After you have written your ebook and are completely happy with the finished product, it is time to actually publish your ebook.
To do this you need a piece of software that will compile your ebook and install security features to protect your work from being copied and resold or distributed for free.
Here we look at the steps involved.
Once you have written your e book and are happy with your finished work, your next step is to publish your ebook into a downloadable format.
The vast majority of ebooks of published in Pdf format.
Pdf stands for “portable data file”
Adobe, is the most common and well known, Pdf reading and publishing software, but many others are available.
When publishing your ebook, you need to look for several factors in the software you choose.
Firstly you need to make sure the software you choose has security functions. The last thing you want is for people to buy your e book, then share your hard earned work all over the Internet for free, or worse still, compile it under a different name and sell it as their own work.
Most current ebook compiling software have security features as standard. Be sure to check the features of the compiler before buying.
Secondly, you want your compiler to be able to handle all the features you wish to add into your e book. You may want to add videos or pictures into your e book. Be sure it is not a text only format compiler if you wish to use features such as this.
Third point to check for is support. Make sure your chosen compiler is fully supported with after purchase customer service. There are compilers out there that leave you to figure out any features and problems on your own. The best compilers will offer post sale customer service and some even have community forums for users to help each other and pass on tips.
There are some compiler companies that will actually list and sell your e book for you, these are a great start to marketing your e book. These sites tend to have an e book store where people who use their software can later publish their finished e books for sale.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
How to Write your First Ebook Draft
When you have researched your topic and planned out your chapters, it is time to write a draft of your first ebook.
This process will highlight gaps in your information delivery and show you which chapters you need to delete, or restructure, or even chapters you may need to add.
You may have to write several drafts, but do not skip or rush this very important step.
It is absolutely key to the quality and the success of your first ebook.
When writing your first ebook, it is important to make several drafts.
On your first draft, just write. Follow your chapter and mission guide, detailed in the previous section,and just write the book naturally.
Start to finish.
Once you have done this, go back and read it.
Ask yourself these questions.
Does it fully explain your point?
Does it make sense?
Would a beginner find it useful and clear to understand?
Would an advanced user learn anything from it?
Would you re write any chapters?
Would you add any chapters?
Would you drop any chapters?
Would you compile any chapters together?
Is it long enough?
Is it too long?
Is it concise or does it ramble needlessly?
If you were the buyer, would you think it was worth the money?
Once you have answered these questions, do a second draft, then re ask yourself the same questions.
Then repeat this process until you are happy with the draft of your first ebook.
Once you are happy, then it’s time to double check spelling, punctuation, etc.
When you feel it is ready, give it to a spouse or friend to read. It is critical here that you give your draft to someone who is positive yet realistic in life. If you give it to someone who is negative, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will be quick to inform you that “you are wasting your time” or “it wont sell” Avoid these people like the plague, they do not believe in themselves so do not expect them to believe in you.
On the other hand, don’t give it to someone who will tell you great things to make you happy even If they are not true. These people may mean well, but their flattery will serve you no good.
You need the truth to avoid long term disappointment. You need someone who will tell you where you have gone right, and where you have gone wrong. These are the people who will guide you best, and help you achieve results in terms of quality writing.
Quality writing equals quality product which equals sales.
Your first ebook will help you set your reputation.
If you rush to write your product or fail to research your topic to a high enough standard, it will show in your finished product.
If you release a low quality product you will become known as a low quality author.
This is not to say that your first ebook should be amazing or you are doomed. Every writer will look back on their earliest work and cringe with the feeling that they could have done better. But that is part of developing your talents in any field. Writing is no different. Over time you will become better and better.
You will reap what you sow.
If you put in hard work, you will reap rewards.
YOU hold the key to the success of your first ebook
This process will highlight gaps in your information delivery and show you which chapters you need to delete, or restructure, or even chapters you may need to add.
You may have to write several drafts, but do not skip or rush this very important step.
It is absolutely key to the quality and the success of your first ebook.
When writing your first ebook, it is important to make several drafts.
On your first draft, just write. Follow your chapter and mission guide, detailed in the previous section,and just write the book naturally.
Start to finish.
Once you have done this, go back and read it.
