The blog uses the TypePad platform. It involved a team consisting of Information Architects, Graphic Designers, and Front End developers.

The creative tools used were Photoshop, CSS, Javascript and PHP.

Visit the Blog at www.ProglideSummerJob.com

Onofrio then rememberd his good friend Jo Anne Tudor, of Tudor Therapeutics and when she had produced a number of CDs while using the design services of Landings Media and Design.

Onofrio approached Landings media and after a quick brainstorming session, was ready for the process. Landings Media created all the mockups based on Onofrio’s ideas as well as ideas by the designers as well.

The result is a pocket cd package rich in earth tones and warmth. Landings media made sure that they stayed with the process from beginning to end.

EBooks are free to create – you just need an idea that is worth sharing with people, especially your target market.   You can use programs like Microsoft Word or whatever it is that you’re more comfortable with.  Our staff uses everything, from Microsoft Word to Adobe InDesign (if we wanted to get fancier with our eBooks).  Of course, you’ll need to have a purpose and reasons as well.

Know your ‘Why’ and be clear

Knowing your “Why” to write an eBook is really important, as this will affect the level of success that you want to achieve.  It’s always good to list down your reasons, your passions all on paper (I personally like to write them on paper, it creates motion for my mind to have the juices flowing.)  The more reasons you can list, the more your motivation sticks, especially through mental challenges. These could be for earning profits and income; another could be to generate prospective leads for your business, maybe even establish yourself as an expert.

I cannot stress how much important this step is.   So many people like to go into the production stage already without being clear and only waste their time doing so.  I, myself, am guilty of this, because I like to see results.  But that can backfire if you don’t know your why.  So spend more time on this.

One example is your passions.  I have this huge interest in Digital visual art, plus I love to draw and paint.   Over the many years as a Multimedia artist, I discovered techniques that may be of interest to budding digital artists and even professionals as well.  Of course though, my niche would mostly be those people who are willing to purchase my eBook – this is most important.

Once you’ve written your reasons, the next thing you may want to do is research and find a niche.  You can do this by searching on Google and checking out the top ten competing sites.  It’s also a good idea to check out blogs to see what people are talking about and if there might be a potential solution to people’s problems, using your passions, of course.

Write down all these problems that people are discussing – the ones that make sense to you.  Then start listing some solutions that you can think of.  Afterwards, begin setting up your eBook structure.

You can also call this a “thesis” or “mission” statement.  It basically keeps things clear for you and is usually no more than two lines.  But, however, that is totally up to you.  My statements for clarity are usually more than two pages long (like a business plan) and after I go back to it, I find that I can scale it down even more to make it even clearer, especially if you’ve done more research or have had some “ah-ha” moments.

Title says all

Just like in web sales copy, you only get a few seconds to grab your reader’s interest and attention, before they click the ‘back’ button and never return to your website.  This means forever.

It’s worth the time brainstorming ideas for your eBooks’ title.  Of course though, you want to also make sure that it is clear and not confusing.  At the same time, it also needs to solve a problem that the reader is looking to do.

My wife and I recently bought something called Magnetic Poetry, which I think is great for helping you generate ideas when you’re experiencing creative block.  The way to do this is to know what you are going to solve.  Then, find two words that match what you are going to solve.  Once you do, then take a bunch of other words in your hand (you don’t even need to look at them yet), then drop them right on top of your two words.  Then, sort them out until something connects to your two words, along with the random choice of words.

You also want to make sure that it is not too long as well.  Keep in mind that the title is the foundation and doorway to your eBook.  If it does not catch and open the door to your reader’s mind, there will be no connection, so take your time on this.

Know your readers quickly

You may ask me what I mean by that.  Well, have you ever found yourself among the wrong crowd and wished you had made better judgments and decisions?  If so, then you probably know what I mean.  In fact, you cannot sell a pot roast of beef to a Vegetarian, no matter how hard you try.  Bestselling author Brian Tracy mentions that a person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still. It’s vitally important to know your readers, know their habits, their buying habits, and what is most important to them.

