Each step along your line will end up being a chapter in your book. If you can break the chapters into groups as well for instance, if your book on home repairs has chapters that can be divided by room or type of problem , feel free to turn those into larger sections that contain a few related chapters each.
Don't worry about a title, table of contents, or any of the other stylistic elements of the book yet. Just sit down and start writing it. Just remember that you don't have to pick one method and stick with it. Use whatever techniques you need to complete the book.
Writing a book — even a short book — takes time. The important thing is to persevere. Set aside time each day to write, or write until you hit a certain word count. Don't stand up from your desk until you meet your goal. Even if you feel stuck, the act of writing something down will help loosen up your mind, and before you know it your words will be flowing again.
Keep at it for as long as it takes. Once your book is finished, let it sit for a week or so, and then come back to it with a critical eye. Look at the order of the chapters and sections first. Do they make sense to you? Often, you'll find that some pieces seem to make more sense in a different spot than where you'd originally placed them.
After you're satisfied with the order of the book, read each chapter in order and edit and revise it. Like writing, editing takes time — not as much time, but still a significant amount. Pace yourself by editing a certain number of words or chapters each day. You will often find that words, like chapters, simply need to be rearranged.
Do your best to keep related ideas together, and don't forget to alter connecting sentences so that the new order still fits the text. If such information is absolutely vital, consider setting it aside in a sidebar instead, or try to more smoothly incorporate it into the text so that it continues to flow smoothly when you read it. Once the body of your book looks solid, it's time to add a title, and any front or end material such as an introduction or a bibliography you'd like to add.
If you pick a very simple title, have a couple of alternates on hand in case it's already been used. If you used information from elsewhere, always be sure to properly cite it in a bibliography. If your sources were friends, at least add in a page of acknowledgments so you can thank them by name. Like physical books, a major marketing tool for any eBook is its cover.
Even though it's only a virtual cover, it's what potential buyers notice first. Consider springing for a professionally-designed cover, or go it alone if you think you can make something that looks good and will attract sales. Just be sure to get permission before you use any copyrighted images.
Even sections and pieces of copyrighted images are off-limits. When in doubt, get explicit permission from the copyright holder first. Give ebooks to friends. Once you've written an awesome ebook, you should share some copies with friends, relatives, and neighbors. Make sure to ask: How was the book? What did you like the most? What did you not like?
How can I improve it? Record the feedback and improve the ebook before you publish. Factor in all of the responses and try to address each of the issues that surfaced. Don't be afraid to stir everything into the mix and redo the entire ebook from top to bottom. The likely result will be a marked improvement on what you created alone. If not, you can always retool and back up to the previous draft.
The more clear information you compile about your eBook, the easier a time you'll have in both getting it published and promoting it successfully. On a separate document, write down the title of your book, along with any section and chapter titles, the number of sections or chapters, the word count of the book, and a page number estimate.
Jose, Thank you for writing such an awesome article. I remember reading a really popular authors book and spotting some small errors. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There may be some people out there who fall to pieces whenever they climb a two step ladder: When considering a niche a small, targeted market make sure the audience is desperate and willing to spend to solve their problem.
Contrary to what you may have learned in high school, not every piece of writing needs a thesis statement to work. However, most nonfiction writing will have an obvious thesis statement by the time you finish writing it. Think about your audience. Try to gauge the types of people who will be interested in your book based on its title and description. Are they young or old? Do they own homes or rent? How much money do they make annually, and do they prefer to save or spend?
You don't need to hire an expert; just make your best guesses. This information is only to help you market your eBook later. Choose a publishing platform. There are a few different ways to publish your eBook, which vary in terms of piracy protection, royalties paid to you, and audience scope. Consider each one of them and choose the one you think will make you the most money. Publish to e-Readers with KDP.
Anyone who owns the popular Kindle line of e-readers can then purchase your book from the marketplace and read a copy on their Kindle. The main downside is that KDP doesn't publish to people without Kindle readers, limiting your audience. Consider other eBook publishers.