Ask yourself these questions.
Does it fully explain your point?
Does it make sense?
Would a beginner find it useful and clear to understand?
Would an advanced user learn anything from it?
Would you re write any chapters?
Would you add any chapters?
Would you drop any chapters?
Would you compile any chapters together?
Is it long enough?
Is it too long?
Is it concise or does it ramble needlessly?
If you were the buyer, would you think it was worth the money?
Once you have answered these questions, do a second draft, then re ask yourself the same questions.
Then repeat this process until you are happy with the draft of your first ebook.
Once you are happy, then it’s time to double check spelling, punctuation, etc.
When you feel it is ready, give it to a spouse or friend to read. It is critical here that you give your draft to someone who is positive yet realistic in life. If you give it to someone who is negative, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will be quick to inform you that “you are wasting your time” or “it wont sell” Avoid these people like the plague, they do not believe in themselves so do not expect them to believe in you.
On the other hand, don’t give it to someone who will tell you great things to make you happy even If they are not true. These people may mean well, but their flattery will serve you no good.
You need the truth to avoid long term disappointment. You need someone who will tell you where you have gone right, and where you have gone wrong. These are the people who will guide you best, and help you achieve results in terms of quality writing.
Quality writing equals quality product which equals sales.
Your first ebook will help you set your reputation.
If you rush to write your product or fail to research your topic to a high enough standard, it will show in your finished product.
If you release a low quality product you will become known as a low quality author.
This is not to say that your first ebook should be amazing or you are doomed. Every writer will look back on their earliest work and cringe with the feeling that they could have done better. But that is part of developing your talents in any field. Writing is no different. Over time you will become better and better.
You will reap what you sow.
If you put in hard work, you will reap rewards.
YOU hold the key to the success of your first ebook
Plan Ebook Chapters and Mission
Planning your ebook before writing it is extremely important.
If you decide before starting to write what your overall mission is and how your chapters are going to guide your reader through to your conclusion, you are going to have a far easier time writing your ebook.
If you plan you will write with focus, if you write with focus you will write with quality.
If you write with quality you will earn the trust of your reader.
When planning to write your e book, you must have a direction. You have to know where you are going to start and where you are heading to reach your conclusion.
A good book of any description will follow a thread from the start to the finish.
Typically when planning ebook chapters, the following format is used as an overview.
AUTHOR BIO
Pretty self explanatory. Sell yourself here, note your experience and why the ebook reader should take the advice you have put in the ebook.
CONTENTS.
List what is going on in your book, chapter by chapter, and give links to each chapter so the reader can skip forward through the book if they are an advanced user of your topic.
INTRODUCTION
The book should start the reader with an introduction containing an overview and basic groundwork.
THE FIRST BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
The first chapter, or maybe several, should be introducing the topic to your readers as though they are completely new to the topic and should start them on the path to learning the basic skills required.
THE MIDDLE BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
You should then start guiding the reader through the process you are describing, step by step.
Do not assume your reader has any prior knowledge and skip bits of the process,no matter how small it may
seem to you.
Give a detailed guide and your book will be classed as a useful resource.
Don’t worry about readers who are experienced in your topic.
Its far easier for readers to skip ahead in the book to bits of information they don’t know, than it is for readers who have no experience to fill in the blanks in the information for themselves.
THE END BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
This should be for the advanced readers and by now all your readers should be up to a level to follow the information in these chapters without getting lost. At least if your other chapters have done their job.
CONCLUSION.
As the title suggests, this part should sum up everything you have been teaching in your ebook and suggest further applications of the skills learnt.
UPSELL.
In this section you should try to list further products to buy from you, or even announce upcoming projects of yours. If you have a mailing list, ezine, or membership site, heres the place to push it.
By now the reader should trust you and be eager to learn more from you.
A good way of doing this is to write out the process of your topic from start to finish, then break it up into stages, then put your stages into chapters.
This will also make your writing flow to the reader, and also make reference to certain stages of the process a lot easier.
If you make your e book a useful resource, then those people that buy it are less likely to return it, and are more likely to recommend it to other potential buyers. It will also build a trust that may lead to sales of your future products.
This is the point of writing the e book, to sell the e book.
