You probably already see the value of marketing your own information product. You don't need me to point out how an exclusive product on your website will not only earn you additional income, but it will often lead customers into additional sales. You may even be aware that your own book, manual or tape can dramatically raise your visibility and skyrocket your prestige and credibility! This is especially true if you're a consultant or professional.

So if you know how powerful and profitable these products can be for you, why don't you have information products that are earning you an additional $50,000 to $100,000 a year? Most likely it's because of the "barrier to entry."

To enter the game, you must first write something! And that, for most of us, is one of the most terrifying thoughts we can have. It stops you cold. You aren't a writer, can't write and absolutely won't try! Sound familiar?

Writing brings to mind visions of horrendous amounts of work and special talents. Sentence construction and grammar rules flash across the screens of your mind. You, like the rest of us, are afraid that your "participle may dangle" for everyone to see, and you won't even know it.! And most of all, if you're like most, you're afraid your ignorance, or lack of perfection, will be revealed for all the world to see and ridicule. Right ?

Well here's the good news:

It doesn't have to be that way. There are several ways to create or obtain a valuable information product that can add to your income without you suffering all the horrors that are playing out in your mind. And some of these ways to produce a product are amazingly easy-to-accomplish.

How To Get Your Own Information Product

There are six ways to get your own product. Here they are:

1. Write an information product yourself

2. Hire a writer to write the product for you

3. Obtain the rights to an out-of-print book or publication

4. Purchase reprint rights to an information product

5. Use material that's in the public domain and copyright free

6. Create your own audio or video products or software

All of these methods have been and are presently being used to produce information products that sell! They are sold over the Internet, by mail order and as back-of-the-room sales for speakers. And not all of them require you to write. But let's start with the first one, that does require you to write.

1. Write an information product yourself.

Just reading that sentence may frighten you. I understand. But you should know that what frightens you isn't writing. What is frightening you is what you remember about English class writing in school and what you've been told about writing throughout your life.

If we could play those old tapes we would hear that "writers are special people" or "that's not how you write that, stupid!" Not pleasant.

Or maybe you recall a school term paper with the less than perfect grade. One that was covered with all the red marks, or the stack of note cards you created after you had struggled wit your term paper on another dull subject. What's fun about all that?

But the kind of writing you need to do to create an information product is quite different. Believe me! Instead of looking foolish or appearing less than perfect, writing an informational product is the chance for you to look perfect! It's an opportunity to write about what interests you, and that alone can make writing almost fun. Let me explain:

Information products aren't works of art, term papers or even a thesis. Good products are simply "conversations on paper." Writing style may be very important to convey the mood and action in a great romance novel. But the reader of most information products wants to know how to begin and what steps to take to get the results you promise. Writing style can get in the way. Clear simple writing is much preferred.

The reader doesn't care about your command of the language. But it is important that you know how to clearly explain how to "put tab A into slot B before you turn the switch F to the on position."

If you know the subject you are writing about, even if it's a researched knowledge, your success at writing how-to products will depend on your ability to conduct a simple, clear conversation that explains what you know. But this time you have the conversation on paper. giving you several advantages.

1. You never have to look stupid. That's what editors are for.

2. You always have a chance to change your mind to make certain you are accurate. (Delete keys and erasers are a blessing).

3. You aren't going to get a grade (just a financial reward).

I honestly believe that the greatest disservice schooling does for us to "teach out of us" the interest and imagination to create and write we had as children. Writing your own product just may be a chance for you to rediscover the fun of creating you enjoyed as a child.

I'm 90% certain that at this point I haven't convinced you that you are not only capable of writing, but that it's not all the work it's cracked up to be! Because even if I have convinced you that writing isn't all that bad, you're probably thinking about how much time it will take to write that manual you've thought so much about, and there is no way it will fit into your busy schedule. Right?

Well, what if I told you that, unlike what you have always been told, it doesn't take vast amounts of time to write. What if I told you that you can write a typical how-to book of 100 + pages in 10 days or less? What would you say if I told you that you could write a book if you can find 15 minutes a day.? Sound more possible?

