Article: Mike Jones


The Small Business Library

October 19, 2000

eLectrify your eBusiness by eReading eBooks!

In the next 5 minutes you will learn:

  • Why eBooks are crucial to your business
  • How to setup your own eLibrary
  • Where to get good eBooks including a rich FREE resource
  • How to eRead (screen read) for maximum efficiency
  • How to make your eReading electrify your business
Ready? Let's get started:

Why eBooks are crucial to your business

    Your business needs input. The business mind must be like a fast flowing stream. Ideas, viewpoints, suggestions must be constantly flowing through. Still water can stagnate. So can business. None of us know it all. We are constantly learning. Well written eBooks can show us how to market, advertise, build web sites, you name it. We avoid grief by learning from the mistakes of others. How essential then that you build your own reference eLibrary. Every time you use it you can mine gold - if you do it right! This is why eBooks are crucial to your business.

How to setup your own eLibrary

    Just follow the same method as any library. A library has a catalog. Books are grouped in sections by subject or author. On your computer, create a folder call eLibrary. If you only have a handful of eBooks to start with you can keep them all together. As the number starts to grow create sub folders for different categories, e.g. marketing, advertising, web design, graphics etc. Put a shortcut to your library folder on your desktop so it is always there as a useful reference tool.

Where to get good eBooks

    There are numerous resources. Put "FREE eBooks" in any search engine and you will harvest a huge number of leads. However, wading through the results can be time consuming. An excellent site I discovered the other day was FreeEbooks which you can browse at your leisure. To get started quickly, you can go to a top hit list I have assembled here: eBooks. All the books listed I have personally obtained and can recommend from experience. The FREE ones you can download immediately from the links.

How to speed eRead

    So now you have your eLibrary folder containing a number of top eBooks. You start to read. Overwhelming isn't it? Especially if some of the books contain hundreds of pages. The answer? Develop the skill of speed reading onscreen. You need a way to quickly absorb information or you will be there forever!

    Two things are especially important with screen reading:

    1. Your environment. Lighting should not produce glare. Poor lighting can greatly reduce reading speed. High contrast is preferred on the screen so the print has the greatest clarity. This also improves comprehension.
    2. Use speed reading techniques. Use one hand to hit the 'Page Down' key and the other hand to hold and operate a guide such as a ruler. Holding the guide an inch or so away from the screen, move it down at a reasonable rate, or use sweeping motions across the screen. This encourages the eyes to take in larger sections at a time, especially making use of peripheral vision. With regular practice this really speeds up screen reading.
    Stop every 10 minutes or so and allow your eyes to roam around your surroundings, perhaps focusing on a distant object. This helps eliminate eye fatigue.

How to make your eReading electrify your business

    The number one trap to avoid is to just start reading WITHOUT any plan or preparation. This is like trying to catch and hold falling snow flakes. Yes there are millions of them and they all look so beautiful. Alas, they only last one second in the warmth of your hand. A good eBook may have a host of wonderful ideas. You are captivated by one, then in an instant that one is forgotten as you move on to the next. So how can you make your eReading sessions PRODUCTIVE?

    Resist the temptation to just rush in and start. Instead do this first:

    1. Have a new document open in your word processor.
    2. Scan the eBook's outline of contents so you can anticipate what's coming and where the book is going.
    3. Start reading objectively. This means you are looking for something! Basically any idea or suggestion that you can apply to YOUR business should be noted in your open document. Enter the page number so you can find it again. Alternatively, if you like working with hard copy, hit the print button. Then use a colored highlighter on the key sentences.
    4. After your reading session, set a time to implement or investigate the points you have noted.

    eBook reading should be a part of your weekly schedule. Make time each day to scan or read another batch of pages. For key eBooks, return to them after a couple of months and read them again. You will be amazed how many more gems you can sift out of it. What if the material in some books is duplicated in others? They still have value. No two books are identical. Does a gardening enthusiast have one gardening book on his bookshelf? No. If you are serious about internet business then you need a good collection of eBusiness eBooks!

    For example, a must in any eLibrary must surely be Ken Envoy's "Make Your Site Sell". I read sections again the other day which led me to make further changes on my web site. I removed a lot of clutter from the top of my web pages so a nice clean, clear header could do its work of pulling the audience in to the main body of the page. On previous readings I had missed that point. This time it screamed at me in view of my web page design.

So get your eLibrary organized. If you already have eBooks littered around your hard disk, gather them together and build an eLibrary. Start using them. If you have not yet downloaded any eBooks, make a start today using the suggestions above.

Yes, you can eLectrify your eBusiness by eReading eBooks from your own eLibrary!

Article by Mike Jones. The Affiliate Masters Course is an intensive 5-Day e-mail course on becoming a high-earning affiliate champion. Send a blank e-mail here: Mailto:tamsvitalstop@sitesell.net