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Ebooks are one of the bestselling digital content online. Everybody has some type of gadget with them that they carry daily. Thus, most of Many people are curious about how to create an ebook. It’s such a profitable field that anyone could partake in. Ebooks don’t only come in fictional stories; they also include non-fiction books.
If you’re looking for a guide on making an ebook, if you have no prior experience, we may have a solid guide.
Many writers nowadays are finding it easier to sell books electronically.
Becoming an ebook content creator might sound easy nowadays, especially in the advent of Amazon Kindle.
However, making it as a writer and making real profits from your ebook isn’t as easy as it seems.
You need to offer valuable content to your customers.
Otherwise, you will make one sale, and that will be the end of it.
You need satisfied customers to leave you a good review and spread the word.
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Thus, you can’t afford just merely to create an ebook for the sake of it.
If you have no idea how to write an ebook, keep on reading to see our complete guide on creating an ebook.
We will also tell you how you can successfully sell it online.
1. Decide on what topic to write about
Before anything else, know exactly what you want to write about.
First, break it down, whether it’s going to be fiction or non-fiction.
Then, you should decide what genre you’d like to write about.
Keep in mind that these genres have their pros and cons if you decide to write about it.
For instance, when it comes to non-fiction, you’re more likely to sell self-help books than an autobiography (especially because you’re not well-known and have no existing fanbase).
Moreover, when writing fiction, it’s best to write about dystopian or horror novels since those are the most popular genres.
We created a list of the most common genres under fiction or non-fiction to get you started writing.
Fiction
Fiction novels are quite profitable. Depending on your target readers, you could potentially sell your books to hundreds to thousands of readers.
If you make a quick Amazon search, you’ll see tons of pure ebooks on the bestselling list.
Thus, you can make it as an ebook content creator.
Decide which genre your ebook will be about.
These are the fiction genres you could write:
- Science Fiction
- Romance
- Fantasy
- Horror
- Young Adult
- Mystery
- Action
- Adventure
- Speculative Fiction
- Adult Fiction
- Women’s Fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is ideal for those who don’t have a knack for creative writing.
If you are an expert in any field, you could certainly write in an instructional guide or book.
Any valuable information that could help out others is ideal for this genre.
Furthermore, if you are good at giving helpful advice in relationships, career, public speaking, building confidence, etc. this is the genre.
- Self-help
- Inspirational
- Instructional
- Biography
- Autobiography
Remember that if you want to sell books online, make sure you’re writing about the right niche or topic.
That is the first step in earning substantial money from ebooks.
2. Determine if your topic is “hot”
If you’re a writer, we understand that you might not care whether your ebook will sell.
However, for most people who’d like to get into the ebook business, profitability is a significant issue.
Thus, you must first figure out if your topic already has a fixed and reliable target audience.
For this, you can use tools such as Buzzsumo.
Here, you can type relevant keywords and see which ones are most popular.
Also, you may use Search Engine Optimization tools to find out which are the current top keywords.
This will more or less assess whether your chosen topic is in the hot area.
Furthermore, you can also do your research on which content will sell the most.
There are tons of ebook experts online who share their list of profitable topics or niches to write about.
You may check out Amazon’s book section, too.
Don’t hesitate to check out current events.
This will more or less give you an idea of what people’s concerns are at the moment.
- It could be How To Be A Millionnaire Selling Online
- How To Invest In Your 20’s
- How To Grow Your Youtube Channel and many more.
3. Know who your readers are
If you’re writing a book, imagine who will be reading it.
Is there a specific audience you have in mind who would be interested?
Becoming an ebook creator doesn’t end with knowing what to write.
Even if you have a brilliant story to tell or information to share, if you don’t know your readers, chances are you won’t sell and profit from your ebook.
You can perform simple research through Google Analytics.
From there, you can find out which content is most read or searched.
From there, you can look at the demographics and other relevant data of those who searched the keywords or content.
Along with researching your target audience, you might also want to check on your competitors.
Look up the topic you intend to write in.
Check out the bestselling ebooks in that area and try to figure out what’s common among them.
It could be a pretty ebook cover, a catchy title, or something else.
If you can pick up on this, you will have a higher chance of creating an even better ebook.
Remember, you’re also competing with other ebook creators.
Thus, you need to offer something that doesn’t exist yet.
4. Choose a word processor or writing software
Now that you’re on your path to writing your first ebook, it’s time to think about what platform you will do.
Microsoft Word is the most commonly used software by writers all over the world.
Typically, your laptop comes with a free Microsoft Word, making it highly accessible and available to most people.
