Many people have thought about writing an e-book. Nowadays you don't have to stick to the traditional route of agents and publishers if you want to get a book published. You can publish it yourself directly on platforms like Kindle and cut out the process of trying (and in most cases, failing) to get a publisher interested. But the very simplicity and accessibility of e-publishing means that there are a huge number of e-books out there. So how do you go about writing your book, and getting it noticed? Here are some tips on writing an e-book …
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1. Original Angle
Before you start writing an e-book, you need to think of an original angle. Thousands of books are published in every genre, so how will your book stand out to readers? A catchy title is a good start, but the book itself needs to get reader's attention. There's no need to rule out writing in a popular genre, but you will need to find something to make your book just that little bit different.
2. Plan
If you've never written a book before, you might think that all you have to do is sit down and the words will flow in the correct order. It's not that simple however. You will need to plot your book first. Work out the general storyline, characters and structure for each chapter. For non-fiction, organise your chapters.
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3. Revise
The first draft of your book will be far from perfect. You may end up revising and editing it several times. Expect to go through at least two drafts, and dedicate time to reading and rereading your book. It will also help to leave it for at least a month before reading again; this will help you to see what needs changing.
4. Regular Writing
Few people have the time to work on their e-book exclusively, and have to write alongside their day job. This can mean that you lose momentum and end up abandoning your book or taking months to finish it. Overcome this by setting a target of, say, 500-1,000 words per day; with regular writing your book will be finished in good time.
5. Choose a Good Cover
You'll also need a good cover to catch the eye of potential readers. It'll be rather obvious if you've put something together in a hurry, so it could be worth paying someone with design skills to design a cover for you.
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6. Have It Proofread
This is a step that you should never skip. You can read the book through yourself, but after writing and editing it you will be so tired of your book that you won't be able to see what's wrong with it. If you're lucky, a helpful friend will give it the once-over for you, but if you're serious about making money from your book you should pay a professional proofreader, so that your book is error-free.
7. Promotion
It won't be enough to just publish your book, as the chances of anyone stumbling across it are very slim. You'll need to work hard to promote the book. Find out how to promote your work through social media platforms like Twitter; the internet is a great tool for publicizing your book.
You shouldn't expect to make much money from your first e-book, but if you persist you may well build a following and make some extra cash. What would you like to write about?
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