While your massage therapy business may be going very well, you can easily add to your income by adding a ‘hands off’ facet to your business. You may very well wonder what this could possibly be… have you ever considered writing eBooks related to your massage or bodywork business? Writing an eBook isn’t too complicated, and placing them for sale on your website creates the possibility that you can be making money around the clock—even while you sleep.

Why Should You Write an eBook?

Let’s face it… you can only massage so many bodies in a day. One way to increase your profits is to look at developing more “hands off” massage materials that your customers and customers world-wide may be interested in. Selling information online is becoming a multi-million dollar industry and therapeutic massage and bodywork can be a part of it. Why shouldn’t you be a part of it? The most frequently used format is the eBook. There are no set lengths or designs for an eBook… you are free to make your book as you see fit. Some format that eBooks come as are PDF files, some as text files, and some as Word files. Once it is written and uploaded, customers can purchase and download it anytime they want, garnering you profits long after you typed ‘The End.’

Advantages to eBooks include:

• Virtually no start-up costs
• No printing costs
• No agents or publishers taking percentages
• No packing and shipping costs
• No inventory to maintain
• You gain credibility as a leader in your field

If you wish, you can offer it as a free gift during promotions for added value.

How difficult is it to write an eBook?

The answer to that lies in what you choose for subject matter. If you are a massage therapist, and write about topics related to massage, chances are writing your eBook is not going to be as hard as you may initially think. For example, maybe you choose to write an eBook on “Easy Massage Techniques Anyone Can Do at Home.” A topic like this may generate you income from clients who ordinarily may not choose a professional massage or maybe can’t afford one. But they may be willing to shell out a smaller amount to find out how to help themselves. This will impact your bottom line in a very appreciative way.

After choosing your topic, jot down some notes on the subject. Include everything you can think of that relates to your chosen topic. Now that you’ve got all that information down on paper (or on your computer screen), you can organize it into related groups that will then form your chapters. For instance, using the above example, you may want to start with an Introduction (share a little about yourself, your experience and education, and anything else you think will get the reader to know you a bit). Then you can either do chapters based on where the massage technique is applied (feet, hands, neck, etc), or the type of technique (Shiatsu, Acupressure, etc).

Once you have your chapter headings figured out, you’ll want to break each chapter down into subheadings; then you can put each chapter into a basic outline. Once your entire book is outlined, it is easy to flesh it out. In the beginning do not worry about grammar, spelling or choosing the perfect words yet, just get the words written. After you’re done, you can go back and edit it for organization and clarity. Make sure the information flows in a logical manner, and that you’re not repeating one fact while omitting another.

Use your spell check and proofread more than once. Do you want to add pictures? You can have a friend take some photos showing the techniques, or maybe you or someone you know can draw diagrams. Place them in the document according to where each technique is located. Now that your eBook is almost complete, have someone else read it that is not familiar with your topic. They will be seeing it with fresh eyes, and can advise you of mistakes, typos, and areas that need clarification.

Once your eBook is finished, upload it to your website. You’ll want to check out shopping cart software. There are many types available that are secure, from PayPal to more complex systems. You’ll want to find something that will allow your customers to download your eBook as soon as they’ve paid for it.

Once your eBook starts to sell, you can always write more on related topics. Expand your library of available eBooks, and expand your income.