Customer Reviews

From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with books, E-Books and Information Products

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I bought this book on Amazon I was hoping to get some tips and resources for the burgeoning world of online content -- eBooks, reports, newsletters, etc. In that regard, this book was a disappointment. 90% of the content relates to authors who are publishing for print. If you are getting a book traditionally published or self-published, you may benefit. If your focus is online content, I would keep looking.

I feel like the title misrepresents the content. "Getting your book published" or "publishing and marketing your book" are more apt. If I didn't feel a little duped by the promise of content, I would probably up my rating to 3 stars. Only chapter 6 and maybe part of chapter 7 (less than 20 pages) focus on anything other than the traditional publishing model.

I've read most of Alan Weiss' books on how to be a successful consultant, and the instant book seemed to me to be pretty much a rehash of Dr. Weiss' books. It had a little of Dottie Walter's book (Speak and Grow Rich) mixed in there, as well as a bunch of content similar to that found in M.J. Rose's book (How to Promote and Publish Online). The book did not seem to me to be about "infopreneurship" per se as the title suggests. It certainly covered the subject, but it covered more in my opinion.

Before I purchased this book the other day my idea of an infopreneur was that of a digital publisher that sold information products online. My understanding of the term seems to be consistent with an entry for "infopreneur" at Wikipedia Online: "An infopreneur is generally considered an entrepreneur who makes money selling information on the Internet." Since an infopreneur is an entrepreneur it seemed odd to me that the title of the book was worded the way that it was.

I had problems with the title to Chapter 8 in the book (Your Web Site: Build it and They Will Come). Just about everybody knows that merely building a Web site does not generate visitors or, more importantly, paying customers or clients.

My favorite chapters were the ones that seemed to focus on infopreneurship:

1. Information Product Opportunities (a list of the available information product options)
6. Digital Books and Special Reports
7. Other Information Products
9. Online Marketing Techniques
10. Offline Marketing Techniques

I would have liked the book better if Chapter 4 (How to Get Published Traditionally) had been omitted and Chapter 11 (Buzz Marketing) had been merged into chapters 9 (Online Marketing) and 10 (Offline Marketing). And as a CPA, attorney, and small business expert, I had problems with Chapter 5 (Self Publishing Demystified). The process of self publishing can be as simple as writing an article using Microsoft Word, printing it as a PDF File, and selling the PDF file. Of course, it can be more involved than that, but it need not be. And the presentation of Choice of Legal Entity for a small business here was not completely accurate. And for someone who toots their horn as a "Small Business Expert" I expected more helpful and accurate information from this author on this subject.

I noticed the Table of Contents for this book was not listed as part of Amazon's promo offerings. However, you can visit the author's Web site and she has generously posted the TOC or outline for the book. This author really does try to be helpful in the books she writes.

What I got from this book is the message that writing is important and profitable for an entrepreneur. Writing will set an entrepreneur apart as an expert. And what she writes can be sold to create passive income streams. And an entrepreneur can use her status as an expert to command consulting fees and public speaking fees (more revenue). This is what the author has done personally, and this is what she has written about in this book. 4 stars!

Based on the other Amazon reviews, I purchased this book. After reading it, and being thoroughly disappointed, I realized, on second glance, that most of the reviews here are from other authors, who seemed to give it the thumbs up.

I expected this book to tackle more issues with regard to eBooks, in terms of generation and advertising, and the information contained in this book on this subject was scant, to say the least. Most of the book addresses methods for promoting printed books, which is misleading (in my eyes) and conflicts with the words "eBook" and "Information Products", which appear on the front cover. Many of the ideas presented for advertising - TV, radio, seminars, etc., are well outside the bounds of the average author. Lots of regurgitated concepts that we've seen hundreds of times before in other books.

There are basically only 1 or 2 small chapters that are relevant to eBooks, and there are major omissions in that regard - no description of ClickBank (the pre-eminent leader in eBook distribution) other than a quick reference, and only a one page discussion of PPC advertising, which has to be addressed more thoroughly in this type of book.

I did find a couple of useful tidbits and website references, but it certainly didn't justify the price of the book.

We are not in the information age, but rather the information overload age. People handle information overload by seeking out experts, and publishing information products helps make you an expert. Experts benefit by selling information products or perhaps giving them away to help further establish their expertise, which can lead to more and better work.

I often blog on how bloggers should repackage their information into information products like books, ebooks, special reports, audio CDs etc. Stephanie Chandler's recent book is a great and pretty thorough overview of information products -- creating, marketing and more, that I'll be recommending to many people.

I know this topic pretty well having aided several clients in producing and marketing info products, and this book is simply full of solid advice. I'm not sure how I could have made it better had I written it myself, and it's usually easy to offer constructive criticism in hindsight. I certainly learned a few things, and the book has a nice organization and flow.

I particularly liked the Infopreneur Profiles, perhaps in part because I know several of them personally. Great choices!

If I had to make one criticism, it would be the amount of coverage to traditional books. Then again, they are the "original" info product and the best at establish one as an "expert."

