Below is my step-by-step guide to writing your own ebook. When you're done with that, I've also got a boatload of blogging tips & tutorials — building traffic, making money, Facebook tips, even email management – as well as a simple step-by-step guide to creating your own blog from scratch if you need it. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!
Posts in this series (after this one):
How to Write an Ebook: Why It's a Good Idea
How to Write an Ebook: Choose a Sellable Topic
How to Write an Ebook: Preparing to Write
How to Write an Ebook: Writing Tips from a Non-Writer
How to Write an Ebook: Editing and Naming
How to Write an Ebook: Formatting
How to Write an Ebook: Setting Up Accounts
How to Write an Ebook: Pricing
How to Write an Ebook: Distribution
How to Write an Ebook: Creating a Sales Page (or Site)
How to Write an Ebook: Preparing for Affiliates
How to Write an Ebook: Taking Care of Your Affiliates
How to Write an Ebook: Paying Your Affiliates
At this point, I highly recommend Sarah Mae's ebook How to Market and Sell Your eBook. I used it myself and it's packed with excellent tips!
In April 2010 I had the idea to write an ebook. My plan was to finish it by the end of June, publish it in July and then…well, I hoped to sell a few copies.
This was completely uncharted territory for me and given that writing is not my favorite thing to do, I approached this project as an experiment. Basically I was intrigued by the "launch your own product" process and I wanted to figure out how it all worked.
As you might expect, things didn't go according to plan. June came and went, as did July. In fact, so did August and September. Then October rolled around and the dark, unfinished project cloud that hung in the air, coupled with the realization that I would probably regret it if I failed to follow through, prompted me to make a final push and just get the thing done already.
I officially launched Tell Your Time: How To Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free on October 26, 2010. By that point, I think it's safe to say I was so relieved I was done writing I would have been happy with $10 so I could buy an ice cream and soda to celebrate.
The Wild Ride Begins
Well, I was a bit stunned when I made significantly more than $10 that first day and now, here I sit, almost 3 months later…and people keep buying it. Honestly, before this whole thing started, I never really thought much past the first week of launch.
What I set out to do—learn the "launch your own product" process—I have accomplished. At least in part. I'm still learning, but boy have I learned a lot so far.
And that, my friends, is what I hope to pass on to you. Welcome to the How to Write an Ebook series.
I did some things right and I did some things wrong. Some things I have yet to determine whether I did right or wrong. But what follows are my honest, personal tips for writing an ebook. I hope they're helpful to you.
Question #1: Should you write an ebook?
Short answer: Maybe, maybe not. I have no idea actually. It totally depends.
Long answer: When I started this process, frankly, it seemed like every time I turned around, someone else was singing the praises of ebook writing. I guess I took it as fact that writing an ebook would be a good and profitable thing, for me and everyone!
In fact, I don't recall anyone cautioning against it. It wasn't until I was knee-deep into the process that I started questioning whether or not I should have taken the plunge myself.
Why? Because it's actually quite a bit of work.
And there are a lot of reasons why an ebook might take off and why it might never go anywhere at all.
Tip #1: Don't drop everything to write an ebook.
As you'll see over the course of the next several posts, I wouldn't recommend putting all your eggs in the ebook basket.
Could it be worth it? Yes. Would I personally do it again? Yes. But not just because I actually came out ahead financially.
My advice is this: Carve out a chunk of your work time each day—maybe 10-20%—to work on your ebook. Spend the other 80-90% of your time building traffic to your blog and especially developing relationships with others. As we work through this series I'll tell you why.
Photo by jblyberg.
Disclosure: I am compensated for purchases made via the referral links in this post.
