Can anyone please add to this list of excuses for not writing an ebook?

• I don’t have anything to write about. While exploring the different avenues one can go down during the thought process of solutions to this dilemma of, “but I don’t have anything to write about,” one realizes that inspiration comes from feelings, emotions, pure honest ones. The well spring of ideas seem to be connected to the creative side of the brain so worrying there is nothing to write about is a waste of time, if one isn’t writing then one simply is not a writer. Just sitting down in front of the computer, typewriter, or notepad and pencil, and letting the ideas in your head flow out onto the paper is enough any writer can do daily. Consistency is the key to being a successful writer. Doing the same thing every day will show much improvement.
  
  
• I’m not a good writer. If when is going to mope and show off by being a drama queen, then one has no business displaying their work for the public leaving themselves exposed for criticism. Of course, people crave validation and encouragement like, “you are so brilliant, keep going.” There is only work that needs to be put into any project, and being a writer one needs to put effort into the proper English courses and spend time listening and learning. Improvements on writing styles and word usages can always be made. Ask for opinions a lot if they really matter to one so much. Making ends meet on pure talent alone does not take anyone very far. There has to hours and hours of faithful diligent practice made before one gains the confidence to not care so much what is in the minds of others because they have already received validation from some other group of peers and are quite satisfied with that for a while.
  
  
• I don’t have time to write a book. Fix it later, for now just write it, do not worry about anything else, pick a number of words in your head and sit down to write them, that is all. By the way, you do have time. Even if one has a job, a family, all one needs to do is carve out an hour or two every morning early before anyone else is awake and write, regularly. Make this a habit. A few of the more successful writers became successful when they followed this simple rule among their busy schedules, then when they quit their day jobs they suddenly had all day to write not the two hours in the morning, and they couldn’t squeeze out the same amount of words as before.
  
  
• I don’t know how to get it published. There are online self publishing companies people buy writers’ works from every day.
  
  
• I’m planning on writing a best-seller later and don’t want to do anything less. Well, if one isn’t writing then they are not a writer. Experience and knowledge are gained by hard work and practice. There is a polished seamless flow that needs to be in writers’ works only gained by writing.
  

 

There really is only one excuse that I would use for not writing an ebook. It's simply not worth the effort from a monetary standpoint.
The market is presently inundated with these and you would have lots of competition irregardless what the topic/subject was. If you consider the time it would take you to write and edit it then get it all ready versus the payout, it really doesn't add up to a good profit.
I believe you might make more money freelancing with said time.

 

How about these 3-

-The internet is an endless resource of great knowledge and info for free. It just takes the will to learn and the use of search engines. Why would people spend money on a few pages of content ? They don't. and that's a huge reason ebooks do not sell.

-About 3-4 years ago everyone one and their dog thought they could write an ebook and did, which flooded the market with cheesy ebooks. So the market is flooded and the value and image of the "ebook" has been diluted to a sad and pathetic state.

-Why put all of your content into a pdf and try to sell it to a population who ill probably not buy it ? Wouldn't it be better to put the content in a nice website and get traffic with a low bounce rate ? that you could inspire to buy services ?

 

Great information. I was also reluctant to write and sell Ebooks for the same reason. It is a better idea to write and publish articles on some great websites to gain more traffic. This will have more advantage compared to selling an Ebook.

 

More benefits will be from creating a professional blog, regular updates, create mailing list, and then try to sell some services or product.

 

How about "because I don't want someone else to take what I've written, rewrite it and sell it in their own ebook"? Applies to forum posts as well.

 

Sometimes you just need to write to get it out of the way. Because it's on your bucket-list.
However, if your goal is to make actual money, then I agree with everything said above. More benefit will come from blogging or writing copy for others.
Here's a thought I discussed with a friend about two weeks ago. What if instead of writing an ebook you just "blog" chapters of your book? One of the friends did that, and ended up creating a community around his book, which later allowed him to continue blogging and making money with that. He now gives out writing guides and publishing tips. I'm not sure how often that works out for people, but somehow I assume you would make more money blogging like that than you would publishing an eBook.
Who here has published? Does that seam reasonable?

 

"It's simply not worth the effort from a monetary standpoint."
I can't agree with that. Only in a month I was able to earn over 4 times more than while working on the full-time job. Of course such great earnings was only in the first month after publishing this ebook but even now I can't complain.
"create mailing list, and then try to sell some services or product."
Such as an ebook ;-)
"Who here has published? Does that seam reasonable?"
Yes, it has. But I just had lots of luck while promoting it.

