EBooks are probably one of the most underutilized opportunities in the age of mobile devices. Business managers wrongly assume that they are only the domain of academics and fiction writing authors. That is not true.
EBooks can be used for anything from spreading information and ideas to marketing your products and services to clients. You have probably seen brochures and user manuals for various products. You may have also seen an employee handbook or safety booklets at your workplace. All of these can be turned into EBooks. It makes them easier to access and use at any time.
In this blog, we review some effective EBook writing tips for small businesses and look at ways in which EBook writing services can help management achieve their business goals.
Tip #1 – Define a Clear Objective for Your EBook
One of the reasons EBooks don’t deliver promised results is that businesses don’t clearly define the purpose for writing the book. Sometimes, management fails to link the EBook with their long term business strategy and how it helps them achieve their goals.
Take a moment to consider how your EBook fits with organization goals. Are you trying to grow your brand recognition with the book or want to establish your business as an expert in the industry? Perhaps you want to start a public debate about organizational practices in the market?
Businesses with hundreds of products create booklets to help their sales teams and customers browse through product categories. It helps generate interest in what they are offering and it is a great way to generate leads for the business.
Tip #2 – Brainstorm Ideas and Create an Outline
While it is possible to write a book on a whim without any planned structure, it won’t be a very good book that engages readers’ interest for very long. Such books tend to go all over the place and most readers give up after a few pages.
Expert EBook writers believe that there are two things you must have before you write a single word; the central premise and an overall outline for the book.
The central premise is based on your expertise or what you are trying to get out of the book. It is what helps you come up with the title.
Take the example of many self-help EBooks in the market that teach you everything from how to build your own motorbike in your garage to being the life of a party. They all have a central premise that aims to teach the reader something they want to learn.
The book outline is what gives it structure and makes it coherent for the readers. While the outline is not set in stone and it can change around as you write your book, having a rough guideline is useful to keep it on track.
Tip #3 – Write Relevant and Engaging Content
Regardless of the topic you are writing about, your main goal is to keep your reader’s interest engaged. You can do this by following a variety of techniques.
One popular method is to use lots of pictures, graphs and illustrations. In some cases, pictures ARE worth a thousand words, perhaps even more. Pictures are an excellent way to recapture interest in particularly boring or descriptive section of your books. In some cases, pictures are the only way to explain a difficult concept to the reader.
Another way to engage the audience is to ask questions. Some academic authors begin each chapter with a question and then explain the concept in detail. Throughout the chapter, they put forth more related questions that could arise in the reader’s mind and then answer them in titbits. It is a wonderful technique that many EBook writers have adopted successfully.
A similar effect can be achieved with thought provoking quotes or a narration about some historical event. People love reading stories and you can include small titbits to invigorate user interest.
Just make sure your little snippets are relevant to the main ideas you are trying present in your book.
If you are struggling with writing your EBook, you can also hire affordable book writers online. These are professional writers who can turn any idea into an engaging book that has a much better chance of selling online.
Tip #4 – Finish Your Copy before Attempting Changes
It is very tempting to edit chapters and rewrite parts of your book while you are still in the writing process. Don’t!
We have two sides in our brain and both work differently. The right side is more creative and capable of creating great works of art and literature. Keep that side dominant while you are writing the first draft of your book.
If you start editing the work to “improve it” while you are only halfway through, the left side of your brain will take over. This side of the brain is more critical and everything you have written up to that point will appear wrong or non-factual. This can shake up your confidence in your own writing ability and you will never be able to finish your book.
Only engage the left side to critically evaluate your work once you have finished a rough draft.
Tip #5 – Proofread and Edit Your Work
We recommend proofreading and fine tuning your work after you are finished with the first draft.
After you have completed the first draft of your book, go through it from the beginning to the end. Note down things you would like to change and improve. There will be places where you can improve the language to have a bigger impact on the audience. You will also find places to add more content or remove part of repetitive ideas. Adjust as you see fit.
Make sure to proofread the whole book for grammar and spelling mistakes. Getting an EBook published is easier than a hard copy, but you also need to take more responsibility. Unless you are using a professional EBook writing service that carries out proofreading as well, you will need to do it all on your own.
Thankfully most word processing software comes with its own proofreading and review features that can make your job much easier.
Tip #6 – Choose a Cover Design
Many EBook writers wonder if the cover design is important for digital copies. The truth is, a book IS judged by its cover, more so in a digital EBook market than anywhere else.
There are probably tens of thousands of EBooks in the store on topics that are similar to yours. As prospective buyers glance through the list, your book will not get more than a split second of consideration.
The cover page must be captivating. It must grab attention and give viewers pause to think and click on your book.
Here’s an example of a captivating cover design.
The ‘For Dummies’ is a series of books that teaches self-learners everything from business and arts, to computer programming, mechanical and plumbing work. Their books sell very well in the market.
Notice how they always use bright colours, yellow, red and black, which are unique and stand out from other books. Lots of text is used on the cover page and people instinctively click to see what it says.
Tip #7 – Publishing and Marketing Your EBook
Once you are finished with your book, the next steps are to get it published and market the book. Amazon Kindle is the biggest EBook selling platform online. It gives you quick and easy access to millions of potential customers all over the world.
Other popular platforms include Google Play and Apple iBooks that give you a royalty share for every sale. Most EBook writers prefer to work with these three as they give plenty of readerships online.
Professional EBook writers use additional forums to increase their reach. Additional forums you can use include Payhip, Fiverr, Selz and Blurb. They have a good following of readers that can be your potential customers.
Marketing for your EBook should start well before you actually launch the book. This helps create excitement. The more people that buy your EBook early on, the higher it climbs on the charts and the greater its visibility for more potential buyers.
If you are looking to write an EBook for internal corporate use or business promotion only, marketing and publishing on popular platforms are not required. However, you should still aim to write a great quality book for your readers.
That’s All Folks!
EBooks will continue to rise in popularity as people switch from the paper version to digital books. They are good for the environment, easy to purchase, cheaper to produce, and remain with you wherever you go.
We shared some effective tips that can be useful for EBook writers to get their books published.
Do you think we missed something? Let us know in the comments below!