Other posts in this series
- How to Write an Ebook
- How to Write an Ebook: Why It's a Good Idea
- How to Write an Ebook: Choose a Sellable Topic
- How to Write an Ebook: Preparing to Write
- How to Write an Ebook: Writing Tips from a Non-Writer
- How to Write an Ebook: Editing and Naming
- How to Write an Ebook: Formatting
- How to Write an Ebook: Setting Up Accounts
- How to Write an Ebook: Pricing
- How to Write an Ebook: Distribution
- How to Write an Ebook: Creating a Sales Page (or Site)
- How to Write an Ebook: Preparing for Affiliates
- How to Write an Ebook: Taking care of your affiliates
- How to Write an Ebook: Paying your affiliates
- How to Make Your Ebook Available on Kindle & Nook
Here at BloggingWithAmy you'll find tips, tools & tutorials about blogging and websites. In plain English. Want to 
Thank you for sharing your insight.
Amy, OMG, since stumbling onto your website a few days ago, I have been just amazed. I have been searching for 'just the right' information . I love writing, have always loved writing, have created several blogs and written a number of articles trying to figure out just the right thing ~~ your site has done it for me. I now know the direction I need to take my writing (I have an ebook that has been in the making forever) Thank U, Thank U. Your website has been an absolute God-send for me…….. God Bless U for your willingness to share (will keep you posted).
Thank you so much for sharing your walk with an ebook. I have been thinking of writing one of my own, but I wanted to wait to see how your process has gone. Lol Everytime I want to start something else comes up! I am thankful for being busy but I also want to get this off the ground. You are an inspiration and I love reading your blog. Thanks again for sharing!
Brooke
Thank you Brooke. That is very kind.
That has got to be the story of my life!
I, for one, am so happy that I bought your e-book. I haven't finished it yet because I won't let myself read it all until I do the steps in the e-book.
I didn't think I'd ever purchase an e-book, but I'm thrilled that I did.
Every time I think I should write something, I see that someone else has already written about that subject. I like your idea though – spend 10% – 20% of your time on it. Maybe I'll try that.
Thank you Johnlyn. You are crackin' me up about making yourself do the steps.
That's awesome!
And regarding your ebook(s), no one sees it like you!
So, don't be afraid to write something in your unique voice, even if it's a topic that others have covered. After all, there's nothing new under the sun.
AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your info, really great and useful post!
Janie x
You're very welcome.
I've been asking for tips and suggestions from people regarding starting an ebook, but noone seems to want to share. You can't imagine how helpful this is to me. Thank you so much!!!
Oh, so glad to tell you what I've learned!
i am definatly a writer. I have a few e-books already written. I know I need to work on the networking and traffic side of things! Thanks for the series!
Lisa
Thank you so much for this guide! I just started contemplating turning part of my book into an ebook so I don't have to be consumed with waiting on the uncertainty of publishing. I didn't know where to start, though, so I'm thankful for the perfect timing … and especially your willingness to share what you've learned.
My pleasure! I hope the series proves to be helpful.
Well, I've gotta say that you're doing a great job of building up suspense over this series. I'm dying to read what you've got to say on this ebook venture.
I've typed up 2/3rds of the second draft of my ebook. I love writing, but it's still hard. Those self-doubts creep in. Making something worthy of selling puts your writing in a different category than just slapping it up on the blog, take it or leave it. As I write, I come up with more ideas and more ideas. This thing could become another War and Peace if I don't cap it off!
"As I write, I come up with more ideas and more ideas. This thing could become another War and Peace if I don’t cap it off!"
LOL!
OMG, it's a series. This is almost like stumbling on an encyclopedia on ebook writing. At the risk of sounding like a spammer, I'm bookmarking this particular page for reference as I try my best to accomplish my goal of writing my very first ebook. Amy, you got a neatly designed blog here., I like it.
Thanks for stopping by, James. I hope it's helpful.
Amy- Seriously? This is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this.
I'm a little confused as to why people should listen to you or take you seriously?
Per your bio…
"Hi, I'm Amy. I'm just a regular gal who wondered if there was a legitimate way to work from home. I've done it, and you can do it too. Here's my easy peasy, step-by-step guide. You might also like the quick tips I share on Facebook. And here are my blogging tutorials. Skeptical? I get that. Check out my FAQ for my take."
