The Value of Publishing

As we’ve mentioned in earlier posts, many independent experts scale their expertise by broadcasting information, and the most straightforward way to broadcast your message is through publishing a book or an ebook. It’s simple, and it can work — depending on what your goals are.

If your goal is to make a living from your writing, and you’ve got the ideas, name and connections to score a deal with a big-name publishing house, then what are you reading this blog for?! However, that’s a little out of reach for most folks.

If your goal is to use your book as a calling card, helping you present yourself as a respected expert in order to book speaking gigs and consulting engagements, then this seems like a more realistic goal for most independent experts.

Sometimes, ebooks can even be used as a great way to grow an audience for your courses. For example, Get Storied offers the “Believe Me” eBook for free, while building a business around the “New About Me” course, which is hosted on ruzuku.

Do books and ebooks work for readers?

Books and eBooks are inexpensive, typically costing $10 – $30. They can provide comprehensive information in an easily-understandable format, but how much impact do they really have on the reader’s behavior? In many cases, you read the book, you put it down (or close the PDF), and you don’t do anything differently. It is fundamentally difficult to implement and apply concepts from a book on your own without any support or structure.

In addition, these formats fail to take advantage of the Web’s ability to present multimedia and interactivity. Ruzuku, however, allows you can supplement text with audio, video, animations, and slide presentations. You can give your students surveys, assessments, and quizzes to complete through interactive forms.

Ruzuku also helps you create a social learning environment. While learning from a book can be isolating, learning on ruzuku takes place in the company of supportive peers, with professional guidance (that’s your job!). We believe that learning in a community is more motivating, fun, and effective than learning on your own.