Writing E-books: Using a Storyline to Sell Products

In order to sell or promote products successfully using a storytelling e-book, you need to take the key points of a given product or service and turn them into a story which your audience can buy into. Basically, the storyline should carry your product message to the reader without being overtly sales orientated.

Your storytelling e-book should be thematically focused and with a storyline which is either humorous or serious, or even both. The secret is to choose a theme and a storyline that you think your audience will enjoy reading. Themes can include relationship building, pets, children or gardening, to name but a few.

Once you have chosen your theme, simply add a storyline that can comfortably carry your product message without going over the top. If your readers find the storyline of your e-book interesting and entertaining, then there is a good chance that your reader will refer your e-book to their friends or relatives.

An e-book that tells a story to promote a product is not too dissimilar to a concept video or a concept advertisement you see on television. An excellent example of a concept advertisement is BT’s (British Telecom) use of a couple’s relationship to promote their broadband services. Each of BT's ensuing ads gave a snap shot of the relationship as it transcended from boy meets girl to the interaction of a mature adult couple. And, of course, this all takes place around BT’s broadband services. Following this same example, there is no reason why you, as an e-book author, cannot do the same. You can even write a series of stories built around a single thematic focus, much in the same way as the early radio soap operas used to.

What I like about using stories to endorse a given product is the fact that the storyline encourages the reader to imagine that they are using the product or service you wish to promote or sell. Reading stories invokes proxy participation much in the same way as watching a movie does. Your readers can engage with the product or service you are promoting by following your storyline.

So what products can be promoted and sold through the medium of storytelling? Pet related products are an obvious choice, as pet owners are often receptive to stories about animals. But even items such as software should not be excluded from the prose treatment. The Internet is awash with affiliate products, all of which can lend themselves to a storytelling medium. It really is all down to your imagination.

The inability to write stories need not exclude you from putting together a storytelling e-book to promote or sell your product. There are plenty of copywriters who would be willing to write your stories for you.

Alternatively, if you are artistically inclined, then you can always use the cartoon and caption option. Popeye and his spinach eating adventures spring to mind here. I have often wondered how much spinach was sold as a direct result of the Popeye cartoon strips. I am sure Popeye played a major role in promoting sales of this versatile vegetable.

So if you are already an affiliate marketer, or you are planning to become one, then you might want to write an e-book with a storyline that promotes your product rather than just pumping your customers with hardcore sales copy.

Writing E-books: How to choose a topic

The biggest problem facing e-book authors is in knowing what to write about. It is also a problem that perplexes most newbie e-book authors when it comes to launching their writing career.

The ability to write well is one thing, but to write with authority on a given topic is something else. Simply plucking a topic from thin air and writing about it is not an option if you want to be a successful e-book author.

Knowledge is the key when it comes to choosing a topic for your e-book. As my old professor once told me many years ago, if you want to write well, then write about what you know. Writing from a depth of knowledge allows the words to flow from your finger tips onto the screen in the same way that water flows from an open tap.

For example, you might be a keen gardener who specializes in growing roses in an urban setting. If this is the case, then you should write about your experience of growing roses in confined spaces. Your e-book may not reach the New York Best Sellers List, but you can be assured there will be plenty of gardeners willing to buy your e-book just for the information you can impart on the topic of growing roses in an urban setting.

Alternatively, you could be an experienced DIY motor mechanic with a penchant for doing up old cars. There are plenty of DIY motor enthusiasts who would love to read about your experience of breathing new life into an old Chevy 57.

Whatever your specialty, there are plenty of potential customers ready to buy your ‘KNOW HOW’.

Once you have identified your chosen specialty, you will need to define the extent of your knowledge so that you can transfer it into print. Mind mapping is a simple but useful aid for revealing your strengths and weaknesses on any given topic relative to your specialty.

To mind map, you simply take a large piece of paper and write in the center of it, in big bold letters, your specialty. Working from the center out, you fill your page with what you know or do not know about the specialty you are going to write about. The secret to a good mind map is to use single descriptive words or short phrases to describe the extent of your knowledge. You can even use pencil drawings if you are so inclined. The idea behind the mind map is to create a set of reference points for generating ideas for your e-book.

You can further enhance your mind map by carrying out research. Research will not only plug the gaps in your knowledge, it will also lend credibility to your work. Moreover, research will help you to define your e-book topic when it comes to writing on your specialty.

When writing your e-book you should always bear in mind that people want answers to questions and not generalizations. E-books filled with generalizations hold little value for readers and will not sell. In short, there is no market for generalizations. Markets are broken down into demographics of age, interests, income and, more importantly, needs. Answer your market's needs in relation to your specialty and you will quickly find a demand for your e-book offerings.