Two big things going on for me.

1) As many of my summertime readers remember, I dislocated my kneecap in June.

(That damn thing FINALLY healed well enough a few weeks ago so that I’m now walking without a brace.)

2) Within the next couple of months I’m going to be buying a shih tzu.

(Mothering instincts kicking into overdrive again – but the baby factory is closed on this side of town. So a dog it is.)

Okay so what do these two events have to do with one another?

They’re both life changing situations. Experiences that could be “ebook-ized” and sold.

Allow me to elaborate.

When I dislocated my kneecap, I had the hardest time finding really good information on the healing process. I mean there were a couple of good sites with exercises and stuff. But the landscape was bleak for the questions I had outside of exercises.

And trust me when I say I searched… and searched… and searched.

I mean I have like 20 books on the topic of research, so I know how to get my hands dirty when it comes to searching online. And still nada.

This is a beaming example of a niche just screaming to be exploited.

Hey, people who have dislocated their kneecaps are sitting on their arses ALL DAY LONG. Couple that with the fact that the Internet has made us a self-medicating society.

Talk about a captive audience!

I would have definitely paid for an ebook from someone who could explain why my knee felt like jello, how I would heal, what would happen while I was healing, how to walk up/down the stairs without having a heart attack, how to open a heavy door, etc.

But there was nothing. So I’m writing one.

It won’t make me rich. But it will survive a long, long time. And it absolutely matches topic profile from DBO.

Moving on to shih tzu’s. Another major life altering deal.

And my biggest concern (since I’ve never owned a dog, and he will be an inside dog) is potty training him.

I went and subscribed to an ahem ’supposed’ shih tzu membership site, because the salesletter led me to believe that they had some revolutionary information on potty training shih tzu’s.

The information they gave was generic for all dogs. Once you log in to the site, it’s obvious that they promote to all types of dog owners, not just shih tzu owners.

I feel cheated on one hand.

But enterprising on the next.

As a prospective shih tzu owner I want an e-book that is geared towards shih tzu owners ONLY. I want it to come from someone who owns a shih tzu or two or three.

Quite frankly I don’t care if advice for poodles or chinese cresteds also applies to shih tzu’s. I want to read it as it applies to me – the shih tzu owner.

So guess what?

When I get Maximillian I’m going to document all of our experiences. When he’s all potty trained, and he can sit, and play catch, I’ll have an e-book to sell.

I’m going to interview the breeder where I’m buying Maximillian from, and include that information as well. Perhaps even include some tips from other shih tzu owners (please e-mail me if you have one).

You see how brilliantly this concept works?

It’s a winner because it easily builds from your personal experience. You’re not searching for desperate buyer topics. You’re living them and writing about them.

So for all of my DBO readers who swear they’ve got nothing going on in their lives to write about – think again. Think again.

Write about your life events and grow rich,

Alexis Dawes

I needed these past 3 months like fish need water.

Like Romeo needed Juliet, or like chocolate chip cookies need milk.

Seriously.

I didn’t realize it, but I was tettering on the edge of a mental burnout.

I came to this conclusion when I started my vacation, and my brain immediately shut off. Click… done.

During this time I had absolutely no desire to work. And even though I had a pile of ’stuff,’ my brain just wouldn’t allow me to work on any of it.

I couldn’t write. I didn’t want to read anything remotely related to work. And I actually felt guilty for feeling this way.

I’ve never had this happen before. Normally I’m raring to get back to work DURING my vacations. Not this time though.

All I can say is thank goodness for a profitable summer that permitted me to sit on my arse – (mainly healing from my dislocated kneecap) – and not have to think about anything. My brain feels like it took an enema. (Not to be gross, but you understand the metaphor.)

I’m so refreshed now. Still on vacation. But I’m working at an optimum level. I feel inspired. I guess that’s why I’ve been blogging like I’ve never blogged before.

How I Turned Mental Burnout Into a Mental Breakthrough

When possums are in danger of becoming some animals lunch, they will fall onto their backs, get stiff, and play dead. Predatory animals want to kill their prey. So when they see the dead possum, they move on.

Mental burnout is like your brain playing possum.

They’re often a signal that something in your writers life isn’t working. So your brain shuts off, and plays dead.

It’s up to you to distance yourself from the ‘danger,’ so your brain will wake up again.

Here are some things that I did to re-energize–

* Browsed around the biggest library in town. I had no real mission, except I forced myself to choose those books that I’d like to read for pleasure. So I read a bunch of crafting books. And I freakin’ loved it. I’m so into the DIY movement now. And I saw so many holes that were ripe for a sharp e-book writer like me.

* Stopped buying books to grow my business, and instead watched television. Normally I think television is a collosal waste of time. But during my mental burnout I realized that you can learn A LOT about human psychology by watching talk shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil. I culled many e-book ideas (based on my Desperate Buyers Only formula) by listening to people bare their souls.

* Got mentally engrossed in new hobbies. I learned to sew and do hand embroidery. The change in focus – even for a short period of time – helped me clear my mind of previous issues. Things that I thought were so important really weren’t. This gave me an entirely new perspective about the way I run my business.

Surpringly just as easily as I slipped into brain lockdown, I slipped right out.

One morning I woke up, looked at my idea books, and got back to work.

The sewing machine is now collecting dust. The television basically stays off. They’ve served my purpose so I can continue serving mine.

And in the end, that’s all that matters.

Chill out and grow rich,

Alexis Dawes

In the Internet marketing niche, there are A LOT of information products based on interviews.

Authors frequently seek out talented business owners, interview them, and have the interviews transcribed into e-book format.

It’s an awesome concept, that works with practically any niche.

But I also have a problem with this strategy. Is it me, or do some of the questions that people ask during these interviews really, kinda suck?

Boring questions create boring answers. Boring questions plus boring answers equal boring e-books. Not good.

In this business you don’t want to be a dandelion. You want to be the blue rose.

So get ready to be “Sawatskied.”

John Sawatsky is the guru-du-jour for ESPN’s editorial employees.

Every single one of them must attend his three-day seminar where they learn his seven infamous interview rules. (Which – by the way – bash the styles of interview moguls Larry King and Mike Wallace.)

During an NPR interview Sawatsky says that today’s interview styles are no better than those from 30 years ago. He claims they’re worse in some ways.

So what does Sawatsky suggest? Well among others…

• Avoid making statements during interviews.
• Avoid yes/no questions.
• Utilize open-ended, neutral question beginning with “What.”

Grab some more Sawatsky-based tips by reading the following articles:

• The Question Man
• The Art of the Interview, ESPN-Style
• Tool of the Trade: The Question
  

Ask better questions and get rich,

Alexis Dawes