Turning a Book into a Profitable and Fun to Run Subscription Website

If you have written - or are thinking about writing - a non-fiction book or training course on a topic that people are already buying into, stop! Here's an alternative "publication" idea to consider for the modern age, that lets you keep 100% control, costs a fraction of the normal publishing route, and allows you to sell your "publications" to buyers around the world, not just in one or two countries. 

Instead of paper and conventional bookshops, why not think digital, online publishing, websites? Using an easy-to-learn, and low-maintenance software publishing engine like the Joomla web Content Management System, converting your book or training course into a subscription web site is now a practical, realistic solution for many.

Once your subscription member website is set up, you can monetize your content by making your publications available to your visitors for small access fee.

Some Benefits of Publishing Your Book or Other Publication in Subscription Website Format

Consider:

• As you become both publisher and writer, you can potentially double or triple your income from each writing project.
  
• Low start-up costs compared to book publishing: once you've covered your one-off set-up costs and learned how to publish regular content online in a secure way, everything else you earn is pure profit.
• Low risk: as a website, you can make changes and apply content updates quickly. Much better than having a garage full of unsold print books: changing those in the same way isn't possible.
  
• Once your membership subscription-based website infrastructure is in place, you have few additional running costs. Transaction costs from PayPal and other payment providers are tiny in comparison and can be built into your prices.
  
• Website publishing is non-exclusive. If you are not yet a published writer in the traditional sense, then the website publishing option lets you bypass the entire usual lengthy process: you can be a published author just as soon as your subscription website is up and running.
• You can sell the same "book" content to thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of people from around the world.
• Website publishing is more environmentally friendly than print-based publishing. Help save a tree.
• You can add to, enhance, or change your subscription website "book" at a moment's notice, building in additional value that customers just love. Providing a similar level of instant update value with a printed book is not possible.
• Multiple options: why stop at a single website "book"? You could create a follow-up, or a third or fourth in a series.
• Quick and easy updates: keeping your website "book" up-to-date takes a little thought, a few key strokes and a few mouse clicks.
• You can work from anywhere: on the beach, in your garden, beside a lake, on top of a skyscraper, in a motor home, and so on.
• Global reach: you can find new customers that you might never have been able to contact using only traditional publishing options. Digital publishing can open new doors and create new income streams.
• Do the same for others: you could publish books written by other authors in the same way and share in the profits from those too. Think joint venture possibilities!
• Make your website "book" come alive with animated content: your website "book" can be made interactive and highly animated using Flash components, building in even more value, more interest and greater variety. Find Flash programmers and authors at organizations like eLance. Perhaps, in the future, most books will likewise come alive in similar ways. Why wait: you can get on the leading curve now!

Assessing the Power and the Risks of Spin-offs

The more you think about options for providing instant access education to up-to-date information, solutions and know-how, the more you can come up with additional, related ideas and options.

However, do remember, that for every great idea, there are almost certainly drawbacks, so do consider any downsides and risks in the same way. Makes lists. Compare for and against. Brainstorm with friends and colleagues.

The Challenge of the Book

Even with all the benefits digital publishing offers, right now, books are a compelling proposition. What is better than a bunch of paper bound together that you can easily pick up or put down at will? Simple, no electricity needed; no possible confusion - no technology invovled. When a book is available, it just works - every time!

To overcome the simple awesome power of the book, digital publications like websites, ebooks, white papers and reports must offer benefits that vastly outweigh the simplicity and ease that a conventional printed book provides.

The Future Here Now

Trends alter and times change. More of us are happy nowadays to read from a screen - just look at the power of television. As TV and the Internet start to merge - become almost seamlessly available in the same box - just think of what's possible!

If your book, training course or publication topic:

• Is compelling (health, money, homes, gardens, spirituality, work, income, travel, etc).
• Can be seen as "hot", current or timely (celebrities, news, global warming, etc).
• Has built in urgency (Starting a family, finding a home, coping with an illness, etc).
• Already enjoys a keen following (home renovations, sports, self-improvement, etc).

Then making similar information available from within a subscription website delivery structure, could provide you with an enviable living working within a relaxed environment. You could become one of the new, growing band of authors enjoying the benefits and perks available from the digital writer's life.

Why not start thinking about how you can make subscription-based websites work for you? By all means, play with ideas, but most importantly, take action. And why not begin right now?

InternetTIPS.com is a unique, plain English "How to" resource designed to help you create a profitable, interactive Web 2.0 website rich in engaging content, community and commerce.

Brian Austin is a member of both the Society of Authors and the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators. He has over 25,000 hours of extensive experience combining the disciplines of web site design, search engine optimization, and creating remarkable, compelling content interwoven with persuasive writing.

Whether you're an individual, small- or medium-sized business or organization, we can work with you to design, create and populate a "ready-to-go" website that you can be proud of.

Moreover, for no additional cost, clients who order website design services, can also enjoy full access to our member-only area containing a growing vault of downloadable resources including: 9,000 articles, 1,500 marketing strategies, plain English training tutorial videos, software, ebooks and more! To discuss your project, in the first instance, to ensure we don't miss your emails, please contact Brian using our web Contact form.