Each topic and each ebook is different, but the overall format is pretty much the same.
Work out what is going to be best for you and your ebook.
Once you have found your preferred method, refine it, and refine it again.
After a while you will develop a winning formula and writing an ebook will become second nature to
you.
If you decide before starting to write what your overall mission is and how your chapters are going to guide your reader through to your conclusion, you are going to have a far easier time writing your ebook.
If you plan you will write with focus, if you write with focus you will write with quality.
If you write with quality you will earn the trust of your reader.
When planning to write your e book, you must have a direction. You have to know where you are going to start and where you are heading to reach your conclusion.
A good book of any description will follow a thread from the start to the finish.
Typically when planning ebook chapters, the following format is used as an overview.
AUTHOR BIO
Pretty self explanatory. Sell yourself here, note your experience and why the ebook reader should take the advice you have put in the ebook.
CONTENTS.
List what is going on in your book, chapter by chapter, and give links to each chapter so the reader can skip forward through the book if they are an advanced user of your topic.
INTRODUCTION
The book should start the reader with an introduction containing an overview and basic groundwork.
THE FIRST BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
The first chapter, or maybe several, should be introducing the topic to your readers as though they are completely new to the topic and should start them on the path to learning the basic skills required.
THE MIDDLE BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
You should then start guiding the reader through the process you are describing, step by step.
Do not assume your reader has any prior knowledge and skip bits of the process,no matter how small it may
seem to you.
Give a detailed guide and your book will be classed as a useful resource.
Don’t worry about readers who are experienced in your topic.
Its far easier for readers to skip ahead in the book to bits of information they don’t know, than it is for readers who have no experience to fill in the blanks in the information for themselves.
THE END BLOCK OF CHAPTERS.
This should be for the advanced readers and by now all your readers should be up to a level to follow the information in these chapters without getting lost. At least if your other chapters have done their job.
CONCLUSION.
As the title suggests, this part should sum up everything you have been teaching in your ebook and suggest further applications of the skills learnt.
UPSELL.
In this section you should try to list further products to buy from you, or even announce upcoming projects of yours. If you have a mailing list, ezine, or membership site, heres the place to push it.
By now the reader should trust you and be eager to learn more from you.
A good way of doing this is to write out the process of your topic from start to finish, then break it up into stages, then put your stages into chapters.
This will also make your writing flow to the reader, and also make reference to certain stages of the process a lot easier.
If you make your e book a useful resource, then those people that buy it are less likely to return it, and are more likely to recommend it to other potential buyers. It will also build a trust that may lead to sales of your future products.
This is the point of writing the e book, to sell the e book.
Each topic and each ebook is different, but the overall format is pretty much the same.
Work out what is going to be best for you and your ebook.
Once you have found your preferred method, refine it, and refine it again.
After a while you will develop a winning formula and writing an ebook will become second nature to
you.
Research Ebook Information
Researching your ebook information is one of the most crucial stages of your work.
If you present incorrect information you will discredit yourself with your readers, most likely get a
refund request and lose them forever as customers.
Adequate research into your ebook subject matter is crucial to your success.
Even if you consider yourself an expert on your chosen e book topic, you can always learn more and can
always check and refresh on information you already know.
By doing some research, you can check that any information you plan to write is fresh and of course accurate.
Research may also lead you to have new ideas on material for your e book.
Research is an important part of the process, do not neglect or rush through this stage.
As well as gaining facts and information for your e book, research also includes finding forums online
where communities that are built around your chosen e book topic.
On these forums you will be able to find out what kind of common questions people are asking about
your chosen topic. You can then seek to answer these and other questions in detail in your e book.
A focused stage of research will pay you dividends because you will deliver correct, current and
useful information to your readers that will establish you as an authority on your topic.
As an authority on your topic you will firstly retain loyalty from your readers with regards to future
product launches and it will also lead to them quoting you as an authority to other potential future customers.
Research is a major key to your ebook success.
If you present incorrect information you will discredit yourself with your readers, most likely get a
refund request and lose them forever as customers.
Adequate research into your ebook subject matter is crucial to your success.
Even if you consider yourself an expert on your chosen e book topic, you can always learn more and can
always check and refresh on information you already know.
