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The title of this article is deceptively simple, but I promise there’s more to pricing an ebook than you would think. The inspiration for this tip came from an email I received from a subscriber, which read…

”I’m planning on releasing my ebook soon and I’m trying to decide how to sell it. (i.e. with resell rights, customization rights, etc) Any tips you could give as to how I should sell it for maximum profits?”

The way I look at it, you create a product because you want to accomplish one of two things:

1. Make a lot of money or…

2. Build your list and generate publicity

You really can’t do #1 very effectively if you don’t charge a premium for your ebook, so in my opinion if you don’t feel your ebook is worth at least $37, then you should consider refocusing your marketing plan from profit generation to list generation. (Note: The $37 figure is not set it stone, but it’s what I’ve found works best for my business.)

So how do you transition from profit generation to list generation? Simple…just offer low-cost (or free) resell rights to your ebook.

If your ebook has resell rights available (and it’s of high quality), it will spread much faster giving you more recognition while building your list at the same time. But let’s not forget…you’ll also make a tidy sum selling the ebook on the front end, and then charging extra for resell rights and customization.

Then all you have to do is roll out another (more expensive product) to your new list, and watch the really BIG profits roll in.

I realize that this idea isn’t anything new, but so few info publishers are actually using it that it’s worth discussing. Far too often I hear of people trying to ”make it big” off of a $17 ebook. I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn’t going to happen!

So instead of busting your butt for a small fortune, bust your butt for a HUGE list. It may not seem as sexy at first, but I promise it will pay much larger dividends over the long-haul.

Though I made a nice profit off of the front-end sales of this product, my main focus was to build my list and increase my name recognition.

Here’s a joint venture technique you can use that I guarantee will get the attention of even the busiest, most successful website owners.

Consider this…

If you were going to approach someone about forming a joint venture or partnership, what method would you use? Well if you’re like 99.9% of the people out there, then chances are you would simply send them a personal email and then wait for a reply.

Sometimes the reply comes, and other times it doesn’t. Well here’s a way to virtually ensure a reply of some sort…

Don’t email your potential partners your offer – MAIL it to them. That’s right! It’s time to dust off those old stamps, break out envelopes and actually send a real, live letter. I realize this sounds a little backwards, but that’s the beauty of it.

Here’s an example…

I receive dozens of joint venture requests every day, some of which are worth replying to, and some of which are not. The funny thing, however, is that of the thousands of JV requests that have cross my path, not a single one has been delivered via postal mail.

So what do you think my reaction would be if I did receive something in the mail? Don’t bother guessing…I’ll tell you! I’d be shocked, amazed, and impressed all at the same time. Even if the offer was not for me, you better believe that I would give it extra-special consideration. (And that’s really all you can ask for when approaching a potential partner.)

But let’s take this one step further…

Instead of just sending a personal letter via First Class mail, try sending it through Federal Express, or even registered mail. Heck, make the person sign for it!

Obviously you don’t want to go too overboard with this, but if the joint venture could earn you thousands of dollars, isn’t it at least worth the cost of a postage stamp. I think so…

If you get dozens of emails everyday from people wanting you to joint venture with them on their latest ebook or software project, the majority of which are barely worth replying to. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m always open to joint venture opportunities, but please please please if you’re going to make an me an offer, you better make sure it’s one I can’t refuse. (And this goes with other marketers as well.)

Here’s what I mean… All too often, the joint venture offers I receive go something like this: ”I just wrote an ebook and would like it if you could advertise it to your list. It sells for $17, and I pay 50% commissions. I’d really appreciate your help.” Ok, this joint venture offer has 2 major problems… 1. You can expect any marketer to get excited about an $8.50 commission. (Actually it’s less than $8 after the merchant company gets their part.) If you want someone with a large responsive list to promote your product, your commissions really need to excite your potential partner.

Personally, I expect to make at least $25-$30 off of every sale I make. Anything less and it’s really not worth it to me to send out. 2. Don’t expect big-name marketers to ”help” you for next-to-nothing. I’m a pretty nice guy, but when it all comes down to it, I got started online to make money. And so while I try to help people whenever I can, I have to make sure that I’m meeting my own bottom line. So please don’t beg me (or other marketers) to help. It just isn’t fair to ask someone to sacrifice their own profits when they also have a family to provide for.

Ok, so all that being said…how do you formulate the perfect joint venture offer? Well like I said before, the name of the game is to make someone an offer that they can’t refuse. You do that by selling high margin products, and offering huge commissions. And it may sound crazy, but don’t be afraid to offer people with really huge lists even more than 50%. If there’s a person that you really want to joint venture with, and they tell you that they expect $25 off of every sale (but your product sells for $40)…give them $25! The way I look at it, $15 is a heck of a lot better than $0, and this way you also get your name out there and have the potential to make more sales in the future. (Just make sure that you cover your own costs, especially if the product you market is physical.) This tip isn’t a full blown explanation of joint ventures, but hopefully it’ll lead you in the right direction when you go to email Mr. or Ms. Big about your brand new product.

Now I understand that we’ve been taught our whole lives to ”Think BIG,” but when it comes to product development, whether it be software, an info-product or whatever else, my advice is to ”Think Small”.

So, instead of creating the HTML editor to end all other HTML editors, why not just create a simple program that can fill a common need. That’s how you make a lot of money! And instead of writing

 a 500 page ebook for your first project, why not just create a short, 30-page report on a more targeted area. Not only will it be easier to create, it should also sell better than a lengthy, unfocused manual.

I can assure you that if you follow this advice, you’ll finish a lot more projects, and earn a lot more money. If all else fails, you can ”delay” your really big ideas until your ”little ones” are bringing in some cash. :-)