Writing Your eBook

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by Peter Cooper

Why do you want to write an eBook?

This may seem like a stupid question, but it's actually quite important. Why do you want to write an eBook? Work this out straight away because if you kid yourself about your intentions, you'll end up with an inferior product. Are you writing an eBook solely to make money? Are you writing the book because you just want to write a novel, and if you happen to make some money it'd be nice? Do you want to write an eBook for exposure or to publicize your business? Decide now!

The main reasons fall into one of three categories; Passion, Exposure and Money. Let's cover how the process of developing your eBook may be different in each case.

Passion-lead eBook. If you're creating an eBook for fun or to help you learn about a particular subject, you're doing it for passion. You don't expect to make any money, but it'd be a nice bonus. Since you're writing the eBook for fun, it needs to remain fun. Don't bog yourself down with details. If you're passionate about something, the quality will shine through anyway. Keep at it!

Exposure eBook. Many people create eBooks to give away with other products and to generate exposure for their business or to remind people of their corporate 'message'. Others create helpful eBooks covering subjects such as 'How to Keep Your Garden Pest Free!' which may act as a plug for a gardening center or a new type of pesticide. If you're planning on developing this type of eBook, you probably have a good idea of what you want to say already. Just make sure that your eBook offers enough value without your advertising. After all, you want people to enjoy it, read it through and pass it onto others, don't you?

Making Money. A large group of people are creating eBooks to make money. This isn't a bad thing, as long as you're honest about your intentions. You need to look carefully into secure distribution systems and ways in which you can actually receive your money. For your convenience, we will be covering these systems in a later installment of this tutorial. Since you want to make money with your eBook, you will also need to make sure your eBook caters for a wide range of people. Make sure it is a high quality product which you can reasonably expect people to buy.

Defining your core message

If you haven't already got an idea for what your eBook is going to be about, starting on one isn't really a good idea. You can't just ramble for pages at a time (although most writers would love to be paid for that!) and expect people to read it. If you're looking for inspiration try look through the category listings at Amazon.com.

If you've got an idea for your eBook, well done. The initial idea can be the hardest part, although most of us have a hobby or topic in which we have a deep and knowledgeable interest. Even if you don't, you might want to cover an area which you can research and are willing to learn about. Once you have this initial idea, you need to do what any careful author does. Define your core message and make a rough plan.

Let's say that you want to write an eBook about your hobby, gardening, just for the fun of it. That's all well and good, but what are you going to cover? 'Gardening' alone isn't enough. The best you could hope for is to start rambling about planting bulbs and end up back where you started! You should try to divide your choice of subject in about 10 different areas, which you could devote a chapter each to.

In this case, you may have.. 'Introduction to Gardening', 'The Science of Soil', 'How Seeds Work and How to Plant Them', 'Planting Bulbs', 'Identifying Flowers', 'Times of the Year: How the Garden Works', 'Making Clippings' and 'Tree Care'.

Whatever you end up with, make sure you have a loose structure for the book prepared before you start writing! Also, if you're producing a marketing/promotion eBook you will need to define your 'core message' even further. What result are you hoping your eBook to achieve? What do you have to say to get that result? That is your 'core message'.

Keep it Simple, Simon!

The KISS principle can make the difference between a great eBook and a bad one. The important thing to remember is that reading from the screen isn't the same as reading from paper. Text on a monitor is slower to read, and it's also more of a strain on the eyes. You want people to finish your book in a reasonable amount of time without tired eyes don't you? Keep it simple!

By writing in a punchy, direct and active style and cutting out the 'fluffy' words that you don't need, you can make sure your eBook remains a trim document that still puts across its core message.

Stick to your core message at all times

You've decided what your core message is, so you should stick to it! This is something that most book writers learn (not just those making eBooks), because if you ramble and change the subject at the drop of the hat then your message won't be clear. Just like that time Uncle Jerry had too much to drink then he ran across the road and.... etc.

Part 1

Part 3