoritative source – takes an investment in time that goes well beyond your typical blog post or collection. It takes information and presents it in a focused, topical manner that enables the reader to spend time on content absorption, not content acquisition. These three ebooks represent that investment in knowledge acquisition and presentation.
Danny Brown, Extreme John, and Kristi Hines are all authoritative sources in their fields, and each has created an ebook that presents their unique knowledge of their subject matters. Each author has been highly successful in the areas in which they write, and that depth of knowledge shows in the ebooks discussed below.
Kristi Hines: The Ultimate Blog Post Promotion Guide
($37 US, 71 pages)
Kristi is a blogging machine, and I mean that as a grand compliment. She is everywhere and has created an amazing blog with an impressive following. If you need any evidence that Kristi knows her stuff, you can just look at her 15k Alexa rank, an impressive number for a single author blog.
Of course, not every small business has a blog (start one now!), but if yours does, then you certainly want your blog posts to get the greatest amount of exposure possible. Kristi’s ebook gives you the blueprint on how to do just that. In her own words:
“Blog Post Promotion: The Ultimate Guide not only shows you the strategies that will help you get your awesome content the exposure it deserves, but it also includes ways to build a mutually beneficial promotional team on your email list, instant messenger, and social networks so that when you are ready to promote, they will be there willing to help you.”
Kristi’s ebook is unique in that it is very specific. This book does not tell you how to promote your blog in general; it deals specifically with how to promote an individual blog post after you have published it. Its 71 pages are rich with details, including new ideas.
How you use the book will certainly depend on what type of blogger you are. For full time bloggers, Kristi’s book provides a blueprint for how to promote your individual posts. For part-time bloggers, the book provides an excellent menu of promotional ideas, so you can experiment with the techniques that fit your blogging strategy best. This menu technique is how I have used The Ultimate Blog Post Promotion Guide, and I am sure small business bloggers will find the content as invaluable as I have.
Extreme John: How To Succeed With Social Media, A Guide for Small Business
($10 US, 27 pages)
Extreme John is one of the most prolific bloggers going. He posts regularly to his blog, often multiple times a day, and has an extensive social media presence. EJ has done a good job branding not only himself but also his company brands, particularly his brick and mortar business Extreme Tan and Smoothies.
EJ’s ebook provides a great look at how to use social media to market and support your small business. In his own words:
“How to Succeed with Social Media provides the exact answers to some of the toughest questions and challenges that small business owners face when trying to leverage social media. Not only does How to Succeed with Social Media provide exact answers and direction, it produces it in a simple, easy to implement format.”
Extreme John is fairly unique in the blogosphere, as he runs brick and mortar businesses and his advice comes from that frame. Whereas there are a host of social media experts out there who make broad pronouncements about what companies should be doing with social media (leaving most of us in brick and mortar shaking our heads), EJ gets the reality on the ground – a perspective I personally find very refreshing.
While How To Succeed with Social Media will have more value with small businesses getting started with social media or who do not have a complete footprint, it is worth it for advanced users to check out. If you learn just one thing of value to your small business that you did not know before, it will be well worth the price.
Danny Brown: The Parables of Business
($15.00 US, 38 pages)
Last but certainly not least is my buddy, Danny Brown. To say that Danny has online biz cred would be an understatement. Danny is a co-founder and partner at Bonsai Interactive Marketing, a full service marketing agency, which also runs a blog tips website, For Bloggers by Bloggers. Danny is the founder of the 12for12k Challenge, a community-driven social media charity initiative. In addition, his blog DannyBrown.me has garnered many professional accolades, including placement on the AdAge Power 150 List.
Leave it to Danny, one of the most creative business bloggers going, to shun the typical how-to format and go with a modern day collection of parables. Think of The Parables of Business as Aesop’s Fables for entrepreneurs. The Parables of Business contains 11 stories that offer up sound business principles through an entertaining and easy-to-read storytelling format. A quick glance at the cover will give you an idea of the production quality. To quote Danny:
“Because of the storytelling approach, it offers something for everyone, from solo entrepreneurs to small-to-medium business owners, as well as human resource departments, internal teams and external contractors… There are stories about collaboration, entrepreneurship, social media Zen, overcoming adversity and much more.”
While there are many lessons to be learned from The Parables of Business, more than anything I found it inspirational, the kind of book you could find with a small gold-lettered, canvas cover in the bookstore. A few stories, in fact, are downright heartrending. Don’t miss The Boy with the Bread.
If you are feeling stuck, need a good kick in the pants, or just want to think about the big picture, The Parables of Business is a truly great read, and the kind of ebook that you could find yourself reading more than once.
