10 Useful Tips to Help You Create Your First eBook

An electronic book, popularly known as eBook, is a compilation of multiple digital pages in the form of a book that can be read on electronic devices like a computer, mobile, or eBook reader. Most eBooks have a PDF format, which also makes it easy to send from one user to another. Today, eBooks are not just a modern form of books, but they are also a great tool for expanding businesses. Many companies use them to achieve email subscribers and build their revenue through their sales. According to Statista, a quarter of global book sales and up to 20 billion dollars revenue comes from eBooks. If you are someone who wants to create their first eBook, then here are ten tips that can be useful.

Coming Up with the Right Idea

The first thing you must do before you work on your eBook is to come up with the right idea. Just thinking of one and working on it, is not the right way, you must first make sure whether your idea is suitable for the market and audience you are going to publish your book in. Don’t just write on an idea because there is a big market for it, instead work on something you have vast knowledge about. Read up magazines and blogs; this can help you in deciding your topic for the eBook. Once you have chosen a few topics, go into more detail about it. If you have a blog or newsletter audience, then this can be helpful, as you can consult them about their preferences.

Work on Fine Details

If you want your eBook creation to be a smooth process, then you need to plan and work on all the details beforehand. Once you know what do, it will make working for you quite easily. There are several ways to go about, so to make sure what will work best for you, you need to ask yourself a few questions:

• Which platform are you going to publish on?
• Are you going to self-publish it, or work with a professional publisher?
• How will you do your distribution?
• Is your eBook going to be free, or are you going to charge subscriptions?

Once you have these questions sorted, then build a technical framework and work accordingly.

Know that Design is Important

Design plays a vital role when it comes to an eBook. Whether you work on the design yourself or hire a professional, make sure the design of your eBook is easy for everyone who reads it. Color scheme, logo, title page, headings, footers, everything falls in the category of design. There aren’t any hard rules when it comes to the formation of an eBook, but you need to make sure that things are in proper form.

Do Your Research

No matter how well you know your topic, you need to do some research on it. Set an amount of time for your research, go through several sources, and read, as much possible, on your topic. It’s always a good idea to read up on similar books and eBooks related to your topic. This can help you come with ideas which you might not have thought about before. You can also look at how those editors have worked on the table of contents, index, etc. If your topic has quoted facts or stats, then researching is necessary as you will have to double-check any facts before you write them in your eBook.

Start with Writing a Draft

Before you start working on the final copy, begin with making a draft. Experts recommend beginning with writing a complete outline, this should include titles, and subheadings or subsections for each chapter. This way, you will not get stuck in one place. Work in a distraction-free environment, as you will need a lot of focus to work. If you find yourself struggling, then imagine you are writing an email to a friend, and simply write down whatever you feel like. Because this is the first draft, you can then edit and make amendments and work on the second one.

Work with the Right Tools

For writing a good eBook, you need to have the right tools. And, by tools, we mean different software and programs which can assist you in your writing. There are tools like Toggl, which help you in analyzing your strengths and weaknesses in the writing process. For spell checks and grammatical mistakes, you can use Grammarly. Besides this, there are many other tools, which can help you in drafting, designing, and publishing your eBook.

Don’t Sweat Over the Word Count

As compared to a physical book, you don’t have to worry much about word-count when it comes to an eBook, as there is no cost of printing, shipping, or storing included. There are few eBooks, which only have a few thousand words, and they are considered as one of the best sellers, whereas there are some books that take weeks to finish but have very little information. This proves, that instead of focusing on the word count a writer should focus on the quality of their words.

Use the Right Images

When you make an eBook, don’t be afraid to use images. Most people read eBooks on small screen devices, so be careful with the size of the image you are including. Remember that everything that looks good on print does not look the same on a digital screen. Only use images that are necessary, and don’t include anything that is not important.

Include Clickable Links in your eBook

Unlike printed books, eBooks allow you to add clickable links. These help in improving the reader experience and make your book an interesting piece for them. For example, adding internal linkages in the form of a table of contents lets users get to different sections quickly without having to scroll through pages. This is an effective tool for eBooks that are lengthy or text-heavy.

Make your eBook Easily Shareable

If you want your eBook to get shared across different platforms, there are a few basic things that you should keep in mind. Keep your eBook education, don’t overload your pages with too much text. If you are a brand publishing an eBook, then make sure the books are consistent with your brand image so it’s easier for people to connect them.