Services like Lulu, Booktango, and Smashwords are also available to take your manuscript and publish it for you in eBook format. Generally speaking, the basic service of these sites is free and you shouldn't ever pay to publish your eBook, since it basically costs nothing , but they offer premium packages and services, like marketing and editing, for a fee.
Be careful to avoid spending money when you didn't mean to if you go this route. On the plus side, these services can reach a much wider potential audience than KDP, and sometimes offer more royalties. Be aware of hidden costs. For any professional eBook publishing platform including KDP , certain formats have to be used. There are services that will take care of the messy business of formatting your book for you, but they always charge a fee.
It's much cheaper to do it all yourself, but you'll need to learn the rules of the service you plan to publish with, and then download and learn any necessary software programs to make the appropriate file conversions. If you do opt for a paid service, don't ever pay more than a few hundred dollars at most.
Never work with a publisher that won't let you set your own price. Forcing a price can have detrimental effects on your bottom line in a few different ways, which essentially makes it another fee. Self-publish with special software. If you'd prefer to publish your eBook on the Internet at large, and not use any specific site, there are a number of specially-designed computer programs that allow you to do just that. They vary widely in cost and features, but all of them allow you to create a finished eBook with no restrictions on where or how you sell it.
Be aware that the anti-piracy measures you'll have access to with these programs are generally less effective than those offered by publishing services. Calibre is a newer program that is quick, powerful, and easy to use. Most word processors can save your manuscript as HTML. Adobe Acrobat Pro is the gold standard program for creating PDF files, which can be read on nearly any computer or device. Acrobat allows you to password-protect your PDF file when you save it, though once you've given out the password, anyone who has it will be able to open the book.
It's a powerful and flexible program, but it isn't free.
Writer's tools aren't as advanced, particularly with regards to adding a cover, but the program can secure and encrypt your PDF just like Acrobat. There are many other programs available to help you self publish, both free and paid. If none of the above options sound perfect for you, explore online and find one that suits your needs. Once you've published your eBook and deposited it for paid download somewhere on the Internet, it's time to let the world know about it. There are many services you can pay for that will increase your visibility; these may be quite worth the investment if you suspect you have a book that could really take off.
However, even with professional help, it will pay for you to promote the book yourself. Use social media for visibility. Post about the book and link to a place it can be bought! Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Even LinkedIn is a good place to add a link to your book on your profile page. Think laterally to maximize exposure. Don't just tell people about your book; be clever and thorough. Link to it on StumbleUpon, take a photo of your computer screen and post it to Instagram, or even [Do-a-Youtube-Video record a short video] and talk about the book on YouTube.
Use every user-created platform at your disposal. People love it when authors are accessible. Advertise times for virtual Q and A sessions about the book, or send complimentary copies to bloggers who review eBooks and ask to do an interview. For the initial draft, you can use Microsoft Word or Pages.
For the final draft, you'll want to import it into eBook software to make it look professional. Some sites that allow you to self-publish, such as Amazon's Kindle Store, provide you the software and interface to do so. Not Helpful 3 Helpful When you sign a contract with a publisher, either self or mainstream, they ask for your personal details and your pen name. You need to supply your real name and details so they know who to pay royalties too, either by cheque or direct bank deposit. However, make it clear that you will be publishing anonymously, under a pseudonym.
Not Helpful 6 Helpful Microsoft Word works well for this if you have it; if not, you can get OpenOffice for free, which will give you a full range of features and functions. Not Helpful 5 Helpful Can I write a book using my mobile phone? Is there an app to write to an eBook? If you have a GoogleDocs account, you can use the app on your mobile device to write. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 8.
Not Helpful 1 Helpful 7. How can I turn my eBook into a regular book or a regular book into an eBook? It really depends on how you publish, so sites will let you print your book from the eBook. Others you just need to find a new site. Printed this one out for future usage.
I am really planning on creating a guide or ebook in the near future and this one gives me step ahead. One difficult part of creation of e book is writing section. It takes long time to research and auditing but complete in 14 days not possible. But your post shows few advanced tips which will be helped to finish within limit period. I had a similar story when writing my ebook. Before starting my blog four months ago, I decided it was necessary to have a book, because I saw that was what most professional bloggers were doing. I was just trying to emulate good blogging behavior.
