With the Covid restrictions becoming less restrictive, more and more people are considering the exciting opportunities that the electronic publishing world has to offer.
With the cost of physical printing decreasing and the need for content increasing, it’s an exciting time to be in publishing.
But, if you’re looking for your first eBook to be published, you’ve got a lot of work to do before you can take the industry by storm.
To help you get started, we put together a guide on how to write an eBook in two weeks, including tips on how to structure your content, what software to use, and much more.
Get Inspired
No one can write an eBook from head to toe; you’ll need inspiration in some shape or form. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas or just taking a stroll down memory lane, remember to keep your mind open and your eyes peeled for potential ideas.
The best advice we can give you is to write what you know; we’ve all been there. If you’re struggling to find ideas, look to your own life for inspiration. We’d recommend doing some research on a specific topic, which can then inspire ideas for an eBook. Or, maybe you’ve got a personal story that you can tell; a book about yourself can be an amazing way to inspire your fellow readers.
Choose A Topic
With so much competition in today’s market, it’s essential to choose a topic that will make your eBook unique. Choosing a niche can be challenging, but as we mentioned above, uniqueness is key if you want to stand out from the crowd. Once you’ve chosen a niche, begin brainstorming ideas. If you’ve got a few books on your topic, you can use a tool such as GoodReads to help you find the common themes in your chosen niche.
Plan Out The Structure Of The Book
Although you might have freedom in terms of what format you want to publish your eBook in, you still need to consider how you want the book to flow. When writing an eBook, you’ve got two weeks to complete a draft; however, you might not have the time to go through numerous iterations.
Thought leaders in your niche know far more about your topic than you do. By understanding how others approach the same issue, you’ll better be able to speak to your audience and offer them value. To begin with, you might want to write a short guide to help people understand the basics of your chosen topic. Once you’ve done that, you can move onto the next stage.
Choose The Right People To Speak To
When someone decides to write an eBook, they often think about the content first and the format last. While that’s a perfectly acceptable use of the 20th century tool called typewriting, in today’s digital age, it’s not the best way to go about it. You need to choose your target audience carefully and decide what they’d value most from your content. From there, you can work on the format that will best fit your needs.
Decide On The Genre
Although you might have freedom in terms of what format you want to publish your eBook in, you still need to consider the genre. Genre is what will label your work as either fiction or non-fiction, romance or science fiction, young adult or adult, etc. If you’re not sure what genre your eBook should belong to, ask yourself these questions:
- Does my eBook require a lot of action?
- Does my eBook require a lot of thought?
- Does my eBook require a combination of the above?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to consider writing a business book rather than an eBook. On the other hand, if you’re answering no to all of them, you’re probably an excellent candidate to write an eBook.
As you work on your upcoming eBook, be sure to keep the above points in mind. You’ll be much happier in the long run if you keep everyone guessing as to whether or not your book is fact or fiction, romance or sci-fi. Also, don’t be afraid to try something new; after all, that’s how you came up with an idea for an eBook in the first place.
Decide On The Audience
The last step in the eBook writing process is to decide on the audience. Who are you writing your book for? Be specific. Your book might be suitable for several different audiences, but you need to decide on one.
Think about your target audience and what they’d value most from your content. You can use a tool such as GoodReads to help you find the common themes in your chosen niche. If you don’t have an audience in mind, ask yourself these questions:
- Who is my target audience?
- What do they need/want?
- What are their pain points?
- What do I offer them that no one else does?
- How can I make my offer more valuable?
The above questions will help you develop an ideal buyer persona and begin defining your target audience. Once you’ve got a clear idea of who your target audience is, you can begin choosing the right content for them.
Choose The Right Format
There are several different formats for eBooks. Depending on your niche, you might want to consider writing a PDF, DOCX, or a plain old.txt file. All of these formats have their perks, so you need to consider what makes the most sense for your target audience.
Create Digital Signatures
As we discussed above, you need to consider who you’re writing your book for. The last step in the eBook process is to create digital signatures for yourself and the rest of the team. A digital signature is essentially a stamp of approval that allows you to verify the identity of the person the document is associated with.
If you don’t have a legal team, don’t worry; you can create a digital signature with a simple click of a button. To get started, click here to create a legal signature for yourself. Once you’ve created a signature for yourself, you can begin creating one for the rest of the team.
Digital signatures are an excellent way to protect your work from being used without your consent. If someone were to download your eBook and try to publish it without your permission, they’d fail due to lack of a digital signature. Additionally, legal experts verify that digital signatures are very easy to create and extremely easy to use.
Editing Is A Necessary Evil
Even though you might have two weeks to write an eBook, you still need to go through several iterations to make it the best it can be. It’s a good idea to hire an editor to help you bring your baby to perfection.
As you work on your upcoming release, be sure to go through at least three drafts. If you’ve followed the above tips, you’ll be well on your way to having an amazing book; just make sure to take your time and go through the whole process correctly.