Writing the content might be the easy part for you. Or maybe you need ideas about what to write about. Then, you need pictures, a cover, the layout, fonts, charts. After that you want to upload and publish it. It sounds complicated but it's not difficult when you know how. Read on and find out.
Where to start?
Writing eBooks are a great way to establish yourself as a writer. Make your book fascinating and helpful so that it becomes a popular read. Use this as a way to grow your brand and become known. Supercharge your business by making an eBook. It's easier that you think. Once you have written your compelling content, you need to create the actual eBook.
Content
Start off by deciding what issues you are interested in (e.g. weight loss). Then narrow it down by deciding what the problem could be (e.g. some people struggle to lose weight after having a baby). Finally decide what your solution will be (practical advice and tips). Now you have a general idea what your eBook is going to be about.
Before you begin writing, define who your target audience is. What do they want or need, and what motivates them to take action? Where do they live, what is the age group and what kind of work do they do? What kinds of problems do they have and how is reading your eBook going to help them? Do some research on your topic and see what other kinds of eBooks exist. What do you like about them? How could you improve it?
Make an outline of what your book is going to look like. Use a spider diagram to makes notes and brain storm. Decide on what each chapter will be about. You don't necessarily have to write each chapter in sequence, but it is important to have a writing plan. A writing plan is a schedule that keeps you motivated and timeous. Work out how many hours a day you will spend writing, and have deadlines to finish chapters. A good starting point would be writing 500 words a day. Stick to your schedule as planned. Use Google Docs or Word for writing. Don't edit while you are writing but end off by making sure your content is edited and proofread properly. If possible, pay someone to edit your book.
Don't forget to come up with a good name for your eBook and give credit to people or texts where you got your information from. This could be in the form of a bibliography or an acknowledgement page.
Designing your book
The way that your book looks is extremely important. Make sure to select your brand colors, and make your cover page eye-catching. Use a suitable font that matches the theme of your writing. Make sure your eBook looks professional and polished.
There are a number of free sites you can use when you want to design the cover. Canva, Flyer Maker and Spark Post are all easy to use and they have a free version. Experiment with their features and try to using different colors and backgrounds. You can also use the paid version if you want more choices.
Use diagrams, pictures, photos, icons, charts and infographic documents to make your eBook interesting and vibrant. Decide on the color theme for your books. What color is the background page going to be? What colors represent your topic and what color will your font be? Make sure that your font is easy to read against the background color. Using the wrong colors can negatively impact your sales. Once again, think of your target audience. Use neutral and strong colors for men, soft pastels for women and vibrant colors for children. What do your colors portray?
Think about what size to make the cover of the eBook. It will depend on whether your book is in portrait or landscape form. You can find the answers on Google but for a portrait style book, it should roughly be 2560 x 1600 pixels with a ratio of 1: 1,6.
If you want to take a lot of the guess work and stress out of creating your eBook, a wonderful site called Sqribble makes it a lot easier to design and set up your eBook. It will shorten your time and you'll be able to be more productive. If you want to learn more about how it works, check out this link.
Publishing and Selling your eBook
Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing is one of the most commonly used platforms for publishing your eBook onto the Kindly marketplace. The disadvantage of this platform is that it is restricted to Kindle readers only. Booktango and Smashwords are some other sites where you can publish your book for free. You could also sell your book on eBay, Fiverr, Sellfy, Blurb, E-Junkie and Payhip. On most of these platforms you pay some sort of commission, so be aware of that when you decide on the price for your eBook. Do your homework before you decide which platform to publish on.
And Finally
You will never understand that wonderful feeling of selling your first eBook until you do it. That sense of achievement and pride. It will make you want to do it again and again. So, take that first step. Start thinking about what you could write about. Go back to the beginning of this document and see what you need to do. It is, by and large, really simple, but it can be time consuming. Outsource where possible, or use software that makes your life easier. Sqribble is one of those we mentioned that will make the whole process less painful. Research this platform and others and decide what you need help with.
Good luck!