By doing some research, you can check that any information you plan to write is fresh and of course accurate.
Research may also lead you to have new ideas on material for your e book.
Research is an important part of the process, do not neglect or rush through this stage.
As well as gaining facts and information for your e book, research also includes finding forums online
where communities that are built around your chosen e book topic.
On these forums you will be able to find out what kind of common questions people are asking about
your chosen topic. You can then seek to answer these and other questions in detail in your e book.
A focused stage of research will pay you dividends because you will deliver correct, current and
useful information to your readers that will establish you as an authority on your topic.
As an authority on your topic you will firstly retain loyalty from your readers with regards to future
product launches and it will also lead to them quoting you as an authority to other potential future customers.
Research is a major key to your ebook success.
Research Ebook Competion
A very important step in creating your ebook is to research your ebook competition.
You need to know which keywords and phrases are going to be easy and which are going to be a fight
To dominate.
The competition for ebook keywords can be fierce, very fierce, so you need to know how many times
Your chosen words are being searched for per month and how many other sites are chasing those hits.
In the section above we mentioned researching key words for your e book and competition.
Here we tell you how to do this.
By now you should have decided on a topic and a title for your book and from this we will build a list
of keywords and then assess the competition on these words.
First of all you should enter your chosen title into a search engine. Google is best to start with because
it receives the greatest amount of search traffic by a clear majority, but once you learn this technique
you should definitely take a look at the other major search engines to see what traffic you could attract
from there. The other engines such as MSN, and Yahoo, may get a lower percentage amount of search
traffic, but when each percentage point is millions upon millions of searches, you would be quite
frankly unwise to leave that kind of opportunity out of the process.
Ok, so here is how you do it.
First, type you future e book title into the search engine.
You will get some results most likely, but see how targeted the first page is.
If you find a “your book title” .com, then I’m sorry to say your best option is to choose another title.
Why? You may ask.
Because you have just learnt that the domain name for your e book is already gone and that you are
going to be entering a battle in the search engine rankings against an already established site.
If you are determined that you want to keep your title despite the above occurrence, well be prepared
for a battle for rankings.
Don’t get me wrong, some sites are easily knocked from the top, but if the person has already taken
the time and trouble to buy a targeted domain name AND get it to the top of Google, you can bet they
are not going to give up and let you simply stroll in and take their top spot with out a fight.
Granted, you can take them on if you like, and maybe if you have the SEO experience you can take
their spot, but in my opinion, its far easier just to carve your own ground with a different title if you
want an easier and quicker ride.
If on the other hand, there is no domain at the top with your title, and the results just come from bits
of content around the web....Go for it!
Having your title keywords in your domain name typically helps you out with search engine rankings.
Not always, but the vast majority of the time.
Ok, next, find out how many searches your keyword gets.
Personally I use Google ad words keyword tool
I find this to be the best I have encountered so far and its easy to use.
Ok type in your e book title in the keyword tool.
See what results come up.
Some key words will produce a search result of tens if not hundreds of thousands of hits per month.
This can be very good or very bad.
If you are confident of able to compete on this keyword and its feasible for you to rise to the top, then
you have the potential to make SERIOUS money from your e book.
It can be very bad because usually, but not always, key words like this are already heavily competed for.
But all this depends on your topic.
If you have discovered that lots of people are searching for “how to grow bonsai trees” but no one has
moved in on this market yet. Well, “make hay while the sun shines” is my advice to you. Get moving.
If there is a lot of competition and you are determined to continue with this keyword, you may find
that there is enough traffic to go around and you can grab a slice of it with other related keywords.
Secondary key words are found further down the list in the keyword tool.
You may find that people are also using “growing bonsai trees” or “grow bonsai”
You may be able to compete on those and take a slice of the traffic that the established sites are not
catering to.
Make a list of around 10 - 15 of the best to moderate keywords for your title, but also make a sub list of
the lower search hit words, pick 5 of those. Keep these noted for your sales page.
You need to know which keywords and phrases are going to be easy and which are going to be a fight
To dominate.
The competition for ebook keywords can be fierce, very fierce, so you need to know how many times
Your chosen words are being searched for per month and how many other sites are chasing those hits.