Blog Promotion, Social Media Success, and Business Wisdom
In closing, each of the above ebooks above provides quality content in different areas. Each book fills a different need. If you are looking to promote a blog post, succeed with social media, or to open your mind to sound business principles, the above ebooks are well worth the investments, and I highly recommend all three. I also recommend following Kristi, Extreme John, and Danny via social media and their blogs – they all provide quality content on a regular basis.
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Disclosures: This post contains no affiliate links. While I am not opposed to affiliate links or paid promotion, these reviews were not about that. As for non-monetary relationships, I have interacted with all three authors in some capacity through blogging/social media. With Danny Brown, I do so fairly regularly. Also, all prices/page counts represent the versions current as of the date of this writing – July 26, 2011.
Wow, thanks so much for the review! You’ve got a great collection going here too – both John and Danny have valuable information that businesses should be jumping on top of to do things right!
Kristi Hines recently wrote about this…The Ultimate Guide To Online Marketing for Local Businesses
You’re quite welcome. Your book deserves plenty of recognition! You really did an extremely thorough job, and the content is extraordinarily useful. On posts where I have more time to put towards promotion, I find myself going back to it to find ideas — I think that says a lot about the depth of content.
Nice roundup, Adam! I’ll have to check these out.
I’ve heard about Kristi and Danny’s ebooks – maybe it’s time I go buy them now!
What I found interesting is the price points. I know that for a while, I was seeing a number of ebooks going for $97 and even higher. These are priced much lower. Should any these guys stop by to comment, I would love to know their thoughts on how they priced these. To me, their price points seem much more reasonable than some stuff I’ve seen across the web.
Laura Click recently wrote about this…How to Promote Your Business Without Becoming a Used Car Salesman
I appreciate it Laura. All three are definitely worth checking out.
I too would be curious about pricing strategy. Ebook pricing seems to be all over the map. I would be curious if any of the authors applied a methodology to it — pricing similar products, etc — or just went with gut? Maybe one of them will drop by and share.
Thanks so much for the comments! Saw your note on PR Justice League… will respond later tonight.
Hi Laura (and Adam!),
I did actually drop by earlier this week and left a comment, but it seems to have been swallowed up by the Filter Monster, so I’ll try again.
Pricing is a weird thing. A lot of folks will tell you the magic price point for many premium products – webinars, digital downloads, membership sites, etc – is $47. While that might work for these kind of offerings, I couldn’t possibly justify charging that for an ebook. I’d be hard pushed to pay that for a hardcover – although that might be my Scottish tightfistedness showing!
I went with $15 as it seemed a nice price point for an “impulse buy”, if you like (and if you subscribe to the Bonsai newsletter, you get a 20% discount code). It seems to have worked – sales (thanks to really kind reviews like the one here by Adam) have been steady, and we haven’t even really started marketing it properly. Some fun stuff on the way.
Hope that helps, and great question – be interested to see Kristi and John’s thoughts!
Danny Brown recently wrote about this…Polarization, Fanboys and the Non-Middle Ground
Thanks for answering Danny! It’s interesting, because I still use hardcovers as a frame of reference too. I think that way of thinking will die with our generation, or maybe the one right after.
The pricing differential is also one reason I added the page counts. Not that page counts can’t be full of BS filler (I’ve certainly seen that on some free ebooks I’ve gotten), but that is not the case, of course, with the books above.
Look forward to seeing the upcoming marketing, btw.
Thanks for taking the time to share, Danny. I appreciate the insight. It is interesting how people choose to price things. It is hard to think of paying $47 (or even higher) for something. Then again, I know it would be difficult for folks to make much money if they sold things for less. At a lower price point, you really need a lot more volume.
I guess it all depends on what the ebook or product is and what the goal is for it and what the perceived value is.
Laura Click recently wrote about this…Website Design Strategy Tips for Non-Profits
Hi Laura,
I was under the impression that the $97 price point was for more than just an eBook – maybe an eBook including videos, webinars, calls with the author, etc. At the time I was deciding on the price of mine, I had seen a lot of just plain eBooks being released for $47.
I just put it into the context of the fact that I was sharing the tips I used to make a good bit of income through freelance writing and guest blogging contests. With that in mind, I figured I could charge a little more than average (but still didn’t want it to be at the highest price point) because I knew that if people applied the same strategies, they would make a great return on their investment.
Kristi Hines recently wrote about this…7 Sneaky Ways to Use Facebook to Spy on Your Competition
Hi Kristi,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I appreciate it. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that, but a couple years back I did see standalone ebooks that went for $97. In fact, I think I even bought one! The sad thing is, I don’t think I ever got all the way through it.
I do think there are digital products that are worth a higher price point – especially if it’s bundled with some of the things you mentioned. I think it depends on what it is and what comes with it.
You’re right – a lot of digital products (and it sounds like yours is one of them), is almost like a brain dump of your secrets to success. That’s where value really comes into play.