You can write a book in that length of time. I've done it, and continue to do it. It's just a matter of how you organize and approach your writing and how you use the latest discoveries about the brain. Researchers have discovered techniques that actually make the writing process more discovery than work. I use the new approach in all my writing. My successful manual, "The Insiders Guide To Making Money With Reprint Rights" was written using these methods, as well as most others I've written.

The new writing process is taught at some University workshops, and I've explained it in exact step-by-step detail in a forthcoming manual, "How To Write A How To Book Or Manual In Just 10 Days and Make It Sell!"

But the key concept you need to get now is this: It takes much less work and commitment to write your own material than you've imagined. And that imagined work is keeping you from making the profits, enjoying the freedom and financial independence you deserve. So don't rule out writing your own report, manual or book. It's easier and faster than you've been led to believe.

 

2. Hire A Writer To Do The Writing For You

 

This is another relatively easy way to create a product. You decide what you want to say, outline the material and hire a ghostwriter to do the writing for you. The end result is that you have the material you wan,t with you as author. The downside is that you miss the "thrill and satisfaction" of being an author. And one more important point...

You'll have to give up some of the profits. No, you won't have to pay the ghostwriter a royalty, at least not in most cases, but you will have to pay an up front fee to the writer. So like everything else in life, if you give up the work, you'll have to give up some of the profits as well.

To find a ghostwriter, check a recent issue of Writer's Digest from the newsstand, or one of the writer's resource groups online. You should be able to find a ghostwriter for a reasonable fee. It's a respectable way to create a product, and one that many celebrities have used to create their biographies.

There is a hybrid approach to using a ghostwriter. It's described in my publication "The Lazy Man's Way To Write A Book Or Manual." This manual, which is offered as a premium for some of my manuals, but isn't for sale, relates a method developed by a very successful publisher to write books on subjects which he knew nothing about, doing so with an inexpensive student or part-time writer. This has the advantage of costing less than a ghostwriter, and still keeps you very much involved with contents and authorship of the publication.

 

3. Obtain The Rights To An Out Of Print Book or Publication

 

It is often possible to obtain the rights to a book or manual that is “out of print,” meaning the publisher doesn't publish the book anymore. The book business is very competitive, and with over 140,000 new books being written each year, there is enormous pressure for stores to carry only the titles that are moving quickly. Many excellent books are dropped by the publisher within 60 days of publication. And here is an opportunity. for you.

You can negotiate with the publisher to allow you to print and reissue a publication that might be valuable to your particular market. Now while your aren't going to make a fortune publishing out of print books, you should be able to find a title that still has lots of appeal to your market. And in many special interest markets, there is a built in demand for older "classic" books that are no longer available.

Writing a new foreword (there's the "W" word again, but this is just a single page) to your new edition of the publication can also enhance your prestige by your association with the "classic" publication.

 

4. Purchase Reprint Rights To A Publication

 

Sometimes an author will sell reprint rights to an information product. "Reprint rights" give the purchaser the right to reprint and sell as many copies as he/she can, without paying an additional royalty to the author. For instance I sell the reprint rights to a direct marketing seminar, complete with manual and tapes. The purchaser of the rights to this product can make and sell as many copies as they please. It's quite legal and profitable, if done correctly.

Many of these packages come with sales letters and advertisements that the author or publisher has used to sell the product successfully. You also get the rights to use these sales tools and ads. It can be as close to a “business in a box” as it gets...or you can get scammed You must consider these offers carefully, but reprint rights have launched a number of info publishers who have made a considerable amount of money.

If there are no reprint rights being offered in your area of interest, you can approach someone who has an information product you want to offer your customers. Explain the benefits of selling you non exclusive rights to the author. Then make the author or owner an offer. Once they understand the advantages to them in this arrangement with you, they should give serious consideration to your business offer to purchase reprint rights.

