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<h3>Step by Step Guide to Writing an Ebook</h3>
 
The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. 
When you look at the whole project, it seems like an 
impossible task. That\'s why you have to break it down 
into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. 
You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at 
its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you 
possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain? 
 
There is only one way to climb a mountain and thats step by 
step. 
 
Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You 
must create it step by step, and one day, you will 
take that last step and find yourself standing on the 
summit with your head in the clouds. 
 
The first thing you have to do, as if you actually 
were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead 
of climbing gear, however, you must organize your 
thoughts. There are some steps you should take before 
you begin. Once you\'ve gone through the following 
list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your 
ebook. 
 
First Steps to Writing an ebook 
 
First, figure out your ebook\'s working title. Jot down 
a few different titles, and eventually, you\'ll find 
that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to 
focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in 
anticipating and answering your reader\'s queries. Many 
non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity 
in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell 
books ? as long as it\'s not too cute. For example, 
Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count 
sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans 
to whip you into shape. 
 
Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a 
sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are 
addressing and how your book will solve that problem. 
All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. 
Once you\'ve got your thesis statement fine-tuned, 
you\'ve built your foundation. From that foundation, 
your book will grow, chapter by chapter. 
 
Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your 
ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis 
statement. If they don\'t, they don\'t belong in your 
book. For example, your thesis statement could read: 
We\'ve all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, 
but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to 
give you back a good night\'s sleep. 
 
Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, 
make sure there is a good reason to write your book. 
Ask yourself some questions: 
 
* Does your book present useful information and is 
that information currently relevant? 
 
* Will you book positively affect the lives of your 
readers? 
 
* Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader\'s 
attention? 
 
* Does you book answer questions that are meaningful 
and significant? 
 
If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel 
confident about the potential of your ebook. 
 
Another important step is to figure out who your 
target audience is. It is this group of people you 
will be writing to, and this group will dictate many 
elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, 
and even length. Figure out the age range of your 
readers, their general gender, what they are most 
interested in, and even the socio-economic group they 
primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion 
magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in 
longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you 
can pin down your target audience, the easier it will 
be to write your book for them. 
 
Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your 
ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you 
want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you 
want to enhance your reputation? 
 
Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do 
you want to sell it as a product on your website, or 
do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out 
a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use 
the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook 
to attract affiliates around the world? The more you 
know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be. 
 
Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, 
keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly 
consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to 
your chapter topic, and then divide it into four 
subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five 
parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote. 
 
How to make your ebook \"user friendly\" 
 
You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. 
Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, 
graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning 
the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible 
information, and they break up the density of the 
page. 
 
Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a 
formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader\'s respond 
to the feeling that you are having a conversation with 
them. Break up the length and structure of your 
sentences so you don’t hypnotize your readers into 
sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and 
structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia! 
 
Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of 
practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a 
day. Read books and magazines about the process of 
writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The 
art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you 
write (and read), the better your writing will become. 
The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales 
figures. 
 
In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that 
you must give your reader\'s eye a break. You can do 
this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white 
space is usually referred to as \"negative space.\" 
Reader\'s eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises 
you create on your page. If your page is too dense, 
your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes 
begin to tear. 
 
Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This 
makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the 
reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs 
one after the other. 
 
Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font 
that\'s easy on the eyes, and stick to that font 
family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your 
readers out before they\'ve gotten past your 
introduction. Use at least one and a half line 
spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on 
the screen, but small enough so that the whole page 
can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to 
experiment with this to find the right combination. 
 
Of course, don\'t forget to run a spell and grammar 
check. You are judged by something as minor as correct 
punctuation, so don’t mess up a great book by tossing 
out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences 
together with commas. (By the way, that\'s called a 
\"comma splice.\") 
 
Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. 
That\'s it! You\'ve written a book! Now all you have to 
do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download 
request from your website visitors. 
Author Info
 
Colin Stables 
Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlehub.net">Article Hub.net</a>

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