I just was curious about your rationale. This is all very helpful. I’d like to write an ebook or offer a digital product at some point and am curious as to how people come up with pricing. I think that’s the hardest part!
Laura Click recently wrote about this…Website Design Strategy Tips for Non-Profits
Hi Laura,
There really isn’t much thought behind the pricing of my book, I’m a volume monster and always have been. Since the concept of marketing for volume has always worked well for me in my small businesses, brick and mortar as well as online, I figured I might as well stick to what I do and have success doing. I can always increase the price of my ebook if I need to, all though I don’t really see that happening as I tend to stick to my original commitments in regards to pricing.
I hope that gives you a decent idea of how I went about pricing my ebook. Have a great weekend!
Extreme John recently wrote about this…4 Reasons I Switched from PageLines Theme Back to Thesis Theme
This is great, John. Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time to share your rationale. Everyone has a different reason for how they price things, so I’m always curious how people decide to do it. Pricing is a tricky little beast, so appreciate your perspective on what works for you.
Cheers!
Laura Click recently wrote about this…Website Design Strategy Tips for Non-Profits
Hi Adam, I have read two of the three. Extreme John is on my list (ever growing) of books to read.
thanks for this reco.
John Falchetto recently wrote about this…Blaming yourself to death
John, glad you like the list. And I can absolutely relate… the list of books is ever-growing.
Great seeing you as always! Hope all is well in FR.
Adam,
Thanks for this list! Familiar with Kristi and Danny, but haven’t heard of Extreme John.
My pleasure Craig. Thanks for stopping by!
Me? Need a kick in the pants, ha…………..
I’m certainly familiar w/ Danny and Kristi and really need to get their books; it’s hard to get this stuff through the CFO (wife). I just need to put it in as a business expense.
I will use this post as my kick and find a way to make it happen.
Thanks for sharing this and highlighting such a great group of people; I have huge amount of respect for them………….and you too of course……………..:)
Bill Dorman recently wrote about this…Things are definitely going to change around here
Don’t worry about the CFO Bill… I have a new ebook coming out “Enron Accounting: A Husband’s Guide.” Just read the first chapter, and you’ll be all set.
On a serious note, you won’t be disappointed with any of them. Hopefully, the above descriptions and their sales pages give a good idea of what needs each book fills.
PS. I heard a rumor you’ve got your first GP today. Will be sure to check it out!
Hi mate,
As I mentioned to Laura, it’s bizarre – left a comment when you first published, and it’s been eaten – boo suck!
Thank you for taking the time to share with your readers, mate, seriously appreciate it, and loved your overview of the book. My goal was simple – to try write something you could ether enjoy for the stories, or (hopefully) enjoy for the business aspects of it.
Reading your kind words is all I can ask for from the goals – thank you.
Danny Brown recently wrote about this…Polarization, Fanboys and the Non-Middle Ground
Well Danny, I’m glad you made it back! I have no idea what happened. I use G.A.S.P. plugin (not Akismet), but it doesn’t seem to have captured it anywhere. Transmission error I suppose ???
Anyway, thanks for spelling out your goals with the book, because I believe you accomplished both. And I think that would be true of any reader coming from a business perspective. It is truly a great read, and I hope more people get a chance to experience it.
Thanks for the reviews, Adam! It’s kinda hard to find actionable guides on Internet Marketing that are easy to understand and implement in practice. Internet is full of rehashed Internet Marketing content and scamming douchebags, which only makes it harder for newbies to get started with right information. I’m gonna start with Kristi’s eBook and will invest in the other 2 later. I hope it’ll help me get on the right track!
Thanks again! Cheers.
Anish recently wrote about this…Constipation Help – What Can Help Constipation? updated Thu Jul 28 2011 12:58 am CDT
Hi Anish, There is no question that there is a lot of rehashed material from the echo chamber floating around. That’s one of the reasons I wrote this piece… to highlight credible sources who are worth listening to.
If learning about blog post promotion is your goal, you really can’t go wrong with Kristi’s book.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it!
Adam Toporek recently wrote about this…3 Small Business Ebooks Worth Buying
These seem like great recommendations, Adam! Would definitely check them out. Thanks!
Glad it could help!
Adam Toporek recently wrote about this…Does Your Business Need a Customer Referral Program?
I have being reading Kristi’s posts for a while and they are always top notch. Will definitely consider these books, but as mentioned in the comments, when the price goes above 20$ for a ebook people tend to think a bit more about buying it.
Nishadha recently wrote about this…Local SEO – 5 Tips to Tackle Negative Reviews
Agreed, Kristi really does provide consistent quality on her blog. That’s why I tried to show how many pages and how much content she had included in the book, since the price was higher than the other two.
Hopefully, you will give the books a try. Thanks for stopping by!