Writing an e-book is not an easy task. It takes a lot of work and time; so it is not just done in one day.
Still, your own e-book is extremely important to build your mailing list, and I definitely recommend writing your own e-book.
You radiate authority in your field, so to speak, and you can give the e-book away for free in exchange for a name and e-mail address.
Of course, you can also sell the e-book as a paid product. The e-book market has grown enormously in recent years, and people are increasingly buying an e-book instead of a physical book.
But how should you actually write your own e-book? And what should you pay attention to? In this article, I will tell you all about it!
What is an e-book?
Perhaps it is useful to first explain what an e-book actually is. Maybe you’ve never heard of it, and you’re still curious about it. Or maybe you’ve heard of it, but you’re not exactly sure what it is.
An e-book is actually a digital book that you can download and (possibly) print.
You can read an e-book on your computer, but also on your iPad or iPhone, for example. Of course, you can also read an e-book on an e-reader. An e-reader is a kind of iPad, but only suitable for books.
Advantages of e-books include:
- You can download them directly. You don’t have to wait for the postman to deliver them. You don’t have to go to the store either.
- E-Books are often not expensive, or sometimes even completely free
- You can adjust the font and font size to your liking
- You can put a lot of books on an e-reader. So you save a lot of space.
- You can often search e-books for certain words.
The beauty of being an author is that anyone can write and publish an e-book. For example, I wrote a free e-book in which I explain how the internet allows me to work wherever and whenever I want, and how you can do the same.
This allows everyone to learn how to work location independent.
Below I will tell you step by step what you should pay attention to.
#1: What to write an e-book about?
Before you start writing an e-book, it is important to first know what the subject of your e-book is.
It is of course a shame that you are working on the e-book, and that you suddenly want to change this later, because it is not the right subject for your target group.
So first think carefully about the subject of your e-book, and what will be covered in this e-book. This way, you also make it much easier for yourself, since you know what to treat.
I recommend that you first make a good and complete table of contents. So make the structure of the e-book in advance.
When you already have the structure ready, it is a matter of writing the chapters and paragraphs.
As a result, you have put a good structure on paper for yourself, and you know exactly what you have to deal with. Think carefully about the content. This saves you a lot of time.
#2: Write a piece every day
Some people try to write their e-book in one day. They want to do everything quickly, and finish the e-book as quickly as possible. This does not work.
Instead of spending one full day on your e-book, I recommend writing an hour every day. You have much more inspiration and desire to write.
If you’ve been writing all day, inspiration is often hard to find after a few hours, and you simply don’t feel like it anymore. You also notice that the result is less because you are writing reluctantly.
If you’re going to write an e-book, do it boldly and do it in chunks. By writing an hour every day, you can finish the e-book in seven days, for example.
#3: Read your e-book completely yourself
When your e-book is finished, it is best to read it again in its entirety. You will undoubtedly encounter a few errors. These can be spelling errors, but also sentences that do not run smoothly.
It would be a shame if you have formatted the e-book beautifully and find out that there are still a number of errors in it. Or maybe you forgot something.
This is a crucial step that many people forget. They have then completed their e-book and “just get rid of it”. That is of course not the correct setting ;).
#4: Make the book beautiful
Only when you are 200% satisfied with the text of the e-book can you start editing. By formatting I mean, among other things, the subheadings, pictures, page numbering and white lines
Above, you see an excerpt from my free e-book. At the top left you see the paragraph, and at the top right you see the chapter where the reader is located. You will also see an image to illustrate what I am talking about.
Make sure the e-book is easy and enjoyable to read. So don’t cram everything together, but make a lot of use of white space. For example, I often do enter after four lines. I do this to give rest to the eye.
People are scared off when they see huge chunks of text. So try to avoid this.
I also recommend that you order your e-book well, so that people know where they are in the e-book. For example, in the header and footer, mention the chapter and paragraph from which the reader is now. Page numbering is also very useful.
#5: Give the e-book a nice cover, front page and table of contents
Of course, it’s about the content of the e-book, but a nice cover, front page and table of contents are just important. It’s the look that makes the e-book feel professional or not.
If you can’t do this yourself, I recommend outsourcing this. It is a shame to spend hours – or even days – on something when someone can do it for you in half an hour. Everyone has their field!
If you want to format your e-book yourself, make sure that the style of the e-book is the same everywhere. Use the same colors, but don’t make it a circus. Make sure the text is legible. It is therefore best to use black text on a white background.
#6: Marketing your e-book!
When your e-book is finished, you must of course market it. Before you start with that, you must of course save your e-book in such a way that no one can change it anymore. You can save your e-book as a .PDF for this.
How you want to market your e-book is, of course, up to you. I myself give away my e-book for free in exchange for name and email address, but you can of course also choose to sell your e-book. You can do this on Clickbank, for example.
Bonus tips
Writing and marketing an e-book is quite an operation. In the tips above, you can read a lot of information that you can immediately use for writing and marketing your e-book. Below I have put a number of bonus tips to help you on your way ;).
- Provides Valuable Information. Write an e-book that really helps people and that really helps them
- Don’t be afraid to invest in your e-book. Maybe you don’t want to spend money on a designer to make your e-book beautiful; Do not be afraid. Remember that this is an investment that will pay off!
- Have your e-book read by your friends and family. They may have some tips for you!
- Do not go into a subject unnecessarily long. Write what you want to write, and don’t make it unnecessarily extensive. People like to read an e-book because of short and concise information. As long as the information is good and valuable!
- Pictures are great for highlighting certain things. So take advantage of this!
- Don’t put off writing an e-book for too long. Start right away! It may seem like a lot of work at first, and you dread it; know that this is not necessary. Making an e-book is fun and educational!
So now you know exactly how to write an e-book and what you need to take into account. Don’t delay, don’t get distracted and start writing your e-book!
Good luck!
Is something not clear, or do you have any questions? Then put it in the comments below :).
Did you find this article interesting, helpful, or just fun? A like/share is much appreciated!
