Selling information products is the second-biggest business on
the Internet (selling software is first). Writing How-To manuals
is one of the easiest and most profitable ways of creating and
selling information products on the Internet.
There are two principal ways people come into the How-To manual
business.
The first way is that you have an idea for a how-to manual, you
sit down and write it, then try to sell it.
The second way is that you have a problem, you go looking for a
solution, and you either don't find one and decide to solve it
yourself then write a how-to manual to share what you've learned
with others who may be having the same problem, or else you find
information about your problem, but it is so badly written or so
confusing or doesn't really solve your problem that you say to
yourself, "I could do better than that!" So you sit down and
write a how-to manual.
Whichever way you arrive at the front door of the how-to manual
business, understand that almost certainly you have the ability
to put down on paper (on into electronic form with a word
processing program, or dictate into a tape recorder) your
experience or knowledge. And that experience or knowledge can be
of benefit to other people. Potentially a LOT of other people. A
lot of other people who want and need what you know so much that
they are willing to pay for your manual. And pay handsomely.
Let me tell you something right away, based on my years of
experience in this business: you do not need a college degree in
English to write how-to manuals! You just need an idea, a plan,
and the persistence to see it through to completion.
I have been writing, publishing, marketing and promoting my
manuals for over seven years. I got started because of a problem
I had that there didn't seem to be any good, clear, simple
written solutions for. So I did my homework -- it turned out
everything I needed to know to solve the problem what already
out there, just in scattered bits and pieces -- put the ideas
together in a logical order, wrote it all up in my style, using
my own words, and voila! I had a how-to manual.
That's the secret to writing, publishing, marketing and
promoting how-to manuals: identify what concepts, experiences,
and special knowledge you have that other people want and need
in order to solve the problems they have. Key point: people do
not buy "how-to manuals", they buy solutions to their problems.
As you begin taking your first steps in this exciting business,
keep in mind that it should be treated as a business. Also,
recognize that any real business is not going to make you rich
overnight. If your how-to manual fills a big enough need in the
marketplace, you could find your self running a lucrative
full-time enterprise (if that's what you want). Beware of the
many scam artists out there who will make claims like "Learn the
Secret Formula That Will Make Your Products Sell Like Crazy" or
"Make $7,000 On The Internet In Seven Days Or Less" or "Increase
Your Sales 1700% in Seventeen Days".
As a by-product of writing, publishing, marketing and promoting
my other manuals, I learned from experience what has worked, as
well as what hasn't. I won't jive you; the path to profitability
in this business (as in virtually all others) is not a short
one. Be prepared to "stay the course".
