Ebook fiction won't sell. I know it's so. And so do most. Likely you do as well. Folks curl up in a chair, sprawl on couch, lounge in bath tub, and so forth to read fiction. Hey, this is way it is! Still ...

You see I love fiction. I love to read it. And I loved writing it for many years. (I even sold a novel, "Fatal Games," Pageant Press, 1989) And I'd love to write another tale. But I don't want to pay price to print it. With a minimum order of a thousand copies at $4-$5/copy? (And don't talk to me about print-on-demand; I've been there and seen that.) So maybe an ebook. Maybe.

I've been saying this ever since I first heard ebooks. But I have never tried one. Now I'm going to do it. The risk?

About 40 hours and 40 bucks. I've a dandy tale ready to go. Sure, all may go down drain. In which case, I'll really know. But there's that outside chance, like 40-1 long shot in race, that at least *some* people *will* read fiction in ebook format. So I'm going to ...

Go To BizMinisites.Com (The sales pitch is at )

They have a neat plan for mini-site builders. You get 500K of disk and lots of supporting extras, all for $9.95 per quarter. Heck, that's not much more than $3/month. And it's a smooth running service. Great download times. You don't even need a domain name, but you can use one if you like.

Next Stop? GoTo.Com

I'll hunt up keyword suggestion tool at

I'll enter some obvious choices. "Male fiction" and "male adventure," for these are catagories into which tale fits.

There's no telling how much time this will take, because I've simply got to find keywords actually being entered. Then select from those entered most often ones that are as close to above as I can find. This is a critcal step, for there's no point optimizing a page for keywords nobody uses.

Then it's off to Google to enter my keywords there. I'll be looking at counts of pages that come up on each phrase, hoping to find some low. Those with highest counts at GoTo (Demand), and lowest counts at Google (Supply) will become set of keywords I'll use.

Building Site Content

Here's where time may fly. It takes a while to figure what to write about. Topics that work well with keyword phrases selected. The home page will be sales presentation, with major content that blurb you see on backs of some paperbacks in bookstores. Something to hook reader into wanting to read book.

I haven't a fixed idea about actual content. Maybe something of task of writing in male adventure genre. Some more about why it is no longer being published. I can't say until I have those keywords.

The object here is to have all pages point directly to male adventure or male fiction, thus creating a small theme site, currently popular with some search engines.

For example, if you want a hardware business, identify best in town, open right next door, then jump in and beat those guys. If you can't manage this, don't open anywhere. Down block and around corner won't cut it. It will only take you longer to go broke.

You Must Beat The Competition Else Don't Compete

Many seem to feel that because Web is new, such a dynamic, yet-to-be-defined wilder beast, that even rules don't apply. And most who open an online business with such thinking, fail quickly.

Sure, Web is new. And it's dynamic. Exciting. All this and much, much more. But Law of Gravity has not been revoked. Nor have fundamental "laws" of business. Further, need for common sense seems constant.

Perhaps rule most often violated is to jump into middle of a highly competitive market. Open up to sell office supplies, and watch officedepot.com and staples.com shut you down within days. Sell books, and watch Amazon.Com destroy you. There is ...

A Better Way

'Niche Marketing' is key to minimizing competition. Offer sewing machine repair if you like. Most anything at all. But do not go head to head with giants. You'll lose.

Whatever product or service you choose to offer, it needs to be within a niche in which there is little or no competition. And you need to become top dog within this niche, at least over time. In doing so, you essentially eliminate competition. Or at least face none not easily beaten.

Finding niche just right for you is not hard or difficult to do. But it does take time. Think time mostly. That is, you need to ponder among options being considered. And doing so for a few moments throughout day over time works a bunch better than sitting at a desk seeking to force a decision.

Whether you are new to Web or looking for an alternative to a business you already have, here is ...

A Great Way To Start

Sit back in a comfy chair with brew of your choice in hand. Answer following questions just as quickly as you can. Don't give any one of them much thought. Just grab a note pad and pencil. Then scribble as rapidly as you can.

What Kinds Of People Do You Like To Be Around?

Go ahead. Describe them briefly on paper.