Should doctors write e-books?

Should doctors write ebooks? This is a question I get asked a lot – and sometimes people think it’s a question of writing one or the other – an ebook or a print book.  I think the answer depends on your ultimate goals, the subject matter (of both your book or book idea and the ebook) and your reasons for wanting to write an ebook.

Ebook  readers are growing in popularity
These days, with ebook readers becoming so popular, I think every author should look at ebooks again, even if they turned their backs on them before. And ebooks give authors the opportunity of re-purposing or reviving previously written material…

Ebooks can add add passive streams of income to your writing business

I believe ebook marketing can not only give you an additional stream of passive income (maybe not enough to make the payments on that jag you’ve been eyeing… but perhaps enough to put gas in it every month…)

But even more than that, I think writing an ebook is also a good marketing strategy.

And here’s how writing ebooks can hep you sell more books, build your credibility and add to your expertise in your market…

Let’s say you’re writing a book for parents about common illnesses for baby’s first year, and how to tell if it’s serious enough to call your doctor in the middle of the night…

When my first son was about 8 months old, he got a high fever in the middle of the night, and his screams woke us up.  I was petrified – and back in those days, the internet wasn’t the font of information it is now.  I called the doctor and he sent us t the emergency room … Which, as it turned out, wasn’t necessary.  (Although it was worth the $255 to find out he was going to be just fine.)

Should that happen now, today’s new mother is probably going to get online and Google something like, “Why does my infant have a high fever?” or “Should I call the doctor if my baby’s fever is 104.0″  – and lets say the top two answers are in books written by doctors… Only one is on Amazon.com and the other one is an ebook that can be ordered online and downloaded immediately… Obviously she’s not going to want to wait for Amazon to deliver the answer.

She’s going to order the ebook and get an instant answer to her problem.

And that’s where ebooks offer such an interesting addition to your marketing method.  Because you can mention your printed book in your ebook – even give her a link to order it from Amazon… Or you can give her a link to your Website, to sign up for your newsletter.  Or to your online catalog page, where you offer other ebooks, printed books or additional products for sale.

And that’s just the beginning… Why not add a “tell a friend” button, or invite her to let people know about your ebook through twitter, facebook, or one of the many other social networking sites available today?

Here’s something you want to pay close attention to though – make sure your ebook is formatted correctly, and that it’s written for the Web – which requires a different set of rules than writing for print.  Make sure it’s easy to read, that the paragraphs – and the length of the book itself – are short.  Make it interesting and full of valuable information.  And don’t forget to promote your Website, your other books, etc. in every ebook you write…