Your EBook format Delivery

There are many ways you can create an eBook.  There are two standard ones that many eBook authors use: Executables (.exe) and Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) files.  Some things to keep in mind though:

If you have skills in programming or have a program that can generate a standalone eBook that doesn’t require a commercial reader, then the (.exe) route is the way to go.  If, however, you’d like to have your work viewable in a web browser as well and want some compatibility with many readers on both PC and Mac, you may want to consider (.pdf).  There are advantages to each one.  The thing with the (.exe) format of eBooks is that you can customize the user experience, but your audience will need to have a PC, since the (.exe) format doesn’t work on Macs.  Plus, the (.exe) format can be susceptible to viruses.  Many email programs discourage opening emails that contain (.exe) files, so you may have to use a different means of delivery.  The upside to this is that it is a good viral marketing tool and can run on its own.

PDF files on the other hand are industry standard and just about everyone can read it on either a browser or a mobile device.  You pretty much can use plenty of 3rd party software that’s available on the web to create your eBooks.  I myself like to use a program called “CutePDF”, which is a free application that makes itself available to all your software programs, such as Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, pretty much anything that can print or save.  Make sure to research it first though, things do change and improve on the web.

Enjoy writing your eBook

If you’ve done the above, then you’re ready to write your eBook.  If you are really clear as to what you want to write about, you will most likely be motivated enough to finish a first complete draft within a few hours.

Hey, that’s passion!

Once you’re finished, take a break, maybe even a day off if you’d like – that’s totally up to you.  Whatever recharges your batteries, go ahead and do it.  Then come back to your eBook and re-read it from the viewpoint of a first-time reader.   This is critical and key to your success.  Make all the necessary changes until it makes sense to you and is clear.

You may also want to include some links back to your website, in order to keep a relationship going with your readers.  You can even offer them a discount if they subscribe to your website.  Just do some homework on this, but make it fun at the same time!

Consider having someone proofread your work as well.  I myself am lucky enough to have access to professional copywriters who are both family and friends, so I can definitely pass my work on to them whenever they have some time to review it.   It’s important, however, that these people you choose for proofreading are also supporters in your road to success (positive-thinking people help a lot, but they should also be realistic and honest too.)  You’ll be surprised what they can tell you based on what they understand.

Keep an open mind when they make suggestions or critiques.

Get Testimonials

It’s a good idea to get some testimonials if you can from people who have read your e-book and have benefitted from your advice.  But what if you don’t have any people to provide testimonials?

Here’s what you can do.  Find up to five people you know personally who may benefit from the eBook.  For example, if my eBook is about creating digital art and has some great tips, I would send it to my Graphic Designer/Computer Animator/Illustrator friends or even friends who have told me that they are thinking about getting into the creative profession and are doing something about it.  I wouldn’t send it to my doctor or someone who may waste my time.

Congratulations, new Author!

Once you’ve put the finishing touches on your eBook, then you can have it ready for sale!  You may want to talk to a web developer or a company that specializes in setting up a shopping cart system on your website, so that the only thing you need to do is check the sales regularly and collect the money.  Of course as well, you’ll want to have a good relationship with every person who buys your eBook.

One thing to consider is that you will want to copy protect your book, so that it doesn’t duplicate.  We live in an age where if people can make copies of music, they can do it as well to anything that is digital.  The advantage of an eBook is that it gets into your customer’s hands quickly and you make money right away.  The down side is that it can be duplicated as well if you’re not careful.

There is lots of software out there that let you put security measures on your eBook.  You can even track to see if someone, who bought your eBook, has opened it or has made copies of it without permission.  The software should be able to let you send a word of caution to the purchaser or even control how that eBook is used.

Otherwise, you’re totally ready to start marketing your eBook!

Rodney Ronquillo
President of Landings Media

The website was first designed in Photoshop, then it was all brought over to the CONVIO eCRM and CMS system.  CSS was used a lot to style and structure the look and feel of the website.

Visit the Pesticide conference website now.

The site was revamped with a new design, going for a more organic and earthy and imaginative feel, all in Photoshop.  The rest of the site was constructed using PHP and a lot of includes.  Because the site owner is trained in web development, there was no need for a content management system.

Check out Writer’s Cramp now and read all the stories at http://www.writerscramp.ca

Everybody is into green these days, with the challenges happening in our world today.  We have issues ranging in global warming, air pollution, acidic waters, the list goes on and on.

The Green Clean Guy site’s mission is to provide tips, techniques and information to it’s visitors who want to make their home lives more greener and how they can also contribute to this growing industry.

The site is built using the Drupal Content Management System, along with numerous modules.  Also, plenty of PHP and CSS work was done to get the look and feel proper on the site.