BTW, sorry, I can't add anything to your list ;-) I just can't find any reasons for NOT publishing an ebook. The only risk is that you spend some time and won't earn enough. But I assume you already spend lots of time on things you can't earn on... ie. talking on forums.

 

The fact that you initially did well with your ebook is the exception rather than the rule.
Now as to your caustic comment on "talking on forums". I have over 200 followers, many that I do and have done business with. I would not have been able to make contact with these members had I not been "talking" on this forum. Interacting with others on here is good for business.

 

There are also a lot of people who come on forms to research projects so they do not waste hundreds of hours working on something that has a massive statistical risk of failure. Or so they can see where other have failed and avoid those pitfalls.
It is much easier to spend a few hours researching something and seeing where others have failed so you do not spend countless hours to the same failure.

To many of us our time is worth something so lost time is losing money. You can always write things off as a “lesson” but why spend hundreds of hours on a lesson that can be learned with a few hours of research ?

 

Noooooo, tell me you didn't use that non-word!

 

"Now as to your caustic comment on "talking on forums"."
First of all, it was not caustic It's just an opinion based on my experience. I don't count the time spent on reading forums or blogs, so I don't see the reason of counting the time spent on writing someting useful for others. What I meant is that if you just can find an interesting topic to write about, you should just do it as you risk almost nothing - just a bit of your time.

"You can always write things off as a “lesson” but why spend hundreds of hours on a lesson that can be learned with a few hours of research ?"
Because there are lots of people who prefer to pay for the most important knowledge in one place (ie. ebook) rather than to waste their time on researching. Time is money. If you want to save your time, it usually costs you... but only a bit.

 

Touché, very good mon ami I'm impressed. "Irregardless" is considered nonstandard because it is redundant. So that was a nice catch. But I am ESL, that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

 

The blind leading the blind to countless hours of non productive fruitless labor.

 

I think you completely misunderstood what I was writing about.

 

I'll add a nod of my head to that. I've earned (much) more money from writing for others than I have from blogging, and both of them are far ahead of earnings from publishing. I published because I wanted to, not because it would make money.

I have, in paperback and ebook for Kindle. Royalties are a nice thing to have, but you have to sell an awful lot of books to earn a decent amount of money - and all the marketing hours it takes to promote a publication could be spent on straightforward work, earning better money. Of course, if you have a rabid following who want to spend money on anything you write, ebook earning is a lot easier.

Or if you're famous. That works, too.

 

@TIEro Do you write for others and blog? Just percentage wise, how much do you earn from writing for others/blogging/royalties? As in 50% of writing-based income/25%/25% or whatever it is for you. If it's not too personal a question to ask...

 

In all cases, bear in mind that I'm a "half-hogger", as my friend would say - a part-timer. I only do a couple of hours every couple of days because I have other commitments, and I only work with two clients, plus my own sites and a burgeoning partnership which is all work and no money right now!

Writing for others is my main earner, which brings in 90% of the income - around $1,000 a month on average (assuming an 8- or 10-hour week). In a good month I can double that, depending on what the clients need, how much work they have and bonuses for finishing projects (yes, one of my clients gives bonuses, too!).

My own sites earn about 10%, at about $100 a month. That's with very minor maintenance or updating: they mostly just sit there generating pennies in ad revenue with no work. I went the quantity route rather than quality.

Royalties are pitiful because I don't do ANY marketing or promotion. I've made about $50 since publishing. As I said, I did it because I wanted to, not for the money. The really freaky thing is knowing there are people somewhere in the world who have read it... and I've never met them or anything. Very strange feeling, that.

I don't want to hijack the thread into a discussion of earnings or anything, so I apologise if the OP considers this way out of place.

 

Mostly because I use PayPal for everything and eBooks in certain fields have a high charge back rate. Once you get around a 3% charge back rate, they start questioning things.

People will buy the eBook then immediately dispute it or try to get it refunded because they want things for free. That's why I have never touched Clickbank or decided to put anything up on that site. You can literally purchase something worth $40, go to their Live Chat, put the excuse for wanting a refund as "I'm out of milk, I'm angry..." and you'll get your refund.

Anything to do with making money online has a VERY high refund rate, because it's mostly people scouring the internet for a magic button or eBook that'll solve all their problems.

 

That's an interesting comment. My book's never had a single chargeback. I wonder if that's because it's on Kindle, which puts it in the "legitimate" zone to many readers, rather than the "cheap get-rich-quick crap" market?