From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur is a wonderful resource for anyone who sees the value in creating a passive income source from their current area of expertise - either hobby or profession. If you don't understand or see the value in becoming an Infopreneur, then this book is definitely for you.

The book is well written, organized and full of valuable information. It offers an easy to understand, step-by-step guide for the entrepreneur to transform their business and become an information marketer.

It is very easy for the entrepreneur to under estimate the market potential for their knowledge. Stephanie does an excellent job of illustrating how to take the knowledge we have acquired and to package it into a valuable product that can generate income on a passive basis. The internet has made it possible - actually easy - for anyone to package and sell their knowledge worldwide.

While it is often referred to as passive income, Stephanie is quick to point out that creating an informational product is simply the first step. If you are not willing to actively market your product/idea then you will have wasted a lot of time and energy in creating it. The income might be passive but there is this huge need for very active marketing. But do not despair. All the steps and instructions for effective marketing are in the book.

The book is full of hints, helpful tips and resources. I had read less than 30 pages when I was given a suggestion that made me put the book down and implement it. There are literally hundreds of helpful website addresses in the book. In addition there are profiles of successful infopreneurs, explaining what they do and how they did it.

One other extremely valuable lesson that is hammered home throughout the book is the value of becoming a recognized expert in your field. There is nothing like publishing book(s), articles, special reports, etc, that will establish your credibility as an expert. This can dramatically increase your value and thus income from other sources.

The book has way too much information to absorb in just one reading. If you are serious about becoming an informational marketer, read it a couple of times and then use it as a handy reference. A great resource for those just starting out or the seasoned infopreneur.

Stephanie Chandler didnt miss too much info on the topic of getting traffic to your site. The resources and links that were given were very helpful and worth the price of the book alone. A lot of space was given to writing and promoting your book, but I found the information helpful.
Every page of this book was useful and well thought out.

If you have information products to market but aren't sure how to get started, this is the perfect place to begin.

Information products are all the rage and Stephanie Chandler's book From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur {Make Money with Books, eBooks, and Information Products} clearly outlines how to successfully leverage your knowledge to increase your income. If you're looking for tried and true techniques, this book is for you. Chandler provides resources, tips, tools and how to guidelines that are easy to follow and promote instant implementation. Plus, Chandler knows what she writes of. She has two successful businesses, a thriving bookstore, Book Lovers Cafe and a resource-rich website for entrepreneurs Business Info Guide. The diversity of owning both a brick and mortar and an online business gives Chandler an obvious edge in the business arena.

This book is a must read if:

* You're teetering on the edge of moving forward with your book or information product ideas but aren't sure if you should go the traditional or self-publishing route.
* You're interested in leveraging your own knowledge to make money with teleseminars or eBooks

You can also expect sound advice regarding online and offline marketing and an extensive resource list to get you started.

There is a ton of great information in this book: how to set up your website, how to market your site, how to create products (ebooks, teleseminars, reports, etc.), how to get published, and how to automate the whole process. I really liked the interviews with people who are doing this successfully (Joe Vitale, Dan Poynter and others). There were plenty of real world examples and a lot of details I wouldn't have thought about otherwise. Now I have a great strategy for launching my info product business.

Let's see -- out of 225 informative pages, approximately half of them are folded, luring me back to follow-up on the advice. This isn't a book you are going to breeze through and then re-post in Marketplace or on e-Bay. No, this is a book that you will hold and treasure.

Why is this book great? Because Stephanie Chandler not only tells you what to do, but SHOWS you how to do it -- the very book is the living proof that what she says works. She's doing what she describes.

For example, Chapter Six is all about ebooks and special reports. In fact, she interviews other so-called "infopreneurs" and one professes to have no interest in hardcopy books because "... I make way more money with ebooks."

You can tell, in fact, that Stephanie herself compiled a collection of her ebooks or electronic reports to form the foundation for this book. Several times throughout the book she refers to creating and selling specific lists, as she has done, and then, lo-and-behold, Chapter 11 offers you 16 tactics for book marketing. Did this chapter used to be an e-book from her site? Probably. In fact, it probably still is. It that cool? You betcha!

I'm glad she compiled all this information together and sold it for the price of a paperback. Yes, some of the interviewees may sound avaricious(more than half boast about the money they make or state that money is their sole motivation), but I'm glad Ms. Chandler decided to offer this collection of information for the bargain basement price of $19.95, rather than chopping it up into bits for $39.95 a pop. (But YOU can do that, if you know how, and that's what this book is all about). - Brent Sampson, author of Self-Publishing Simplified

I love this book, and I don't say that about many books. For anyone interested in learning more about creating and marketing information products, Stephanie Chandler's book gives you a step-by-step process, with plenty of detail to get you going quickly.

I tried skimming it initially and I couldn't, because there is so much great information here that I don't want to miss a thing. Helpful tips, excellent guidance and encouragement. Terrific book, especially for the money.