In the section above we mentioned researching key words for your e book and competition.
Here we tell you how to do this.
By now you should have decided on a topic and a title for your book and from this we will build a list
of keywords and then assess the competition on these words.
First of all you should enter your chosen title into a search engine. Google is best to start with because
it receives the greatest amount of search traffic by a clear majority, but once you learn this technique
you should definitely take a look at the other major search engines to see what traffic you could attract
from there. The other engines such as MSN, and Yahoo, may get a lower percentage amount of search
traffic, but when each percentage point is millions upon millions of searches, you would be quite
frankly unwise to leave that kind of opportunity out of the process.
Ok, so here is how you do it.
First, type you future e book title into the search engine.
You will get some results most likely, but see how targeted the first page is.
If you find a “your book title” .com, then I’m sorry to say your best option is to choose another title.
Why? You may ask.
Because you have just learnt that the domain name for your e book is already gone and that you are
going to be entering a battle in the search engine rankings against an already established site.
If you are determined that you want to keep your title despite the above occurrence, well be prepared
for a battle for rankings.
Don’t get me wrong, some sites are easily knocked from the top, but if the person has already taken
the time and trouble to buy a targeted domain name AND get it to the top of Google, you can bet they
are not going to give up and let you simply stroll in and take their top spot with out a fight.
Granted, you can take them on if you like, and maybe if you have the SEO experience you can take
their spot, but in my opinion, its far easier just to carve your own ground with a different title if you
want an easier and quicker ride.
If on the other hand, there is no domain at the top with your title, and the results just come from bits
of content around the web....Go for it!
Having your title keywords in your domain name typically helps you out with search engine rankings.
Not always, but the vast majority of the time.
Ok, next, find out how many searches your keyword gets.
Personally I use Google ad words keyword tool
I find this to be the best I have encountered so far and its easy to use.
Ok type in your e book title in the keyword tool.
See what results come up.
Some key words will produce a search result of tens if not hundreds of thousands of hits per month.
This can be very good or very bad.
If you are confident of able to compete on this keyword and its feasible for you to rise to the top, then
you have the potential to make SERIOUS money from your e book.
It can be very bad because usually, but not always, key words like this are already heavily competed for.
But all this depends on your topic.
If you have discovered that lots of people are searching for “how to grow bonsai trees” but no one has
moved in on this market yet. Well, “make hay while the sun shines” is my advice to you. Get moving.
If there is a lot of competition and you are determined to continue with this keyword, you may find
that there is enough traffic to go around and you can grab a slice of it with other related keywords.
Secondary key words are found further down the list in the keyword tool.
You may find that people are also using “growing bonsai trees” or “grow bonsai”
You may be able to compete on those and take a slice of the traffic that the established sites are not
catering to.
Make a list of around 10 - 15 of the best to moderate keywords for your title, but also make a sub list of
the lower search hit words, pick 5 of those. Keep these noted for your sales page.
Choosing an Ebook Topic
In this section we look at choosing a topic for your ebook.
Choosing a topic is the first and most important step in your decision to write an ebook. If you choose
the wrong topic you are going to be in for disappointment.
Plain and simple.
If you choose the right ebook topic, you are going to find it a lot easier to write and later market your
ebook.
Before setting out to write your e book, your obviously must choose a topic, but also research your keywords.
This may stop some people in their tracks.........
"Research keywords for your e book?"
Yes, this is very important. Never miss the chance for ebook research.
If you can find good keywords for your ebook topic, then you can incorporate these into your e book title and later into your domain name and web page keywords.
For example,
If you decided to write an e book about dog training, you may find that competition on the keyword "Dog training" may be fierce and cause you unnecessary problems as far as competing on the keyword for search engine results, pay per click, and domain names. But, if you find out there is good demand and low competition for "teach your dog basic commands", well guess what you should consider for a
title and content of your e book?
We will look at domain names and keywords in greater detail on our setting up your sales page article.
Examples for topics.
Well, firstly you really need to consider what topics you know about, and also interest you.
