Ebooks can help you attract new leads and start earning a side income. People give their contact details willingly in exchange for something valuable – like an ebook.
If you’ve written it well, you can educate them and take them down the path to becoming a paying customer.
Ebooks can be life-changing. If you’re a new writer and you’re looking for a steady stream of side income, writing an e-book is a great place to start.
Lots of writers (and would-be writers) recognize that but have yet to get started on their own. Perhaps you’re one of them.
You’re not sure where to begin, or you’re worried about how you’ll find the time.
In the last couple of years, I’ve written a handful of e-books myself, and help others get theirs “published” as well. The following eight tips will help you come up with a great idea, do the research, and get your first draft written.
Market Research Is Everything For Your Ebook
One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is choosing a topic they think is good, but they haven’t actually done any market research.
Don’t just choose a topic because it sounds like it has huge possibilities, and the market is “out there.”
A dieting book or self-help book may not make you as much money as you think – with only the top performers actually making a bunch [of cash]. Instead, choose a topic that one: You already know a lot about, and two: you enjoy writing about it.
This will save you a lot of research and increases the chance that you’ll finally make it to the publishing stages of your ebook.
Hot Topics For Your Ebook
Think about the blogs you read and the content you consume. Once you’ve settled on a topic, go digging through those resources.
You’re going to notice certain articles pop up again and again and again.
This could indicate a top-performing subject and may be good for the core idea of your ebook. Take note of each one and brainstorm how you could expand on these topics.
Asking Your Audience For Ebook Topics
Don’t leave your audience in the dark. If you have a decent Twitter following or an email list, you could send them a survey to help lead you in the right direction.
They will often tell you exactly what they’d like to see or expect from you. Guaranteed sales can definitely light a fire under your ***.
If you don’t have a good social media following or don’t have an email list, you could use questions that keep coming up again and again.
Are they too long to be answered with a tweet?
Too long to be answered with a blog post?
This could be a good idea for an e-book.
Write, Research, Write
Many writers find it’s easy to get stuck at the research stage – gathering more and more articles and resources.
Thumbing through books again and again. Jotting down great quotes, facts, and references. Avoid all this by giving yourself a limited amount of time.
This could mean setting aside say two weeks, maybe two months, purely for research before you begin writing. And researching for a certain length of time as you come to each new chapter of your ebook.
A 10-page ebook shouldn’t take you more than a week to compose.
Read Similar Content & Ebooks
No, you don’t have to go reading every single word, but you do need to take a look at the table of contents, index, and writing style to help you figure out how that topic flows.
Each topic/niche is different, so you want to make sure you understand the lingo and how to present ideas before you get started. Don’t throw your ebook together randomly!
Plus, by reading other works, you’re able to pick up [maybe] ideas you hadn’t considered yet.
Double-Check The Facts & Statistics In Your Ebook
Just because you read it online doesn’t mean it’s true, but that doesn’t stop people from repeating things without double-checking them. Be careful though because the original author might have just made up that fact to suit them in their cause.
Be sure to look for original studies, government publications, and other reputable sources for information when possible.
If you come across anything that’s presented as a fact, but it’s odd or hard to believe, don’t be afraid to check Snopes. It’s a great place to turn to for an initial check.
Write In A Friendly, Readable Manner
Imagine you’re writing an email to a friend. If you start staring at the screen and nothing is coming to mind, just treat it like you would a text message to a friend.
Obviously, the grammar should be a little bit better if you don’t use complete sentences, but this will help you get in the flow.
Talk to them like you have something great to share with them. Teach them something new! Share your experiences. Show your personality.
Do The Fun Stuff First
It’s smart to do the fun stuff first.
A lot of the time you’ll hear people say do the hardest stuff first, but the only problem with this is the juices never really get flowing.
Whenever you do the hardest stuff first, or the stuff you dislike, you never get into it. The love for the project never develops because it’s boring.
- Do the artwork,
- Do the writing,
- Do the outline.
Whatever you enjoy the most – do that first because that’ll give you the motivation you need to finish!
Conclusion
Your first ebook shouldn’t take longer than a few months to write. After you finish with the research stages, everything should go pretty smoothly until the finish.
Once you’ve got your first, second, third, and final draft go ahead and send it to a couple friends. Get some feedback. And if it’s all good, publish away!
