Happy 4th to the American writers out there. This is a guest post by Angela England, author of 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook.
There are many benefits to making an ebook, especially as a freelance writer or professional blogger. Making an ebook is relatively easy. Making a good one is another matter entirely.
1. Decide on a Fabulous Topic
The best topic for an ebook is one that is narrow enough for people to find it, but not so narrow that the topic would be too obscure. I use the example of knitting - "Knitting" alone might be too broad for an ebook, but "How to Knit Purple Hamsters" would be far too narrow.
2. Create a Table of Contents or Outline
Once you have your topic, brainstorm the table of contents or outline of all the information you plan to cover in your ebook. Once you have a plan in place, it will be much easier to finish your project because you'll know where you're heading. It's also motivating to work through the list!
3. Format the Ebook
I like to include an index if the length of the book and topic lends itself to the need for one. Think about things like readability, appropriate images, bullets and lists, white space where appropriate, color and interest, etc. A Table of Contents and page numbers are a must!
4. Quality Cover
While you may not judge a book by its cover, a potential customer or client might. You wouldn't want someone to turn their nose up at your amazing book because the cover isn't legible. I have my ebook covers made by a graphic designer now because I'm so bad at making them myself! I would rather focus on crafting the words.
5. Write Your Rough Draft Without Editing
Sometimes, this is called sprinting, or brain dump, or even "morning papers" if you're an Artist's Way fan - but the principle is the same regardless of technique name. Get your rough draft out of your head and into written form where you can begin to shape it into something useful.
6. Edit or Have the Ebook Edited
I always have someone else look at my ebooks before I release them because I'm so attached to the work that it's easy to overlook simple typos and errors. Whether this is hiring a professional editor or trading with a friend you can trust is up to you. I will say this - sometimes it's much easier to hire someone for a job than to rely on a friend for a favor.
7. Zip the Ebook to PDF
There are plenty of free ways to create a PDF. Microsoft Word keeps links and formatting intact and is very easy to convert. Open Office is completely free. Check carefully that the program you use allows links, nice formatting and has all the features you want.
8. Choose a Method of Delivery
The simplest and cheapest method of delivering your ebook is to mail the ebook in an email attachment, using a PayPal "Buy it Now" button to handle the sales. You can also choose to use a plugin (this is what I do) or a third party site like E-Junkie or Commission Junction.
9. Set up Affiliate Programs
As I mentioned in Step 8, I switched to a plugin that allows an affiliate program. This way, your readers, friends and others can actually market and sell the ebook on your behalf. Your reach will be greatly extended!
10. Promote Your Book!
Your book isn't finished when the book is finished. As any author can attest, promoting the book after the creation is as important as writing the book. Here is a sample promotional website I created after the launch of my latest ebook, 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook. You'll notice I have testimonials, information about the product and a way for readers to engage socially.
Angela England is a problogger, freelance writer and author of 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook. Find her on Twitter and at her blog, angengland.com.
I’m in process of writing an ebook, and this was a great article to help me along. Thanks!
Well I am glad, then! Yes, there is some good info in this blog post, and tons of things I didn’t know- like the affiliation part. ~Allena
I’m glad you found it helpful! I’ve loved the process of creating quality ebooks for my readers and clients. I’m sure that you will also!
Angela <
Great post, Angela! Your ebook is a real gem.
So glad you’ve put this post, and your book, together, Angela. Thanks for the plain advice on how to get the job done!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the advice easy to understand and helpful.
Great tips to get me started Ang! Thanks for this!
Great article. Thanks Angela!
For those graphically-impaired readers, I outsource the covers of e-books to an artist in India and get a choice of three covers for $50 WITH revisions.
Elance has a lot of these providers. If you have the chops, do it yourself; if not, let a good outsource do it.
With e-books, you CAN tell a book by its cover.
I feel inspired.
Paul
Amanda – I love that you’re enjoying the book so far!
Paul – I agree…a good cover can set the tone for the entire book and impact sales.
Angela <
hi,
I am a freelance writer and just developed a website to offer my writing services to individuals and B2B. However, this is obviously not enough. So I decided to write a couple of ebooks. To get started I have read many blog-posts and articles but your’s is special because its precise and to the point.
But I have a question: what is the best way to offer your book, other than offering it on your personal web – Amazon, Lulu or anything else?
This is the first time I have heard about E-Junkie or Commission Junction in your email – are they worth a try?
Thanks.
I talk about this in the ebook in more detail, but I prefer to use a plugin that I purchased because I have more direct control over the process and I only have to pay once. With any of the third party hosting programs like Type-A, Commission Junction or Ejunkie there are fees associated – either monthly flat rates or percentages.
I prefer to have control myself vs relying on third-party programs for many of the same reasons I prefer a self-hosted website over a free blog platform.
Hey- NextGenWriter- I made your question into a blog post- dated August 4. Thanks.
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