(The Walking The Talk series was created to show an ebook launch from idea to salesletter to marketing.)

I expanded the outline by filling in some sub-topics under the section headings.

As I continue going through the research material, I’ll add a few other points of interest here and there.

I’m still disliking this part of the process. (I said writing is profitable, but it ain’t always fun.)

But as you can see, once you get the gist of your ideas in working order, it’s easier to do the actual writing.

In addition, if you decide that you don’t want to do the actual writing, you can give a ghostwriter a detailed outline. This strategy ensures that you get exactly what you want, and is far more effective than giving them a description.

———————————

No More Smelly House

Introduction
- The top 10 causes of smelly apartments.
- The top 10 causes of smelly houses.
  + 20 questions to ask before you buy.
- The hardest smells to get rid – and why.
- What you can start doing right now to maintain an odor free home.

17 Smelly Home Problems Solved
- Pet smells
  + Dog smells
  + Cat smells
  + Ferret smells
  + Pet urine smells
- Skunk smells
  + Skunk smells in the home
  + Skunk smells on pets
- Cooking and Kitchen smells
  + 10 of the worst cooking culprits
  + What to do before you start cooking
  + Clearing the smell after cooking
  + Getting rid of garbage disposal smells
  + Getting rid of milk smells
- Smoke smells
  + Clearing cigarette smoke smell
  + Clearing cigar smoke smell
  + Fire smoke smell
- Musty/mildew house smells
  + How to know if you’ve got a smelly problem or an actual mold problem
  + Where and how musty smells most often begin
  + The 5-step approach to mastering that musty smell
- Smells in carpet
  + Steam cleaner or wet vac
  + Grandma’s old-fashioned remedy for smelly carpets
- Getting Rid of the Uninvited Guest. What to do when a neighbors bad smell invades your space.  

Air Fresheners, Candles and Air Purifiers – The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ugly (What you don’t know CAN hurt you)
- Air fresheners – a legal, addictive drug
  + The problem with most air fresheners
  + Candles
  + A do-it-yourself air freshener
- Do air purifiers really work for clearing bad smells?
  + Questions to ask before buying an air purifier
  + Where to find consumer reviews of air purifiers
  + The one air purifier that’ll make you sick

Blueprint for the Ultimate Odor Magnet

———————————

Until tomorrow,

Alexis Dawes

P.S.- Keep on posting your comments and suggestions.

(The Walking The Talk series was created to show an ebook launch from idea to salesletter to marketing.)

I have to admit that I really hate doing outlines.

I prefer to just jump right in and start writing after I’ve done all my research.

But the problem with jumping right in is that once you finish your immediate stream of consciousness, you have nothing else to write. And then you put the project to the side wondering what went wrong.

So yeah, I slog through the outline, to keep the overall momentum going.

Below you’ll find the first draft.

I of course had the basis for the report before I started my research.

And as the research continued I discovered more about what pisses people off about smells, what smells they hate the most, the hardest smells to get rid of, what they commonly use to get rid of smells, etc.

As you can see, I do mention items of common usage (air freshener, air purifiers). But I leave an air of mystery with The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ugly.

This is a good strategy to use when creating chapter/section titles.

———————————

No More Smelly House

Introduction
- The top 10 causes of smelly apartments.
- The top 10 causes of smelly houses.
  + 20 questions to ask before you buy.
- The hardest smells to get rid – and why.
- What you can start doing right now to maintain an odor free home.

17 Smelly Home Problems Solved
- Pet smells
- Skunk smells
- Cooking smells
- Smoke smells
- Musty/mildew house smells
- Garbage disposal smells
- Smells in carpet
- Milk smells
- Getting Rid of the Uninvited Guest. What to do when a neighbors bad smell invades your space.

Air Fresheners, Candles and Air Purifiers – The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ugly (What you don’t know CAN hurt you)
- Air fresheners – a legal, addictive drug
- Do air purifiers really work for clearing bad smells?
  + Questions to ask before buying an air purifier
  + Where to find consumer reviews of air purifiers
  +
- The one air purifier that’ll make you sick

Blueprint for the Ultimate Odor Magnet

———————————

Until tomorrow,

Alexis Dawes

(The Walking The Talk series was created to show an ebook launch from idea to salesletter to marketing.)

In the previous couple of parts to this series, I showed you how to research a topic using “not-your-typical-keywords.”

If you use obvious keywords to search for information, you’re going to get the most obvious information.

And if you tell your buyers you’re giving them some revolutionary information, you don’t want them to have summarizations of sites that they can easily find on their own.

But if you think outside the research box you’re going to stumble upon information not easily found by the general public. And THAT’S the kind of information you can assimilate and sell.

Anyway for my upcoming ebook – No More Smelly House – I focused less effort on obtaining ideas culled from fellow funky house dwellers, and more on alternative sources.

I asked myself “Who else cares about clearing a smelly house besides an actual resident?”

My list from previous searches turned up:

* Landlords, apartment managers
* Disaster cleanup specialists
* Cleaning/maintenance professionals

The information I found online geared towards these people is probably enough to keep me going.

But I typically like to have too much research data to choose from, rather than too little.

So again I went back to the drawing board and asked myself, “Who else has something to lose by having bad home smells? Who else would be desperate to cure an indoor odor problem?”

Well from personal experience I know that nail salons have to be fairly ventilated because of the chemicals being used.

So I did a search for “nail salon ventilation,” which yielded a few sites for me to go through.

Somewhere along my searches I came across the term “odor neutralizing agents,” and wrote it down.

It sounds more like a technical/professional term, rather than something the average person would look for.

And I was right in my assumption. When I did the actual search for that term, I came across a link for a hydroponics store.

So indoor gardeners also have a need for odor control, which I would have never thought of.

Coincidentally while looking through other “odor neutralizing agents” links, I also found that people growing illegal ‘weed-y’ plants indoors also need serious odor control.

The link I found to that particular site offered instructions on building a fan and pail contraption that, according to users on this particular forum, totally eliminates odors. Talk about an ‘Aha!’ moment.

I think I can take the basis of the idea I found on this site to build an even better mousetrap.

I’ll pass the existing instructions on to an engineering friend to see what she can come up with.

And with that, I think I have enough research material to work with.

In upcoming Walking the Talk blog posts you’ll see the ebook actually come to life using the material I found online, as well as some ideas squeezed from my darling Granny who cleaned houses for a living.

Remember, don’t think like the consumer, think like a researcher, and grow rich,

Alexis Dawes