8 Steps to Writing an eBook

Ebooks are publications in digital form that consist of text, images, or both and are created, published  and read on an electronic device or computer.  Ebooks have been popular for years (as the quantity of pdfs in my download folder illustrates) but their value seems to have magnified since the onset of the mobile technology craze.  E-readers such as Kobo or Kindle are a wonderful way to read your digital documents on the go.  Tablets have made ebooks even more accessible to the masses.

I’ve been wanting to write an ebook on search engine optimization for several years, but never quite had (or made) the time to do it.  Within the last six months, however, my clients and colleagues have been asking the same SEO questions and I have been giving the same answers. This made it clear to me that even though this space is saturated online, my immediate network could absolutely use a beginners guide. So I sat down and started to write.  Here’s how I did it:

1) I wrote notes on what I see as the key elements of SEO. This involved my ‘elevator speech’ of what I usually tell people when they ask about SEO such as keywords, links, competition etc.

2) I went through notes and documents on the subject, pulling out the relevant pieces for someone with a beginners mind. I wanted to stay focussed on the fundamentals rather than confusing people who were just getting started.

3) I researched some of the statistics so I could illustrate just how important it is to get on page one in the search engines.  From that I created a chart in Excel.

4) I created a list of images I’d need to accompany the text.  This was a long list so asked my virtual assistant to help research a portion of the list.  I researched the rest and either purchased images, used free digital photos and credited them in the document, or took the pictures myself.

5) I wanted to build the ebook myself so I formatted the document in MS Publisher (my apologies to my graphic designer friends who may be appalled at that).  My philosophy was that I had to do as much as possible myself in order to gain the experience needed to be able to advise anyone wanting to take on such a project.  In retrospect, I would recommend hiring a professional graphic designer to put it together. It will definitely look more polished and professional. (Update: I've since discovered Smashwords where you can send a document that they will format for you)

6) Proof read, proof read, proof read then send the document to trusted friends who will give you honest feedback.

7) Polish what needs fixing and save the final version as a pdf.

8) Distribute your new ebook!

I think my biggest piece of advice is to just get started.  You know that if you research long enough you will find an ebook or other digital document that is similar to what you want to produce. Try to be original, but more important be clear on who your audience is and make sure you stay true to them when developing your message.  Share your expertise in a way that is understandable and clear and make sure that your contact information is readily available so they can call you with questions. Good luck!

Photo: Maggie Smith / freedigitalphotos.net