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How to Write an eBook in 24 Hours

Have you ever wanted to create your own eBook but didn’t know where to start? Or maybe you’re just curious as to how others write their books? You can’t make this mistake. If you want to create an eBook, you need to start by crafting a great proposal and then follow up with a list of solid reasons as to why said book should be published.

As an independent author, you may have spent years honing your craft and creating incredible characters and plotlines but lack the expertise to translate these stories into a digital format. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process of creating an eBook from beginning to end. By the end of, you’ll have an eBook that you can use to launch your career as a published author!

The Whole Process

Even if you have experience writing and publishing, creating an eBook can still be a daunting task. That’s why we’re going to walk you through every step of the way. From coming up with a proposal to getting editing and design help, this process will leave you with a functioning eBook that you can use to market your book and hopefully make some sales. And don’t forget about the all-important formatting. Without great formatting, your eBook may not look as good as it could and might even hurt your sales.

Let’s get started.

Create a Work Descriptor

An eBook is a type of digital publication that is easily shareable and sometimes searchable. To ensure that no matter which platform or device you decide to publish to, your eBook will look the same, you need to create a special work descriptor (also known as a Book Description or Book Proposal). A work descriptor serves as a template for the contents of your book. It is also responsible for giving the reader an idea of what they are getting into. For example, if you are writing a romance novel, your work descriptor might include a description of the characters, a brief overview of the plot, and any additional information that could be helpful.

Creating a work descriptor is the first step in the eBook creation process. Even if you have an idea of what you want your eBook to include, you shouldn’t start writing until you have a perfect Book Description. Otherwise, you may end up with an eBook that isn’t formatted properly and won’t look as good as you could.

Take Your Time

You need to take the time to do this right. It’s easy to get excited about creating your own eBook and wanting to start writing but before you do, take a step back and think about what you’re getting into. You might want to hire a professional to help you write the book or at least give you some ideas. There are plenty of options out there if you want to write an eBook but you should ensure that you’re choosing a reputable firm.

Writing an eBook takes a lot of time but as long as you’re doing it right, the results will be well-worth it. You don’t want to rush this step. Take your time to do it right.

Get Inspired

Now that you have a perfect work descriptor, you can start getting inspired for your book. What will you write about? Your work descriptor will dictate this. Don’t be afraid to get creative. As an independent author, you can write about anything you want. There are no restrictions. Write about what inspires you.

The best way to get inspired is by getting out there and finding different types of books. If possible, get a copy of the book you’re planning to write and read it from cover to cover. This will help you identify with the characters and give you an idea of what to write about. If not, find a friend who has read the book and can give you their opinion. This might also spark ideas for a character that you created.

Craft A Great Proposal

Once you know what you’re going to write about, you can start brainstorming ideas for your book. There are plenty of platforms out there that make creating an eBook easy. You don’t need to know code to publish your work. But, if you want to ensure that your eBook looks as good as new and doesn’t have any glitches, you should consider hiring an editing service.

Pro bono editing is a great option. For free. Anyone can do it. All you need is a good set of ears and a willingness to learn.

If you’ve never edited a book before but you know what a proposal is and how to write one, this step should be easy for you. Once you’ve got your proposal finished, take a few days to proofread it before you send it off. And don’t worry, we’d hate to see you go through all this effort and then have your proposal turned down. It’s never pleasant to discover that your work wasn’t accepted.

Decide On The Format

This step is all about you. What do you want your book to look like? Once you found the perfect proposal, you can start thinking about the format. There are plenty of options when it comes to eBooks. You can go the traditional route and go with a PDF for the eBook or you can go the e-ink route and create a kind of a hybrid book. Meaning, you have a print version and an e-version. The choice is up to you. As long as both versions are functional, you can’t go wrong. But sometimes e-ink screens can get scratchy and poorly formatted PDFs can also lead to issues on eReaders. So, you might want to go with a completely digital format. In today’s world, this is easy to do.

Design The Book Cover

Your cover is one of the most important parts of your eBook. It’s what first greets the reader and sells them on your book. So, take a few days and design that cover using a tool like Canva.

Your cover needs to stand out. It needs to grab the reader’s attention. And you can use color to do this. Plenty of romance novelists rely on the colorful covers they create to hook their readers. Meaning, the cover doesn’t have to just be a pretty picture. It can be a drawing, or a painting, or even a collage of various images that collectively tell a story. Designing the cover of your book is a task that should take you a few days to complete. Putting it out there for the world to see isn’t something you should rush. Take the time to do it right.

Format The Book

Once you have your cover designed, it’s time to format your book. If you went with a traditional PDF for your proposed book, this step is easy. You just need to make sure you inserted a PDF document into an EPUB file before you send it off. This is important. You don’t want to end up with a book that only your eReader can decrypt.

If you chose to go with an EPUB file, this step is a bit more complicated. You need to have a look at the various settings on your eReader. Meaning, you need to set the EPUB file to show just the text and no images. This is because eReaders aren’t equipped to display images in a PDF. So, you need to make sure when the reader clicks on a particular part of the text, it will take them to that location in the PDF. This is known as embedding. Additionally, you need to make sure the PDF opens in your eReader app.

If you didn’t embed the PDF and the reader doesn’t come with your app, they’ll either need to download it or search for it on their device. The former can take a while (and a lot of data) while the latter can be a pain. If you want your eBook to look as good as new, this is not the way to go about it. Formatting your PDF isn’t difficult, it’s just a bit time-consuming.