Wow…what a weekend.

Posted on March 31, 2008
Filed Under Procrastination |

I posed a question about answering your questions, and more than a few if you surprised me with variations on a theme. That theme:

“Write a bigger e-book and sell it.”

If course, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise me…this is a group of writers after all. But that goes against two of the basic tenets I set out with when I started this site: make the information accessible fast, and put it out for free.

It would solve the problem I wrote about. If I sold a full-length e-book based on the Copywriter Survival Guide (at this point, with all the extra chapters I’d add based on your questions, we’re looking at about 250 pages or so), then I could focus on writing it over the course of about two months, taking time off from other work to get it done.

Which is where this starts to get pretty hairy. If I put the time in and no one decides to buy it (and who can blame them…this is supposed to be a Free-Resource site)…then I’m out two-month’s salary. Which, let’s face it, isn’t a fun prospect to look at.

So, I’ve decided once again to leave it in your hands.

First, let me detail what the book would cover:

Right now, I’m looking at 17 Chapters

1. Introduction

2. Maslow and the Hierarchy of needs (a more in-depth study than my post here)

3. Water

4. Fire

5. Shelter

6. Food

7. Teach a Man to Fish (the art of copywriting)

8. A Good Knife (the copywriter’s most indispensible tool)

9. Tracking (getting inside the mind of your target)

10. Toolmaking (How-to’s on a wide range of copywriting formats, print, radio, newsletters, Web, email, brochures, etc)

11. Navigation (Dreams, Goals and planning for increasing success)

12. Living with the Land (Waste-nothing tactics for turning each job into recurring, residual income)

13. Trapping (Getting clients to come to you, instead of you looking for them)

14. Quicksand and Predators (Important legal and tax concerns copywriters must know about.)

15. Should I Stay or Should I go Now? (To expand your niche, go general-purpose, or move on to greener pastures)

16. Giving Back to the Land (You get what you give…so what should you give?)

17. Beyond Survival (A down and dirty primer for moving past survival mode and “getting civilized” as a successful writer).

Well, there you have it. That’s what I have planned. I have no idea if you want to pay for this or not…but I’m hoping you DO have an idea.

So here’s the deal: I’m going to take the next week and write one chapter (the chapter I think MOST people will be interested in seeing right away;  the chapter on Water)

On the 7th of April, around noonish, I’ll put it up for sale on the site for just $7. In order to keep the site uncluttered and to truly gauge interest, I’ll make it available for just 24 hours. On the 8th of April, I’ll gauge the results. If there is enough interest, then I’ll make plans to write the entire thing, and try to have it out by the end of May.

The good news, then, will be that, since the basic survival information will all be available there, I can move ahead with the blog and the special reports, and start getting into the real, high-impact business-building, money-making stuff. Which, to me would be really cool.

But, first things first. If you’re still stuck in survival mode, you might not even be ready for that yet. So, I’m going to be posting sparsely this week, as I’ll trying to finish up Son of a Niche (you don’t even want to know about the resst of my weekend. Ugh) and writing the chapter on Water.

And we’ll go from there!

Here’s to your success!

Comments

One Response to “Wow…what a weekend.”

  1. “Water” - The Final Update! : The Copywriter Survival Guide on April 22nd, 2008 8:50 am

    [...] But I’m also going to write the more comprehensive “chapters” I’d listed  here. I’ll offer each as an individual e-book, so people can buy only the sections they’re [...]

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