The ebook writing experiment

I started an experimental venture earlier in the summer around ebooks. For years I've been thinking about writing an ebook based on some of my more popular blog content, but for this project I wanted to take things a further and develop an actual brand.

I've had experience with branding for other types of online content, including blogs and online communities. But ebooks are a different animal:

• Book titles tend to be much longer than blog posts
• There is an expectation of authority, either through reputation, background, or an established body of work (inherited from print books)
• There is a very high expectation of quality (also inherited from print books)
• The technology platforms are varied (Kindle, iPad, PC screens, and even paper printouts) and often incompatible
• The distribution channels are varied (Amazon, PDF, etc.)
• Unlike blogs and most online communities, it's possible to charge money for ebooks

Ebook sales as an alternative to website sales

This last point is important. I have the skills and connections to start a blog-based news site or online community, based around some interesting niche. I could probably swing some seed capital to get started. But making money would be so difficult. The only way these online sites can make money is through massive scale, which either allows them to monetize online advertising (which pays almost nothing for a single impression) or establish partnerships which bring in cash, such as an events program or so-called "branded content" created by big consumer brands or tech companies.

I'm running a several experiments using different types of content, branding (including design), and marketing/sales strategies. You can see the first two titles, Dropbox in 30 Minutes and a Google Docs for Dummies alternative called Google Drive And Docs In 30 Minutes. I'm very interested in getting actual customer feedback, so if you read either ebook about Dropbox or Google Docs, please let me know what you think.