How To Write An Ebook – A Simple Approach For Getting Your Idea In Digital Format
With the advent of netbooks, smart phones and the Kindle Reader, writing ebooks is now seen as a plausible and achievable method for any author to publish their own work. This article provides a simple guide to getting the book idea from concept to digital format.
All good books start with the initial concept. You can brainstorm some ideas or run some market research to establish what your customers wish to read. Once you have set the books goal then this drives all content for the book. Note these thoughts down on paper/notepad/a word processor.
Break down the overall work for the book into sections, sub-sections and/or chapters. For technical/non-fiction books then it can be worthwhile revisiting some of your favorite books for inspiration on the form that chapters should take. This is not plagiarism. Rather, this is merely taking another book template/outline and re-cycling the structure.
It is now time for the implementation phase – writing the content of the sections/chapters. Some ebook authors choose to outsource sections of writing (for example, to experts). Start this process early and agree the file formats of the content you wish to receive (so that you may more easily collate the content into one single file).
Most word processors can export files to various formats so it should be possible for you to settle upon a single format. While compiling the content for your ebook make regular backups, preferably versioning the file (by appending the date or version number to file-names) and store backups in multiple locations and not only on your computer (just in case something happens to it).
Next decide upon the design of your ebook. You can outsource this design too if desired. Try to maintain an overall branding for the book with a consistent to the header section, footer section, cover/splash page (the first page in the book that generally sets the tone of the book) and the choice and sizes of fonts used.
Feel free to experiment with page formats. Ebooks are read online or via readers (such as the Kindle) so don’t always need to follow strict page design. Sometimes a variety of graphics and font sizes (as would be seen in magazines) can help emphasize and differentiate your work.
The final step is to create your Portable Document Format (PDF) file. In Word this is one of the options in the Save As menu while on most other word processors, such as the Open Office Suite, you can simply Export As PDF.
Writing your own ebooks or software and want to sell them yourself? Then read my DLGuard review online – the one-stop solution for selling digital downloads.
With the advent of netbooks, smart phones and the Kindle Reader, writing ebooks is now seen as a plausible and achievable method for any author to publish their own work. This article provides a simple guide to getting the book idea from concept to digital format.
All good books start with the initial concept. You can brainstorm some ideas or run some market research to establish what your customers wish to read. Once you have set the books goal then this drives all content for the book. Note these thoughts down on paper/notepad/a word processor.
Break down the overall work for the book into sections, sub-sections and/or chapters. For technical/non-fiction books then it can be worthwhile revisiting some of your favorite books for inspiration on the form that chapters should take. This is not plagiarism. Rather, this is merely taking another book template/outline and re-cycling the structure.
It is now time for the implementation phase – writing the content of the sections/chapters. Some ebook authors choose to outsource sections of writing (for example, to experts). Start this process early and agree the file formats of the content you wish to receive (so that you may more easily collate the content into one single file).
Most word processors can export files to various formats so it should be possible for you to settle upon a single format. While compiling the content for your ebook make regular backups, preferably versioning the file (by appending the date or version number to file-names) and store backups in multiple locations and not only on your computer (just in case something happens to it).
Next decide upon the design of your ebook. You can outsource this design too if desired. Try to maintain an overall branding for the book with a consistent to the header section, footer section, cover/splash page (the first page in the book that generally sets the tone of the book) and the choice and sizes of fonts used.
Feel free to experiment with page formats. Ebooks are read online or via readers (such as the Kindle) so don’t always need to follow strict page design. Sometimes a variety of graphics and font sizes (as would be seen in magazines) can help emphasize and differentiate your work.
The final step is to create your Portable Document Format (PDF) file. In Word this is one of the options in the Save As menu while on most other word processors, such as the Open Office Suite, you can simply Export As PDF.
Writing your own ebooks or software and want to sell them yourself? Then read my DLGuard review online – the one-stop solution for selling digital downloads.