Content Writing How to Write an eBook for Fun and Profit – Best Practices for Beginners

Have you ever come across the idea of writing an eBook to build better authority as a brand, author or business owner? Writing an eBook comes with its own set of unique challenges. Unlike the common notion, eBook writing is way different from general book writing or blog writing. It requires a different approach with respect to research, writing, design and publishing. If you are someone who is looking for ideas on how to write a successful eBook, have got some amazing ideas and tips for eBook writing in this blog. We will also discuss how to make money writing eBooks. 

So, let’s dig in!

What is eBook Writing and its Importance?

eBooks or electronic books are more than electronic text files. They are one of the main types of long-form writing, or you can say a digital version of books. eBooks are read on a phone, tablet, computer or eBook readers. Since eBooks have a digital presence, they are easy to write, publish, sell, share and read. Moreover, these digital books also let an author add hyperlinks to different sources such as social media pages, websites and other clickable options in text.

eBook writing helps authors, bloggers, business owners and brands achieve numerous goals such as:

1. Build niche authority
2. Increase website traffic
3. Invoke trust between platform and audience
4. Develop a better brand reputation
5. Drive more sales
6. Generate more leads
7. Create a side income stream
8. Lead people to landing pages
9. Market business to a larger audience
10. Offer incentives to clients and customers

Best Practices for Successful eBook Writing

Do you know how scholars write eBook? Scholarly eBooks are only slightly different from creative, informative or commercial ebooks. Despite the differences, the basic method of writing almost all types of ebooks is the same. Here is a breakdown of best tips on how to write your own eBook like a pro: 

Identify Your Audience and Target Market 

Market research and survey is a fundamental part of initiating the eBook writing process. This step helps you identify which type of market you will target and what type of information your audience will like to read. You can use following types of platforms to do audience research and bolster your content ideation process:

1. Survey Your Existing Blog Audience
2. Send Newsletters with Survey
3. Social media Polls and Surveys

In the next step, you shall do some brainstorming to enlist 

1. At Least 3 to 7 relevant eBook titles for your target market. Take insights from your survey responses to see what type of eBook your audience wants to read.
2. Sift through the comments and responses you receive to identify the common pain points of your target audience. Think about whether your eBook can solve these problems and how you can offer a solution.

Decide on a Topic for Your eBook

From your pre-decided list of eBook titles and topics, rule out the most competitive options and keep the ones with lesser competition. For example, instead of writing a generalized eBook on diet plans or recipes, shift your focus on helping postpartum moms with healthy dieting habits.

Thus, consider the following things in this phase:

1. Exclude the common topics you already know about 
2. Choose the least competitive topics and ensure that you will enjoy writing about them

Offer Your Unique Expert Insights

An eBook without expert opinion and latest research insights is as good as a piece of text only. Thus, identify your unique expertise and offer insights as to how the eBook will change the life of our readers. Revisit your subscriptions on blogging websites, read online magazines and explore more information on the topics you specialize in. Doing so will help you in digging deeper into the topic of your interest. Moreover, it helps you create eBook content which is free from redundancy. Additionally, this practice also helps you save a lot of time during the writing phase.

Choose an Outline for Your eBook

By the time you approach the writing stage, your eBook shall have a proper outline. Therefore, choose and develop a clear outline for the contents of your eBook and corresponding information. Your outline should include:

1. A good title for every main chapter to establish reading sequence and clarity
2. Subheadings and subsections to break down bulk of information into smaller, more readable sections

You shall also plan which writing structure you want to follow to offer solutions to your reader’s problems in your eBook. The 5 common writing structures for eBook are:

1. How-To Structure
2. Leveling-Up Structure
3. Wait, But Why? Structure
4. AIDA Structure
5. PASS Structure

Suggested Read: How to Use AIDA in Content Writing?

Remove Distractions While Writing

When you begin the eBook writing process, ensure that your surroundings are distraction-free. Since eBook writing is an energy-intensive and demanding process, distractions can often take you off the track. Choose an environment that inspires you and gets those creative juices flowing, so you can complete the task on time! You can also set specific writing goals and reward yourself as you achieve those writing goals over time.

