Most successful Clickbank vendors I know have at one point been affiliates themselves before making the switch to focusing mainly on the product creation side of things.
These guys do well for themselves because they already have a good understanding of how internet marketing works. That means they know what different promotion methods are available out there, and how they can use them to drive targeted traffic back to any site they want to promote. And this is precisely why they do well once they come out with their own products.
Just like the big Clickbank vendors, it is essential that you too promote your own product just like you would as an affiliate. Being your own affiliate is necessary in order to make the first initial sales and keep the momentum of your new eBook business going. And by having existing experience as an affiliate you not only give your product a much better chance at making sales, but the exposure you give it will catch the eye of other Clickbank affiliates who will see your product being advertised and will no doubt check it out themselves. If they like what they see and they are already signed up with Clickbank, chances are they will give your product a test and drive some traffic to your site too. This typically creates a snowball effect: more traffic = more sales and exposure = more affiliates = more traffic, etc..hence the term ‘Clickbank Vendor Snowball Strategy’ 
Here’s an extra special tip: when promoting your own product, do it with an affiliate link. Open up a separate Clickbank account and use your new account id in your affiliate hoplink. By doing this, any sales you make will be considered an affiliate sale, and this will contribute to your gravity score in the Clickbank marketplace, giving you an extra boost in popularity. Clickbank affiliates take the Clickbank gravity/popularity score very seriously, and many will base their decision to promote a product purely based on that score.