I wrote my book Zero to Blog and got it up at lulu. It was like a dream for me. I would imagine how I would get it from point A to B connecting the dots. The ebook was not so much about blogging, but as it was making the decision to make your life better.
I hope you stop by and check it out. Last week I gave away one of my paintings for goodness sakes! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Julie! I believe you covered every question I had regarding the creation process of an e-book. I have found this to be true; this allows you to keep your mind flowing with on-topic ideas. I have all the needed tools to create a successful ebook now!! I always wonder what the correct approach would be to writing an ebook.
Now it makes sense to set a skeleton on the first day and write out titles instead of just going at it blindly or chapter by chapter not even knowing what the title of your next chapter will be or having some idea as to where the chapter leads. I think that writing titles and making a skeleton first, then going back and writing on those titles is helpful. It kind of reminds me of when I wrote my first series of post on my blog.
Some people spend a lot more time on the sales pages and designs for their ebook covers instead of spending time on the actual ebook content itself! How do you promote your ebook?
How do you drive traffic to it? Even to give away the freebie, you need to get your offer out there in front of lots of people. Do you use PPC advertising or some other method? Thanks again for the great article! Yep, you are really right Scott. Its the learning experience that matter most.
So the next time you try again this kind of ebook selling, it will be far better than the first one. I still have yet to began the process of creating my ebook but I will definitely get on it soon. Again, this post is very inspiring and is motivating me even more and more to get started on the task. Thank you very much!! Format conversions to epub, mobi, and others, uploading to Amazon etc, creating free blogs and websites, PayPal sales, SEO rankings and keyword tips, Google Alerts and more. This is something that I have wanted to do for a while, but writing any kind of book sounds intimidating at the start.
While I do want to create a new ebook income stream, I just wish I had some kind of idea of the potential so that I would know how worthwhile it is. This I think is the solution, if I can produce an e-book that will solve a problem and share my experience in creating an on-line business then I think that it could sell! Starting to write my own e-book at the moment, so these tips on selling are great and at the perfect time. Still undecided if my first one should be free though…. I have just started by ebook. A goal that I had set for my self for some time, but kept getting put on the back burner.
After reading this I am thinking what a fool, your tips should help me get to the end. I think the break 1 -2 breaks, will help me to finish this project and not neglect my other responsiblities. I think I would be able to write a couple of dozen of those and thank you. I did had a look at Lulu. The most important part is doing it. If you have a subject you can create a product around it. Creating an seller-account at ejunkie. Result of this first promo: Promoting it with banner ads on related sites. Still have to tweek the banner ads. Create a second free eBook that comes with the subscription to my newsletter.
This was my experience in a nutshell and this is pretty much it. I was motivated by this post and as you can see you just have to start somewhere. I think I have wasted so much of my time on petty things that I might have come up with more than one ebook by this time! Hello, I have found this article amazing and very informative.
I have been considering writing a book for a long time. More of a text book for Surface pattern designers, as I think that my experience and training in my industry is quite unique. Usefull also when u want to use lulu to distribute them. Great article, thank you for sharing.
I have to start today to write my own ebook which is around my head for 3 years from now. Super helpful article — thanks so much for taking the time to share. Jose So many excellent tips and ideas — quite inspirational. Thank you for writing such an awesome article. Having been a mortgage loan officer for almost 12 years now, I have only made a living from a service-based business. By the way, a very special acknowledgement to you for adding the Testing phase of the product launch.
I had actually created a free Costly Mortgage Mistakes home buyers report which was well received by my database. Looking back, that could have been a great start for an eBook. I have the product in my head which I feel would be very beneficial. Lots of comments here doubting the 14 day turn around to write an e-book. If that is the case, it seems completely do-able. Check back in a month…. This was so great and generous of you to share.
I just want to thank you for bringing a solution to some of the chanlanges that have been facing me from producing my first e-book. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. And here it is… The things you need an idea a market a test desire the right tools for the job Coming up with an idea that sells Coming up with a good idea is easier than most people believe.