However, if you own a Mac, you can certainly use Pages.
Furthermore, you can use Google Docs to type your first manuscript.
If you’re not comfortable using any of this software for writing an ebook, you can look up especially made software for writers.
Scrivener is a highly popular software bestselling writers use to create their novels.
It has specialized features that make brainstorming and character creation development more convenient.
However, software like this often requires payment or subscription fees.
We highly recommend you to use open-source or free programs to write your first ebook.
You shouldn’t spend tons of money just to begin writing your ebook.
5. Choose a catchy title
You can choose your ebook’s title at the beginning, middle, or end of your writing journey.
Sometimes, a catchy title just comes to you out of nowhere.
Thus, you shouldn’t stress too much about it if you’re still not sure.
Most of the time, a good idea just hits you, and then you have your title.
Titles play a huge part in grabbing readers’ attention.
It should complement well with your book cover to create a killer book.
However, it takes skill and creativity to determine which titles work and which don’t.
If you’re already a reader, you might already know if a title is catchy or not, based on experience.
However, if you don’t, you can certainly do your research on how to create a catchy title for your specific ebook.
Consider the essence of your book
Contemplate on what it is about.
Furthermore, imagine having to summarize your books in ten words or less.
This will make it easier for you to conceptualize an effective title.
Then, you can play with words to make it even catchier.
Consider picking out a quote from your book and transforming it into a title.
You may also use popular sayings or phrases such as A Piece of Cake:
- A Complete Guide to Baking or My Two Cents:
- A Guide for Personal Finance.
The biggest no-no is to copy another bestselling book’s title.
Your readers will see through that, and you won’t benefit from it.
Furthermore, you might end up getting sued.
Ask friends and other readers if your title is catchy.
Don’t rely solely on your opinion.
You might think you just thought of a killer title, but others may not think so.
It also goes the other way around.
6. Research on your content
Now you’ve decided on your topic and made all the necessary research for your topic and target audience.
It’s time to research on the content itself.
Content research is highly essential in writing non-fiction ebooks.
However, if you’re writing a fiction ebook, you should still research on your plot.
Make sure your characters are realistic, and your concepts make sense.
For example, if you’re writing a science fiction book, get your facts straight.
Readers know when a book is just hushedly written.
Thus, carefully think about your plot, settings, characters, and everything in your story.
Meanwhile, this also applies if you’re writing a non-fiction book.
Let’s say you’re writing an instructional guide for first-time mothers.
Create a solid reference list for your book.
Don’t create an instructional book if you don’t know or are not sure what you are talking about.
If book covers are what draw your readers, content is what engages them.
It is as important as the outside appearance of your book.
Thus, you need to make sure you’re providing your readers with high-quality content.
Create an ebook that informs and entertains your readers.
Make it believable, informational, useful, and worthy of your readers’ time and money.
It’s not enough to know how to create a book. You must know how to create a good one.
7. Outline your ebook
Typically, fiction ebooks range from 50,000 – 100,000 words.
Meanwhile, you have more flexibility when it comes to non-fiction books.
These ebooks can be as short as 10,000 words.
Some instructional ebooks get away with fewer pages and word count.
However, they make sure to pack the ebook with plenty of valuable content and information.
Sometimes, readers prefer buying shorter ebooks because they want to grasp the content as quickly as possible.
Just make sure to be concise and coherent with how you present the information.
You should create an outline to ensure you’re presenting all your ideas in the best way possible.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate.
Just list down the main ideas of your ebook.
Moreover, you can divide your book into chapters for an easier structure.
There are certain apps or software that are design to help writers structure their thoughts.
You may check them out if you are unsure how to gather and organize your thoughts.
There is no perfect way to outline your book.
As you go through the process, you will know what works best for you.
Getting started is what’s important.
Some writers prefer to free write their content without outlining or using any template.
If this is your style, you can proceed with the next step.
Just make sure your ebook is cohesive at the end of writing everything.
8. Write the content
It’s now time to write the content.
Hopefully, the outline you have previously created will make this task much easier and quicker.
If you have random ideas, type them all down in a single Word file or document.
You can refer to this file later when you run out of ideas.
The structure may come later.
Schedule your writing tasks to make sure you get your writing done.
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For example, you can schedule writing 1000 words per day.
That is the minimum amount you should stick to every day.
If you religiously follow your schedule, you would have finished a 10,000-page book in less than 2 weeks!
Furthermore, you can also set yourself a deadline
According to Parkinson’s Law, your work expands to fill the time available to complete it.
Thus, by setting a reasonable deadline, you will avoid procrastination.