Book clubs make this same agreement with publishers. They buy the rights to print "book club editions" paying the original publisher a flat negotiated fee or a fee plus a percentage of sales. They sell a cheaper edition to their members, who would not be customers for the standard edition in stores.

Buying existing publications and reprinting them are not the only way to profit from reprint rights. There are ways to buy rights to different publications and regroup and refocus them for new consumer markets. Even the reprint rights sold over the Internet...the 500 reports on a CD...can be crafted into new valuable products if you'll look at new ways to group, arrange and package them. Again, this requires almost no writing on your part.

My publication "The Insider's Guide To Making Money With Reprint Rights" explains the process of selecting the best package of reprint rights, evaluating the profit potential before you make an investment, and how to torpedo competition who has the same rights. This is a must read if you are considering reprint rights as a way to start or add more income in future backend sales.

 

5. Using Material That's In The Public Domain

 

What do I mean by material in the public domain? Whenever the copyright expires on a publication, the publication becomes "public domain." It's now is part of public property and can be copied and distributed freely. This was designed into the original copyright law so that an author could profit from his intellectual contribution, but after 28 years or more it could be freely distributed to add to the general knowledge base of our society. Good thinking!

But special interests have lobbied our government and totally derailed the system. No longer can you look at a publication date, add 28 or 56 years and know positively that the copyright has expired. Now, you must know the date of the death of the author, whether it was written by an employee, and too much impossible-to-find-quickly data. So unless the original publication date is 75 years, you should automatically assume the publication is not in the public domain and cannot be copied.

However, most government publications are free of copyright. This means you are free to copy them exactly or incorporate them into other products. Several very successful businesses have been created selling government publications that have been reprinted in a better, more appealing format, or combined with other publications to add additional value.

Government publications exist on almost any subject, but finding the publication you want can be a real hassle. That's one reason you can reprint and sell them so easily. The public would have to spend a great deal of effort to locate the information they need, so there willing to pay you to do the work for them.

Just make certain that any government publication you use has been produced by the government, and not by some outside organization which retains the copyright. This can usually be discovered by looking for a copyright on the book, manual or videotape.

 

6. Create Your Own Audio or Video

 

For those who hate to write, creating audio or video tapes is a possible solution, and not always an expensive one. Both audio and video tapes have great appeal for buyers.

Video has become a practical and affordable solution in recent years. Gone are the "guerilla videos" of a few years back with their bad quality and amateurish production values. These tapes no longer sell to media savvy buyers, but fortunately the emergence of digital video has placed high quality production within the reach of even small producers.

With a digital camera, computer, large hard drive storage and editing software, even the smallest producer can produce "broadcast quality" video tapes to explain almost any subject. Today, for less that $4,000 you can have a complete video production bay to professionally edit and produce high quality tapes. But here's a warning:

Does your subject support a video, or will your tapes be mostly "talking heads" explaining your information? If you need to demonstrate and show how something is accomplished, video is wonderful. But for most information products, audio is a better answer for the customer. Here's why:

My customers tell me they like audio tapes more than video. That's because most video tapes don't contain information that customers can't grasp as well by listening. And if they only need to listen, then they don't want to monopolize the family TV and videocassette player.

Many customers had rather listen to the tapes while getting dressed in the morning or while commuting to and from work. They prefer audio, with a printed transcript of the tape for reference.

So what do you record on tape? How about recording and selling telephone conversations?Sound illegal? It's not...but it's really profitable, if you know how.

What's required is a tape recorder, an expert on the subject to interview and a high-quality recorder to tape the conversation. No studio and no big production budget.

The success of the recording will depend upon the expert you select to interview and the title of the interview. Given the right combination, you can get answers and information for your customers that they would never be able to get for themselves. That's why they will pay to listen to recordings of your conversations. And they pay well!

