eBook Creation.Expand That Idea and Research
Those of you who have followed along have now created a list of ideas in the form of brainstorming or a mindmap.
Some of these ideas may go together and some are separate ideas and random thoughts.
Now you need to make a decision.
What am I going to write my eBook about?
You will fall into two loose categories at this point.
1. You know what you want to write about and you may have a general outline or ideas on major sections of the book.
2. You need to decide what your eBook is going to be about.
Here Is Where Procrastination and Fear Set In!!!
I can't write! I don't know how to organize! I can't do this! This is too much to undertake! I will write the book later! On and On and On!!!
Don't let this happen! You have the capability to write an eBook. Take the first step and begin.
Let's do this together:)))
I wrote a blog about procrastination that is worth reviewing here.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dstaple1490/blog/k...
One important tip in this planning stage
The ideas that you came up with that you do not use now are still quite valuable. Do not discard them!!! You can and will use them down the road on other projects.
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If you are in category 1. from above; the tendency is for you to start writing. Hold off a moment until you consider some important points that I will cover in a moment.
If you are in category 2. from above; don't panic and don't freeze up. Review the blog: The eBook Starts With The Idea and complete your idea sheet. Here is the blog link.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dstaple1490/blog/t...
Here are some important points to consider and problem areas to avoid.
1. Base your eBook topic on a well thought out strategy. Don't write about what is the most popular or what you think your audience needs. Find out what your audience actually wants. Discover what their concerns and problems are and then give them a solution to fix the problem or concern.
What are you going to use your eBook for? Sales, a giveaway to build your list, a promotion for another product or service.
2. As you plan your eBook further, think like a publisher, not just a writer. It takes more than deciding what you are going to write about to be a successful writer. You need to be writer, a publisher and a marketer. Make sure that you are always wearing all three hats. Only you can be the best promoter of your website and your eBook.
Start drafting a sales page before you even begin to write your eBook. Your sales page should be a synopsis of your book. Make your eBook sound inviting, interesting and useful. You can use this pitch to drive your writing as well.
3. Don't start writing till you have your eBook plan worked out in detail. You have your topic and so you start writing. The trouble is you are going to find yourself in trouble before you know it because you did not plan well.
Start by planning your eBook before you begin to write. Have a clear outline with each chapter title and then a breakdown of content.
(Some of you may feel more comfortable writing parts of your eBook before you plan the entire project. If inspiration strikes, then by all means, run with it. Just don't forget to finish the planning phase before you get too far into your writing),
Your next phase is going to be your research.
We will cover this in detail in the next blog. The reason that I am touching on this now is that some of you may need to do some research in order to finish planning and outlining your eBook. This is okay and you should embrace it. Just don't go into heavy research until your eBook plan and outlines are done.
Final Thought...
Your eBook plan and outline is not carved in granite. You may find that you will have to adjust things as you begin writing and researching. This is okay. Just like goal setting, you need to plan your work; work your plan, and adjust as needed.
Let me know how you are doing. If you are not writing an eBook at this time then make sure to bookmark these blogs for later reference. Here are the links so far. Dave.
Is There An eBook Inside You? https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dstaple1490/blog/i...
Begin The Journey Of Writing Your First eBook https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dstaple1490/blog/b...
eBook Starts With The Idea https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dstaple1490/blog/t...
Recent Comments
41
Hey Dave,
Excellent information and, of course, thank you for sharing. I have again bookmarked it for more in-depth examination.
Sheila
Dave, thanks for the information. I am interested in writing an e-book, so your suggestion came in handy. Regards, Fred
Great contribution Dave... Will be printing out all your blogs on this topic for a reference file for future consultation. I feel this e book creation needs some careful organisation
Thank you so much, Dave!
I've a few questions:
Can an e-book be written independantly of my websites?
What is the best way to store it?
Is there a way to check the marketability of my topic?
Is there a system guideline to referencing permissions?
Who publishes e-books and how?
And one other small thing:
Let's say I wanted to do a cartoon series, without actually doing cartoons....
My idea would be to use my own photographic skills to build the humorous photo page, where several plush animals would be interacting (superimposed speech bubbles) with each other, warbling around with objects in the photo (static imaging, no video) and using modern terms to describe what they were doing with the massive, etc physical objects in the photos.
The e-book would consist of many series of such funny interchanges....
My audience would be people who have to work daily with the things the animals are talking about, the refreshing part, the relaxing part would be the objects they are actually using!
I know how vague this whole thing may sound, but I have to share it with somebody, its been haunting me for days, I've a full, rich feeling about this which I can't ignore...
Sorry about being so long-winded, don't expect you to answer it all yourself, I'll put it out to the whole community.....
Thank you all so much for being the people you are.........
Therese
Hi Therese, Sounds like a great idea. Here goes. Question 1. yes it can be a stand-alone product although you would at least need a landing page or purchase page.
2. The easiest format is a PDF. If you want to sell it as a Kindle book then it would have to be set up for Kindle , (which is a whole other topic). You can even have it set up with different file formats to satisfy most everyone.
3. The marketability would be based on what people are searching for. social media trends. keyword usage. Also look at your competition for ideas and trends.
4. Google the phrase: Is there a system guideline to referencing permissions? You will find several with this one being on page one. PDF]Permission Guidelines for Authors - Wiley-Blackwell
5, You are self-publishing your eBook. Traditional publishers do eBooks but this is a totally different animal that is very time-consuming and frustrating.
Hope this helps. Dave.
Thanks Dave. Bookmarking this series for when I get to my Ebook - which I hope will be sooner rather than later!
Don't forget to read my blog on procrastination. (link is in this blog). LOL! Thanks for stopping by Erica. Dave.
I am really enjoying your series dave, I need to go back to the start thank you for sharing.
Thanks Alexander, that's why I put the links to the other blogs in this one because some people may need to review while new readers can come on board and catch up. Dave.
Hello Dave and thank you for another part to your ebook blog collection. I am not only bookmarking them, I am printing them out and have begun a section in my binder for these. They will be extremely helpful for when I am ready to begin this process.
I am a huge list maker and outline writer, that is surprisingly the only way I survived college. I outlined ALL of my notes. That was the only way I could remember things. I'm not sure what kind of learner that makes me (visual, auditory, touch or... I think there's one or two more).
Anyhow, thank you for this series of blogs, I am eagerly following them, as I do all of your blogs!
Thanks again,
Rae Anne
Thanks Rae Anne. I asked a weather question on William's blog. So I won't ask again here. Thanks for your comments and talk to you soon. Dave.
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That last graphic looks like vision board material.....stealing. LOL.
If you must... LOL! Thanks, Dave.