You do not want to set out to write an e book about a topic you know nothing about and have no real interest in just because you think you can earn money from it. You may earn money from it, but your lack of real interest and knowledge will show through in your writing, because you WILL end up rushing out a half hearted piece of work just to get it done quick to get at the money. Half hearted work results in low
sales and high returns.
Kind of defeats the point of writing an e book in the first place.
Topics can vary according to the writer and of course the target reader audience.
You may be an expert at cooking according to your friends and family, but if you try to compete on the keyword "Cooking", you are in for a rough ride, but if you are a unbeatable force in the realm of apple pie, well, I wouldn’t be surprised that if you wrote an e book on "How to make the perfect apple pie", you may just be on to a high return e book. But if you wrote a e book on "Onion desserts" I would not
expect you to be retiring from your e book income any time soon.
Typically people use the Internet to find out information.
The term "How to" really should be in your plan for an e book title and topic.
Typical topics for e books include.
Weight loss, affiliate marketing, pet training, cooking, car repair, computer repair, video game guides, gardening tips, dating tips, financial tips..........Just about anything in the world can be written about in an e book.
Your next task is to break it down a little.
If you chose weight loss, for example, its extremely competitive and a very broad topic, so you would be best to narrow it down to something like,
"How to lose weight using water"
or
"tighter abs from a tighter diet"
This will give you a targeted audience and an easier time when it comes to planning and doing your ebook research.
You can choose to write a fiction e book, horror, science fiction, romance etc.
This is actually easier to write than an information product because you put what ever you like and don’t have to worry as much about facts etc, but it will be harder to market unless you already have an established fan base.
Not impossible to market, just not as easy.
Choosing a topic is the first and most important step in your decision to write an ebook. If you choose
the wrong topic you are going to be in for disappointment.
Plain and simple.
If you choose the right ebook topic, you are going to find it a lot easier to write and later market your
ebook.
Before setting out to write your e book, your obviously must choose a topic, but also research your keywords.
This may stop some people in their tracks.........
"Research keywords for your e book?"
Yes, this is very important. Never miss the chance for ebook research.
If you can find good keywords for your ebook topic, then you can incorporate these into your e book title and later into your domain name and web page keywords.
For example,
If you decided to write an e book about dog training, you may find that competition on the keyword "Dog training" may be fierce and cause you unnecessary problems as far as competing on the keyword for search engine results, pay per click, and domain names. But, if you find out there is good demand and low competition for "teach your dog basic commands", well guess what you should consider for a
title and content of your e book?
We will look at domain names and keywords in greater detail on our setting up your sales page article.
Examples for topics.
Well, firstly you really need to consider what topics you know about, and also interest you.
You do not want to set out to write an e book about a topic you know nothing about and have no real interest in just because you think you can earn money from it. You may earn money from it, but your lack of real interest and knowledge will show through in your writing, because you WILL end up rushing out a half hearted piece of work just to get it done quick to get at the money. Half hearted work results in low
sales and high returns.
Kind of defeats the point of writing an e book in the first place.
Topics can vary according to the writer and of course the target reader audience.
You may be an expert at cooking according to your friends and family, but if you try to compete on the keyword "Cooking", you are in for a rough ride, but if you are a unbeatable force in the realm of apple pie, well, I wouldn’t be surprised that if you wrote an e book on "How to make the perfect apple pie", you may just be on to a high return e book. But if you wrote a e book on "Onion desserts" I would not
expect you to be retiring from your e book income any time soon.
Typically people use the Internet to find out information.
The term "How to" really should be in your plan for an e book title and topic.
Typical topics for e books include.
Weight loss, affiliate marketing, pet training, cooking, car repair, computer repair, video game guides, gardening tips, dating tips, financial tips..........Just about anything in the world can be written about in an e book.
Your next task is to break it down a little.
If you chose weight loss, for example, its extremely competitive and a very broad topic, so you would be best to narrow it down to something like,
"How to lose weight using water"
or
"tighter abs from a tighter diet"
This will give you a targeted audience and an easier time when it comes to planning and doing your ebook research.
You can choose to write a fiction e book, horror, science fiction, romance etc.
This is actually easier to write than an information product because you put what ever you like and don’t have to worry as much about facts etc, but it will be harder to market unless you already have an established fan base.
Not impossible to market, just not as easy.
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