Package these recordings in groups, conduct complete seminars this way, and you can create products that sell with printed transcripts for well over a hundred dollars. Almost all of which is profit, because with the right approach, you won't have to pay the person you interview a penny!( If you are considering the production of audio tapes, see the information on "How To Create An Information Product In Just 3 Hours That Customers Want To Buy")

An overlooked opportunity to create audio or video products is recording classes or seminars that you teach, or that are taught by other experts.

Imagine the interesting tapes you could produce (audio and video) of the special interest classes held at your local adult education classes. Tapes could be made on subjects such as getting a better job, import export opportunity, selling giftbaskets...and on and on.

You could pay for the production of the tape, and offer the instructor a copy and the rights to market at future classes or in any way they desire. It would be a win-win situation for both of you. And there are thousands of these kinds of classes taught every week.

You even have your own built in marketing research done for you. The successful classes are repeated month after month. This is absolute proof of a continuing interest and demand in knowing more about these subjects.

Here's another suggestion. Imagine how easy it would be to obtain rights to audio tapes of key sessions or seminars at conventions your customers have an interest in, but are not eligible nor likely to attend. These events are usually taped by professionals and sold to attendees for a few months following the convention.

Make a deal to buy tape masters of the most interesting sessions that would appeal to your customers. You can probably get these for a song because by the time the next convention comes around, the interest in these tapes is less than zero. The content could be very useful to your customers because, if topics are selected carefully, they are still useful and new to your customers.

But here's something you should never do.

Don't attempt to get around writing by deciding to dictate your book into a tape recorder and have it transcribed. Often I hear people suggest to the "non-writer" that they simply "write" their book by speaking into a tape recorder, reading from their notes.

Please don't!

Why? Because when most people dictate, they develop a very stiff but rhythmic style. It's very boring and can be worse...even irritating. Dictation is a skill, and one that can take years to develop. It's one of the reasons business letters have struggled to sound human for decades, and you don’t want your publication to sound like a business letter.

If you want to produce your product on tape, have someone interview you, using the techniques I recommend in my publication "How To Create A Product In 3 Hours That Customers Want To Buy." But now, reverse the procedure. Instead of a dull stiff book, you'll have an interesting interview tape of someone asking you questions, while you do the explaining.

Of course you'll have the interview transcribed and provide a printed copy to accompany the tapes. It's a complete lively, interesting and profitable product that you can create in hours...again, without writing a word!

 

What Do You Do Next?

 

As you can see, there are all sorts of ways to create quality, valuable products without being a writer. There is no reason why you can't create or obtain hot-selling exclusive products for your website, mail order or back-of -room sales.

Focus on your market. What do they want to know? What problems do they experience? Then provide the quality and useful information that they crave. It's a can't miss proposition.

When I designed my website (an information product), the first question I asked was "what problem does my customer face that h/she isn't getting solved anywhere else?"

The answer that came back time and time again was that my customer had trouble" getting started!" It was difficult to know who to believe and where to start.

So the entire focus of my site became about how to make getting started almost automatic and effortless. Three simple and free steps that would allow serious individuals to get an overall grasp of the business and see if information publishing online and by mail order was for them.

Who are your customers? What are their problems, interests and wants? What do you, or someone else, know that could solve their problems, enrich their lives, and give them a better life? It doesn't have to be a major solution. One publisher started his business by telling people how to get rid of gophers.

But whatever customer and problem you decide to pursue, please, don't let your false belief in the difficulty of producing a product prevent you from enjoying the success, pleasure and income that selling information can provide. It's a lucrative and enjoyable way to earn a living, or add to your present income. Non-writers can and do play the information publishing profit game. You can too!

Please take advantage of the Free 3 Step "get started" plan I’ve outlined on this site. You've started by printing and reading this report. Next, subscribe to my free e-zine Profit Ideas, and enroll in the Free Cyberseminar, "How To Create Information Products That Sell Like Crazy, Even Though You Think You Aren’t An Expert On Anything.”

I have given you several resources of additional information, but if I can be of further help or answer your questions, please contact me by e-mail: help@donbice.com.

Wishing you every success,

Don Bice

Direct Marketing Training Center