I’m Sarah, and I want to help you to become a digital nomad. You’ve probably heard of them; they’re the ones who travel the world and work remotely, using their laptops and the internet to create products and businesses from scratch. What you might not know is that you can become one too!
With a little bit of luck and some dedicated learning, the following will teach you how to write your first ebook (electronic book), in just 12 months.
Choose Your Niche
At the start of this journey, you’ll want to consider researching and identifying a niche in the digital nomad market. What’s important here is that you pick a topic that you know a lot about and that you believe will be valuable to your target audience. For example, if you’re passionate about yoga, studies have shown that people with a good experience with yoga tend to also respond well to courses in mindfulness and meditation. So, if you decide that you want to write an ebook about mindfulness and meditation, you’ll already have a ready-made audience due to your previous research on yoga.
The important thing is to pick something that feels right for you. What you will find is that no matter what you decide to write about, the more you learn, the more you’ll be respected as an expert in your field. And that’s what ultimately matters in the eyes of your clients (or potential clients): your expertise.
Decide How You’ll Finance Your Book
You won’t have to look far to know that being an author doesn’t bring in the dough. In fact, depending on what industry you’re in, it could be a hard road ahead. For example, while creative writing and blogging can be a great way to build a following, it won’t necessarily lead to significant monetization. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but you might have to explore other avenues to make ends meet.
The important thing to consider here is how you’re going to pay for your education and development as a writer. Naturally, you’ll want to look for the most sustainable and long-term funding solution, which in most cases is to seek sponsorships and affiliate marketing. The benefits of these two options are extremely high in terms of profit and allowing you to focus on your writing without worrying about money too much. Consider doing some research into the best affiliate marketing program for writers, or contacting local businesses to see if they’d be interested in funding some of your creative writing studies.
Set Achievable Goals
Setting goals is a crucial part of any journey towards becoming an author. If you’re not used to prioritizing and being goal-oriented, it could be difficult to start creating tangible products such as ebooks. That’s why it’s important to set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and tangible) goals. For example, if your SMART goal is to write a best-selling ebook, but you don’t know how to go about doing that, then you might want to set a secondary goal of writing a popular blog post.
Similarly, if you’re committed to writing for money, but you don’t know where to start, then perhaps consider setting a goal to write for fashion magazines. You’ll already be familiar with the target audience (i.e., people who like to dress stylishly) and you have a good idea of where to start (i.e., the magazines themselves).
Dedicated Learning
If we’re talking about becoming a digital nomad, the next thing to consider is dedicated learning. With online learning platforms like Udemy and Coursera, there are endless opportunities to gain knowledge and grow as a writer. Udemy even has a digital nomad course that you can complete, which will provide you with all the necessary tools and tips to start your freelancing career. What you need to do is commit to learning daily, even if it’s for an hour or two. The more you learn, the more you’ll be able to contribute to the conversation and the more valuable you’ll be considered as an expert in your field. So don’t be afraid to spend some money on learning (although, preferably, not a lot). You’ll be investing in yourself, and the returns will be invaluable.
Create A Product
The last and probably the most important step on the journey to becoming a successful author is creating a product. An ebook is certainly a product, as is any other printed copy you might write (e.g., a business plan, brochure, etc.). What you need to do is to consider what your product will be and how you’ll go about implementing it. Essentially, you want to make sure that everything is thought through and that you have a clear path to follow. So, take your time and do this step carefully.
Ensure that everything is documented clearly and that you have a prototype (i.e., an ebook that you’ve already written) to show your potential clients. Ideally, you’ll write several prototypes over the course of a year, which will give you the opportunity to improve upon each one. The important thing is to have something to show for your efforts, which in most cases is a prototype (or perhaps a first draft). This way, you’ll be able to get feedback and make necessary adjustments, before publishing your final product.
So, there you have it! Just a few of the essentials to consider if you want to write your first ebook within the next 12 months.