Writer’s block is a common phenomenon amongst writers.
When this hits you, don’t give up on the writing process.
Just take a break from it for a day or two.
Then, get back on it again and see if there’s progress.
Sometimes writing can be extremely stressful and difficult.
However, learn how to take it easy and not overwork yourself.
If you want to make an ebook that stands out, make sure the content is valuable and well-presented.
9. Select illustrations for your book
We know that not all books call for drawings, pictures, or any illustrations.
This is most especially true for fiction novels.
However, for most non-fiction novels, some illustrations are required to convey the information clearly and effectively.
You can’t just grab any relevant pictures on the internet via Google Image.
These photographs have copyright, and you need to ask permission and pay to use them in your book.
Using them without permission may have your book taken down.
On another note, you can take pictures and use them in your book.
However, even then, you have to be a good photographer to capture high-quality images that complement your content well.
Not to mention, this will be an additional task for you.
We recommend you buy stock photographs from royalty-free image websites
This includes Shutterstock, Pexels, and Pixabay. For a few bucks, you can legally use pictures from their website in your book.
However, you can also use completely free images on these sites.
Your selection might be limited, but it won’t cost you anything.
If you’re writing a cookbook or a do-it-yourself book, it must use your pictures.
However, for other topics or genres, you can certainly use our tips above.
10. Choose the right book cover
Love, at first sight, is a phenomenon for avid book readers.
People do judge a book by its cover – there is no denying it.
Many times, one would purchase a book for an attractive book art or cover.
After all, it is the first thing the reader would see, even before he or she picks it up to read what the book is about.
Thus, it’s important to choose your ebook’s cover carefully.
If you truly want to make an ebook that will stand out among the millions of already published ones, choose your book cover carefully.
There are plenty of factors that contribute to an excellent book cover.
This includes font style, font size, font color, color choices, photos, etc.
You can download an ebook cover template and manipulate the style yourself.
Moreover, you can download free ebook covers online as well.
However, we highly recommend you think about the cover carefully.
Your ebook cover will make or break your success
Thus, you should put as much time and effort into it as possible.
Browse through different books on Amazon and other ebook sites.
Check out the bestselling section and try to see what these covers have in common.
Depending on your topic or genre, bestselling ebook covers may greatly differ.
For instance, an ebook cover for a bestselling horror ebook is usually using dark colors and tones.
However, ebooks for children may utilize bold and bright colors to attract their target audience.
Sites like Canva provide an ebook cover template and also allows you to create your design.
You may also use Photoshop if you’re familiar with the software.
11. How to format an ebook? (ebook template)
Ebooks are read on electronic devices.
This includes eReaders like Kindle and Nook, tablets, mobile phones, and laptops.
Thus, your ebook should be formatted accordingly.
Otherwise, it won’t look as coherent and organized as you intend it to be.
The easiest way to create an ebook is by using an ebook template.
You may create your template using a reference.
Otherwise, you can find an ebook template online for free.
Furthermore, you may also use an ebook creator.
Programs like Adobe Indesign will help you format your ebook for various electronic devices.
Indesign is a software created by Adobe for desktop publishing and creating digital content such as ebooks, posters, brochures, etc.
It’s the most widely used program by ebook writers.
Indesign features an intuitive surface where you can easily format your ebook from its raw file format to readable formats on other devices like an eReader.
If you use Indesign, we recommend exporting your file as ePub, as this is one of the most commonly used file types for ebooks.
Adobe Indesign is a paid program or software.
Thus, you need to pay to enjoy full access to the software.
However, you can certainly avail of a free trial for Indesign if Adobe offers it.
If you can’t get a hold of Adobe Indesign, you may opt for other programs like Scribus and Affinity Publisher.
You can certainly create an ebook without this program.
However, if you have the budget, you may hire a third-party who’s an expert with Indesign and ebook publishing.
This is less work and stress for you if you are willing to shell out a few bucks.
12. How to create an ebook for amazon?
We have previously mentioned how Adobe Indesign is a highly valuable tool in creating an ebook and the template.
If you don’t want to use Adobe Indesign, you can utilize other free ebook templates you can find online.
However, we highly recommend Indesign to create an ebook.
If you want to create an ebook for Amazon Kindle, here’s how you can do it.
Amazon Kindle Publishing’s rules are pretty straightforward.
They offer writers and ebook creators 3 simple steps: Details, Content, Rights, and Pricing.
We will go through them one by one.
Details: First things first
Hopefully, by now, you already know your ebook’s title.
We already mentioned that you need a catchy title.
