Ebooks are extremely popular, both with fiction and nonfiction writers. One of the best ways to monetize your writing skills is by selling your ebook online. You can also offer it for free to attract visitors to your website.
Ebooks come in digital formats like PDF, .epub or .mobi. The good news is that you don’t always need to hire a designer to create an ebook.
Here are 7 tips to help you whip up a professional-looking ebook that your audience will want to read.
1. Survey Your Audience
Don’t make the mistake of assuming what your audience needs or wants. Get to know them! You can use survey software to get answers about their biggest challenge.
Ask your readers on social media, email your list or call a valued client. The most detailed and honest responses will be your target client. Watch out for the words they use and notice the language related to their struggles or motivations.
Google Analytics is also a fantastic tool, especially when looking at your most popular blog posts. This tool provides useful data like what your target audience is searching for. If that’s something you’d like to write about then you’re a step ahead.
2. Choose a Topic
Think about your passions and the kind of content that will help your target audience. The most exciting ebooks share personal experiences or stories. This is because personal stories create empathy with the readers and are engaging and help build authority.
A great way to measure what your readers respond to is to look at your social media updates and blog posts. The posts that are currently getting the most shares and comments can help inform your decision.
Research on the existing market before deciding on a topic. Start by studying potential competitors already offering ebooks in the same category on their website or on Amazon. Create an ebook with a unique perspective that will help you stand out.
3. Get Your Content
After deciding on an idea, it’s time to create the content for your ebook. There are many options when it comes to creating content. You could compile several pieces of existing content, create content from scratch or use one piece of great content.
Creating an ebook from a single blog post is by far the easiest method of creating an ebook. Pick the most valuable piece as your source and start to expand on the concept. Even then, make sure to choose a post that’s already popular and attracting traffic.
Compiling multiple pieces to create your ebook can be a great approach if you want to make your ebook longer. While this length can be more time-consuming, you’ll likely end up with an invaluable resource that wins you business.
One advantage of creating an ebook from scratch is that it has a chance of being more unique which can be a good hook for marketing. The disadvantages of this route may be finding someone to write for you.
4. Outline Chapters of Your Ebook
The introduction to your ebook should draw readers in and set the stage for the contents of your ebook. How will your audience benefit from reading it? What is covered in the ebook?
Some ebook creators agree that an ebook is simply several blog posts stitched together. While this might be true, you should consider treating each chapter of your ebook as a single blog post. One section should flow fluidly to the next.
At a minimum, your outline should have the following:
- Title
- Key points you want to put across
- A starting point
- Supporting data for your points
- Conclusion
- Call to action
Your ebook doesn’t have to be lengthy. Many creators agree that writing what is needed to educate your readers about a specific subject works effectively. If that comes out to 15 pages then that’s awesome! If it requires 25 pages, so be it.
5. Think Like a Publisher, Not Just a Writer
Planning isn’t just about deciding on a topic and the order you’re going to write. Because if you’re going to create an ebook, you’re also a marketer (publisher).
If you don’t think about selling your book from the start, you’ll likely run into problems later on. Consider drafting sales pages as you plan your ebook. Make sure the copy and aesthetics for selling are as attractive and valuable as possible.
6. Write, Edit and Format
It’s important to write and format your ebook so that it’s easy to read. People like scannable content, so similar to a blog post, make sure your ebook doesn’t have too much clunky text or difficult writing.
If you’re on a budget, consider using Google Docs to write your ebook. The program has all the features you need to write an ebook and it’s completely free.
Google Docs has a range of fonts to choose from and allows you to convert a standard Doc file to a PDF. You can also upload a pre-existing project to edit and convert pdf to doc. If you plan to edit your ebook, then you should save it in Adobe Acrobat.
7. Design Your Ebook
One of the most critical steps in creating an ebook is making sure that your design is on point. Humans are visual beings and how something looks significantly influences how they choose to interact with it. Although people have varied opinions on what looks nice and what doesn’t, all humans understand on a subconscious level what a good design entails.
Creating a well-designed ebook makes you appear more professional which can help you stand out from the crowd. Your ebook cover should both be eye-catching and quickly inform the reader what your book is all about. Remember, avoid overloading your cover with too much information and big flashy graphics.
Take consideration of the inside of your book as well. If you have images, make sure they are placed well alongside text. Keep text fluid and avoid clunkiness.
Learn How to Create an eBook on Your Own
Writing an ebook could be a big step for you as an entrepreneur. Ebooks are simple to sell online and effective for lead generation. But, learning to create an eBook isn’t just a matter of writing─ it’s also presenting your content attractively.
The tips listed here can help you avoid common mishaps that sabotage the efforts of so many potential ebook creators. We believe in arming entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools that help them create more value for their audience. Check out more articles on our blog if you’re looking for this type of content.