Finding a good idea is easy. Creating your e-book from an idea is easy. Essentially, your how-to e-book is a packaged experience. Choosing the right market Your story is your e-book; the people who want to hear it are your market. Make sure your market spends money When considering a niche a small, targeted market make sure the audience is desperate and willing to spend to solve their problem.
Can you change the angle? Test before you get started Most people start with an idea, create an e-book around the idea, then try to sell it, missing out the market test entirely. Then start work on your e-book. How to create your information product very quickly There is one magic ingredient that drives you to do something to the best of your ability, to provide excellence, to push yourself beyond what you thought possible. That magic ingredient is desire.
Once you have something you care about to write about, do this… Forget everything you ever read about writing and try this: Think about your story every chance you get. Flesh it out in your mind. Set some time aside, sit down quietly and come up with the titles the skeleton for your story. Forget about it and get on with other things. Your mind is already at work on your story. Set some time aside, sit down quietly, read your first title and start writing. Aim to do 1 chapter title a day. Day 3 — Final day Keep writing.
When you get to the end, leave your work alone for a couple of days. A couple of days or so later, find some quiet time to work in and start editing. Edit your work once, twice at most. Here are some Power Tips to help you with the above: Keep your titles down to about 10 or so. Create subtitles within the main titles if you need to have guides.
Aim to keep these to around 4 at most. Hear what you say, and write it. Tools to write your book — Writer from Open Office. Somewhere to publish your books to and sell from — lulu. A cover for your book You can create a cover for your e-book from the templates available in lulu. Pricing your product When it comes to pricing, look at your competition if you have any to get an idea or a starting point. Try to use the magic numbers, such as: Tapping into your market When your product is ready, you need to entice your audience to buy by giving them a taste of the experience your product will deliver, or by taking away the risk from the buyer by offering a money back guarantee.
This is how the freebie was born. Summary test your idea in your target market create a free report and spread it if the reaction is good, get to work think about your story often sit down and put together the skeleton of your story titles take a break 1 day or so sit down and write. Nothing will make you feel more pride and a complement than receiving an e-mail from a complete stranger, saying… thank you… Thank you. Share this post Facebook Twitter LinkedIn. I want to help you live the laptop lifestyle by sharing your knowledge with the world!
Jade Craven on at. Again, thank you so much. Tomiwa Orunnipin on at. Dotcom Note on at. Rich Hazlett on at. Lindsay Waterworth on at. Thank you very much for your guide. Brad Roberts on at. Dave Lianelli on at. Ed Fry on at. Find an Idea Step 2: Hi Jose, Thank you for the freebie and thank you for this straight to the point approach. Thank you again for the motivation! I was considering writing an e book to give away for free to my list. Ebooks appear to lose its value according to some sources. But, if ebooks are still in demand which is the best way to present it?
Tyler WebCPA on at. Web Marketing Man on at. Thanks ever so much, Sue Reply. Credit Girl on at. Lana Kravtsova on at. Darren Green Change on at. Chris Peterson on at. But your post shows few advanced tips which will be helped to finish within limit period Reply. Thanks for such a fantastic article. You told it exactly like it is. Legitimate Work From Home Jobs on at.
Thanks for such great information! Nicole Price on at. Haha, that is quite true sometimes. Oak tv stand on at. Jason Matthews on at. Robby G on at. Virtual Hogwarts on at. Kartus Dolum Seti on at. Amazing guidelines and will be very useful when I do launch an ebook. Laptop Briefcase on at. Coming up with an idea that sells is probably the most difficult part… Reply. A Sitting Duck on at. Simon Profit Duck on at. Still undecided if my first one should be free though… Reply. Internet Business Mentoring on at. As Always I walk away from so much from this blog Megan Reply. Game Critic on at.
Jason Make Lots of Money now on at. Overall great advice here. You do make it sound so very much easy! Here is how I did this with an How-To-eBook around one of my passions: Document it whilst doing it. This two steps are enough to create the product. Writing a post about the eBook and the idea behind it.