Now, you need to create a well-written description of your book.
It has to show what your ebook has to offer.
Keep it concise, creative, and catchy.
If possible, you can give your readers a sneak peek into what they will get if they purchase your ebook.
Entice them as much as possible.
They probably liked your book cover.
That’s why they clicked on your book to see what it’s about.
This is your chance to seal the deal.
Furthermore, you also need to choose the keywords for your ebook.
The keywords are what will link your ebook to people’s searches.
For example, it can be a young adult, how to grow a Youtube channel, mystery, make-up, etc.
This is also one of the things to pay attention to.
You need to select the best possible keywords for your ebook.
You may use Google Analytics to determine the best keywords to use, so your searchability will go up.
Otherwise, your ebook will drown in the sea of the other ebooks in Amazon.
Content: Getting your manuscript ready
First, make sure you’ve proofread your ebook several times.
It’s recommend that you have someone else proofread your work.
It’s more efficient and effective that way.
However, if you don’t know anyone who can proofread for you, you can hire freelance editors online.
You can’t get away with minor spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
Your readers will notice them and will find your work tacky and unprofessional.
That is the last thing you want.
Second, make sure to format your ebook, so it’s ready for online publication.
You can do this easily on Adobe Indesign or other similar programs. According to Amazon Kindle Publishing, they support a wide range of file formats for submitting your manuscript.
They recommend formatting your file with Kindle Create to make sure everything is compatible.
Among the accepted formats are doc, Docx, Mobi, epub, RTF, txt, zip, HTML, etc.
Lastly, when everything finished, you can now submit your manuscript to Amazon’s server.
Rights & Pricing: Determine how much you want to sell your ebook
In this stage, you will determine which countries you want to distribute your ebooks to.
Furthermore, this will also deal with copyright and the other legalities of intellectual property.
Here, you can also determine your ebook’s price, currency, and royalties.
Typically, ebooks are between $0.99-15.
The price goes up higher, depending on the genre and topic.
However, that is the typical price range for an ebook.
If you create an ebook, you know how time-consuming and laborious it could be.
Thus, your instinct is to raise the prices the minute you publish it.
However, you will find out that it’s not an effective way to earn money at all.
The typical strategy ebook creators use to sell their ebooks for the lowest price possible.
This will allow more people to purchase their ebooks and review them.
More people would be willing to buy ebooks that already have several reviews.
Thus, if you price it too high, no one will buy it.
This is especially if you don’t market your ebook well.
Don’t forget to take into account other expenses you might have incurred during the creation of the ebook.
Take note of Amazon’s fees, too!
Waiting
After following the steps above, your book will be under review.
At this point, you can no longer make any changes to your book.
Thus, you need to make sure everything is 100% perfect before you submit to Amazon.
Don’t worry, once your book gets accepted, and you can make any necessary changes.
Amazon Kindle Publishing has its timeline with regards to reviewing books.
They don’t specify how long exactly their review period is.
You may check out their timelines on their website.
13. Promote and market your book
Your journey to creating an ebook doesn’t end with publication.
A published book without any sales isn’t just as rewarding.
Thus, your work continues as the creator.
Your first instinct is to promote your book to family and friends.
There is nothing wrong with that.
However, you can only have so many of them.
Not to mention, not all of them will buy your book because that’s just not how it works.
You need to remember your target readers in this stage.
Social media is a free and fast way to promote your book. Thereafter, you can expand to generating an email list and other measures.
Giving out free books is an effective strategy many writers use to get word of mouth going.
It’s hard to promote a book to someone if no one tells them that it’s good and worth buying.
Thus, this is where reviews come in.
At the beginning of your journey, you need as many reviews as you can.
People are more likely to purchase something after reading a good honest review about it.
Most writers give free copies to famous reviewers or influencers.
If any of these famous figures read your book and like it, they will post your book on their social media platforms.
This will be an instant and free promo for your book.
Lastly, don’t forget to create a website for your book.
Here, your readers can learn more about your work and any possible future work you might have.
Furthermore, you get to keep in touch with paying customers and start building a fanbase.
Conclusion
We have warned you that if you want to make an ebook that sells, you have to exert time and effort.
You can’t magically write an ebook and expect it to be a bestseller.
There is no exact ebook template that guarantees your ebook will rise to the top of the charts.
Knowing how to create an ebook is just not enough to guarantee your profits.
However, it can certainly do through careful research and attention to detail.
Searching how to make an ebook on Google hundreds of times won’t make you a killer ebook.
You need to sit down and begin the first step.
Now it’s time for you to create an ebook.