Keep it Factual and Engaging 

Everybody loves to see facts and data in eBook as it helps in building comparative analysis and niche authority. However, data is not all you need. Include a charming story in your eBook to emotionally connect with your readers. Create a good story plot to attract and engage your readers throughout the bulk of your information. It helps in building social proof. Moreover, it enhances the reader’s understanding of your eBook.

How to Make Money Writing eBooks?

Once you have completed eBook writing, the next step is to design and publish your eBook. Here are some useful tips on how to market your eBook online to make money:

1. Design your eBook with proper fonts, layouts, margins, graphics and infographics
2. Design a catchy cover page for your eBook to attract potential customers
3. Add a table of contents, list of references and appendix (optional)
4. Get an ISBN for your eBook (optional)

Finally, it is time to start selling your eBook online! Here is what you need to do:

1. Choose a publishing platform and decide on TORs for eBook publishing, selling and earning
2. Research your target market and identify key selling points in accordance with market needs and trends
3. Set a price for your eBook and decide your target for selling a specific number of eBook copies in a certain duration of time

Choose a Platform to sell your eBook. Popular platforms include:

1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
2. Smash Words
3. Sellfy
4. PayHip

You can also offer eBook writing services as a freelancer on popular freelancing platforms such as:

1. Upwork
2. Fiverr
3. Guru
4. People Per Hour

eBook Writing Takes a Lot of Time

Mostly, your writing capacity determines the amount of time you need to complete an eBook. However, the reality is that eBooks require extensive research and take longer than expected. If you are writing a 25,000 words eBook, you will need at least 25-30 days given that you can easily write 1000-1500 words a day while also leaving room for proofreading and formatting.

But, you should not let these numbers break your spirit. As much as you may love writing, compiling an eBook can become a tedious task. Not to mention the fact that you will need to ponder over what type of stories you can add, which type of quotes to mention and what other elements can make it more engaging. 

But, Our AI Writing Assistant is Here to Help 

Fortunately, our AI writing assistant is designed to complement the creative efforts of eBook writers. With a myriad of useful features, WriteMe helps eBook writers to create engaging story plots and write complete long form eBook sections in a jiffy! On top of that, if you get stuck in a writer’s block while writing, the Magic Commands help you create as many versions of fresh new lines as you like so you can continue writing. Ready to give AI eBook Writer a go?

How to Write an eBook – FAQs

Can anybody write an ebook?

Yes! Unlike the common notion that only writers should write an eBook, anyone who has interest in eBook writing can write it. Thanks to our AI eBook writing assistant, you can speed up your eBook writing process without needing any advanced writing skills!

Is it hard to write an ebook?

Not at all! Once you take care of the primary needs of writing an eBook such as proper outline, in-depth research, correct formatting and references, it is fairly easy to write an eBook. You can also follow expert tips to start writing your eBook. You can also learn how to use AI for writing an eBook.

Do ebooks make money?

Yes, they do! According to a report, self-publishing your eBook on popular platforms like Amazon can help you generate an average of $1000 a month. Thus, it means that you can bolster your eBook writing efforts to cover more niches and multiply your income. Some eBook sales are phenomenal. Nevertheless, you can make at least a couple thousand dollars from an eBook per month. ^[1]

How many pages should an ebook have?

eBooks can be short, medium or lengthy depending upon how much information you want to cover. For a typical lengthy eBook, the number of pages is 123 pages which corresponds to approximately 25,000 words in total. 

Can You sell an ebook You bought?

Yes, you can resell an eBook just like a physical book given that you have bought the reselling rights from the eBook author and publisher. You can also loan or give away an eBook.

How much should You charge for writing an ebook?

If you are offering your services as a freelance, part time or full time ebook writer, how much you charge for eBook depends upon different factors such as:

1. Complexity of the topic
2. Extent or Research
3. Length of eBook 
4. Additional services such as eBook cover design, proofreading, formatting and publishing etc.

For freelance eBook writing, the base per word rate is between 20 cents and 50 cents. It means you can make anywhere from $125 to $1000 for writing a 2000 words or 5000 words eBook respectively. ^[2]

References:
[1] Make Money Selling eBooks in 2022 – Visme
[2] Total Cost of Creating an eBook – CrowdContent