So you have decided to write an ebook. Congratulations! You are among the growing number of individuals who have decided that self-publishing is the way to go. Perhaps you have always felt that you had something to say and the perfect platform was there, just waiting to be tapped into. Maybe you are an experienced business professional who has been searching for the perfect way to share your knowledge. Or perhaps you are an author looking to expand your reach to a new audience.
No matter what stage you are in, writing and designing an ebook is a daunting task. Where do you start? How do you create something that is both unique and valuable? How do you design a cover that will make your customers trust you?
These are all incredibly valid questions, which is why we have designed this comprehensive guide. In it, you will learn everything you need to know about using PowerPoint to write an ebook. From the very first step, to the final copy, we will guide you through the entire process. More importantly, we will prepare you for the unexpected, so you can be well-rested and relaxed when faced with any curve balls that come your way during the writing process. Let’s get started.
Master The Art Of Storytelling
Before you begin writing your ebook, you must have a solid understanding of story-telling. It is an essential element to any good narrative, and the perfect book will have a strong narrative that draws the reader in from the very beginning and keeps them engaged until the very end. To write a compelling story, you must understand the structure of a standard narrative and how to use it to your advantage.
A narrative structure is simply the order of events that makes up the story. There are seven common narrative structures, which you can use to organize your thoughts and make your writing more efficient. To learn more, check out these links:
- The Hero’s Journey (Hercules): The hero’s journey is a common type of narrative that shows the story from the point-of-view of the protagonist. Essentially, it is the classic story of a person going on a journey and encountering challenges along the way. The hero’s journey is a common narrative structure that all good storytellers should know.
- The Odyssey (Homer): The Odyssey is one of the great classical poems that is often attributed to Homer. It is a long epic poem that follows the journey of Odysseus and his quest for the return of the divine gift, which was taken from him by the giant, sacker. In the Odyssey, Odysseus must battle with the forces of nature to prove his worth as a man and earn back the love of his family. The odyssey narrative structure can be used to structure a personal story, like a memoir.
- The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer): The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 14 loosely-related stories by Geoffrey Chaucer. Considered to be one of the first novels, it was first published in 1387 and is considered to be one of the greatest works of English literature. The title refers to a pilgrimage that the characters make to the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket, where miracles are said to occur. The canterbury tale narrative structure can be used to show the variety of experiences that a person can have in life. When used properly, this structure can be both entertaining and educating.
- The Decameron (Boccaccio): The Decameron is a collection of ten stories by the Italian author and physician, Giovanni Boccaccio. It was first published in 1353 and is an example of a romance written during the late medieval period. It is named after the city of Decameron in northern Italy, which is where many of its events take place. Boccaccio uses the decameron narrative structure to depict a day in the life of a gentleman. The structure can also be applied to non-fiction where the author wants to create a sense of authenticity by giving the illusion that he or she is living the experience described in the book.
- The Canterbury Tales (continued) (Chaucer): The Canterbury Tales continued is a continuation of the previously mentioned work by Geoffrey Chaucer. Like its predecessor, it is a collection of 14 stories that use the Canterbury tale structure and tell the adventures of the pilgrims. However, this edition is a little over a hundred years later and the order of the chapters, as well as the addition of new stories, make this edition unique. This is the oldest-known collection of short stories in print and is often referred to as the Father of Fiction. This edition is valuable not only because it is over 50 years old, but because it shows how the form and structure of classical narratives can be used for modern storytelling.
- Frankenstein (Mary Shelley): Frankenstein is the 18th century novel by the English author, Mary Shelley. It was first published in 1813 and is considered to be one of the first works of science fiction. Shelley wrote Frankenstein as an extended metaphor for the dangers of science and technology. In the novel, the author takes her protagonist, Dr. Frankenstein, on a journey to discover the meaning of life and prevent the apocalypse that threatens to befall the world.
- Romeo And Juliet (Shakespeare): Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well-known Shakespearean plays. It is a tragedy written in 15th century English that won the author his first of five Shakespearean awards. The title refers to the couple at its center, whose star-crossed love for one another results in a tragic end that brings an early end to their fleeting romance.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain): The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American novel by the American author, Mark Twain. It was first published in 1884 and is considered to be one of the first adventure novels. Twain combined the traditional adventure story with the humor and verisimilitude of his beloved Native American characters to create a work that is as relevant today as it was over 100 years ago. The order of the chapters in this edition is sometimes changed to reflect the order of the episodes as they appear in the story. This is one of Twain’s most famous and admired works. It is considered to be one of the top ten most influential novels of all time and is frequently assigned in schools and universities as a text to study.
- The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas): The Count of Monte Cristo is a romanticized autobiography of Edmond Dantès, a French aristocrat who was falsely accused of treason and is sentenced to death. Dantès escapes from prison and vows revenge, which he finally gets, at the end of the novel. However, his revenge only leads him to further complications, as he now has to flee the country to avoid being killed by his victims. The count of Monte Cristo is the best-known of Alexandre Dumas’s famous Musketeer novels, which also include The Three Musketeers and The Lady of the Camellias. It is written in the first person and is built on a massive scale, reminiscent of a long poem or epic novel. This is a work that will leave an indelible mark on your writing journey.
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain): The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is arguably one of the most important American novels of all time. It is the first part of Mark Twain’s Great American Novel, which also includes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and is one of the few narratives in which Twain allows himself to be completely honest. In this work, Twain creates an alter ego named Tom Sawyer, who befriends the young hero, Huck Finn, and along with his friend, Jim, helps him get away with committing numerous crimes. However, despite their best efforts, Huck Finn is eventually caught and convicted of committing the crimes. The work is a classic example of the hard-boiled detective fiction that would later inspire writers like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.
The Building Blocks Of Successful Ebooks
Once you have mastered the art of storytelling, it is time to move on to the next step. This step entails learning how to build a solid foundation for your ebook as a product that you can sell and which will earn you a decent profit. If you want to create a successful product that will sell for multiple millions of dollars, you need to take several factors into consideration.