A lot of planning had to go into the site.  It needed to be set up in such a way that it would encourage subscription to the monthly enewsletter and that writing articles would be simple enough that it can be done from anywhere in the world.  The subscription system, going back to this, needed to be set up on the site’s server, instead of branching off to a third party service that handled all opt-in mailling and autoresponder activities.

It also started out with initial sketches of a cartoon Character, which was scanned, colored in Adobe Photoshop and then constructed as a template using CSS and PHP.

The site is still young but has been getting a steady stream of traffic through article marketing, which the writer provides.

Visit the Green Clean Guy site and consider their products in going green at http://www.greencleanguy.com

The exhibition features photographs of those touched by cancer: mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, sisters, brothers, friends and family capturing our hearts, inspiring us with their stories and engaging us in a conversation about cancer.

With two in five Canadians facing a diagnosis of cancer in their lifetime, it is more critical than ever to raise awareness about the disease and the impact it has on the lives of Canadians.

The backend technology used for Cancer Connections is CONVIO, which is an eCRM and CMS system.  The Society uses this system for it’s ease of use, flexibility and features.

Landings Media collaborated with the Society staff in the design and development of the site.  It also features a gallery of photos that were submitted by Canadians coast to coast.

Visit Cancer Connections website and consider making a donation – it is so much worth it to give:

http://www.cancer.ca/photoexhibit

Colourful Money is an online financial resource that helps Canadians improve their financial health and well being, with the latest information by professionals in the various fields.  This could range from Investments, Banking, Trading, Options, RRSP’s and so much more.

Landings Media helped the team at Colourful Money by helping them create a new look and feel for the layout, as well as develop the Logo.

“The Colourful Money team already had a web structure and Internet Marketing initiative in place, so I only needed to focus on helping them with the style and design” says Rodney.

The site uses a variety of techniques, using PHP, CSS, and WordPress as the main choice for Content Management.

Colourful Money gets a lot of traffic,  plus they have a very large Twitter and facebook following as well.   What’s more, they are profitable too!

Visit Colourful Money at http://www.colourfulmoney.com

Landings Media continues to help Artists and Musicians put their best foot forward.  This time, the power goes back into the hands of the Artist in such a way that they are able to update their own website from anywhere in the world.

“Working on the Chyrell Samson website was a joy and a pleasure” marks Rodney Ronquillo, Project Manager and Designer of the website.  Now Chyrell can update her website’s blog, change the events listings, add photos to her very own gallery, upload or link up online videos, link songs to the site.  The possibilities are absolutely limitless.”

One of the most important features for the website is the spam security feature, which requires guests to answer a visual question, in order to prevent software-automatic spam posts.  The previous website didn’t have this feature, so the blogs would be saturated with thousands of spam comments.  Once the security feature was implemented, the posts were reduced to zero, so that only real human posts could get through.

“I like the fact that I can now update my site without the need to contact Landings media, unless it is very necessary” says Chyrell.  “Now I can focus more on my performances and artistry and less on trying to get home quick in order to update my website via the ftp and Dreamweaver method.”

Photos were taken in the Philippines and then they were used to create the rest of the site using Photoshop. The Backend force behind the entire site is the Drupal Content Management system. The rest of the site is styled in CSS and constructed in PHP.

The rotating header was created in Adobe Flash, using alpha channels and a few layers. A sound jukebox option will implemented in the next site overhaul, with new customized Drupal modules.

So far, it’s working out.

Visit Chyrell Samson’s website  at http://www.chyrell.com

Another great partnership, Canadian Cancer Society was one of Landings Media’s true Charitable organization clientelle.  The Society was undergoing a transformation in which they were to having Canadians discuss and share with each other about Cancer, and the Society would be in the center of the discussion.

In fact, the Society was able to generate a huge amount of generations, for their Relay For Life event.  It was a huge success.

Landings media collaborated with the Society, by providing Project Management, Web development and design expertise.  The result has been a successful Pan-Canadian internal marketing campaign in which society staff were able to share stories about their experiences with each other.

Another project that Landings media collaborated on was the Cancer Connections Pan-Canadian event, by collaborating with Society staff on a fully functional website that features photography by the Society’s partner, Photosensitive.  Also, Canadians from all across the country provided Black and white photographs for display on the website.

“I really enjoyed working with the Canadian Cancer Society” said Rodney.  “Every project we worked on all helped towards a common goal, which was to ensure that every Canadian would never fear Cancer ever again.”

It looks like it’s working.

Visit the Canadian Cancer Society’s Storybook site  at http://storybook.cancer.ca