And yet the second sentence you write states that "This was completely uncharted territory for me and given that writing is not my favorite thing to do, I"…
I guess you really have to love the internet these days where anyone and EVERYONE is a self proclaimed "Blogging EXPERT" or a "Social Media GURU"…just for fun I am going to proclaim myself "Lord King of all Things Blue"
That is all.
Oh my goodness, I wasn't calling myself The Guide, I just put together this step-by-step guide which includes the steps I've taken as I've walked through the process of writing and launching an ebook. Of course the process is still not finished so I've definitely got more to learn. Nope, I definitely don't consider myself a guru or expert by any means, I'm just passing on the info I've gleaned over the years in the hope it's helpful to others.
Good morning!
I am asking (begging) for your help! I have searched everywhere but get confused with all the "help" on the web. (besides the fact I'm a 63 yr old man LOL)
I cannot seem to find the code for a blog button to post on my website that will allow visitors on my web to follow my blogs. All I know is I want the "B" from blogspot.com and just get frustrated trying to find it!!
Can you please email me the code with instructions (I do know copy and paste lol) or tell me the url where I can get the code I want.
Your help will be appreciated.
Thank you
Steve Gan
'
Hi Steve. Glad you stopped by…
I think what you're asking is for people to be able to subscribe to your Blogger blog's feed. If you go to "Design" in your Dashboard and click on the "Add a Gadget" link in the spot on your page you want that button to appear, you can choose the "Feed" option from the list.
Does that help?
I have been mulling over the idea of writing an e-book for sometime now, but I only just recently began seriously researching the idea. I was wondering what your opinion is of Smashwords and CreateSpace, and you see value in pursuing one of these avenues instead of this method. I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the options available!
It is overwhelming. CreateSpace is not for an ebook as much as it is for hard copies. I have not used Smashwords, but I would recommend researching exactly how much of a cut they'll take so you can determine if it's a good road to take!
Amy,
I have been writing a book over the past few months, and using your guide. Thanks so much for all of the helpful tips!! I am so excited that it will be coming out soon. I will definitely be sending you a copy! I was wondering if you have any tips about copyrighting? I know that it takes 3 months to register & copyright with the government, and I am hoping to release it next week, so I don't think that I can do that? I know that there is already an automatic copyright once you have written it, but I was not sure if I should do more or not? Also, did you get an ISBN number? Any advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks!! Rene
Thanks Rene. I'm glad it's been helpful! I have researched copyright very little and ISBNs only a little more. I have not pursued either. I can't say that's the most education or well-researched conclusion, but it seemed clear to me that my little ebook would not be detrimentally impacted at this point. Not sure if that's helpful at all…just my $.02.
Thanks, Amy!! If your book is fine, then I am sure that mine will be as well. I am going to send you a copy soon!! I am so excited about it! Have a wonderful weekend. (-:
Thank you for sharing a wealth of information, I really enjoy your site!
My pleasure!
Well, tomorrow is your 1 year anniversary of completing your ebook! I would love to be the first to congratulate you.
I have a couple ebook ideas rolling around in my head. So thought I'd look up how to write an ebook and you came up first! Yay! So now I need to just get started (after I read you series on them though… )
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Very helpful Amy. I'm looking at a layoff soon. Your site came up first (I'd like to know how to make that happen) and an ebook sounded like something to work on while I'm looking for work. Your input is excellent!
I read your whole series in one sitting. I've decided to take a dip into the ebook pool and am doing tons of research before I start. Thanks for this great advice. I have had a blog for a few years and freelance for Huff-Po, AOL etc. but this ebook thing has got me excited about writing something different.
Go for it!
Thank you Amy…today my eBook launched! (still not on Kindle as it didn't format correctly once uploaded there, but as a PC download, we are set. Thanks for your help with the process, the recommendations, e-junkie help and more…now to figure out how to fix my Kindle issue.)
Seriously, had you not gone before me, I might never have attempted this. Thanks!
Way to go, Tammy!
I'm glad I found your site! I've been thinking about writing an ebook and now I have the instructions! Some blogs don't tell the whole steps meaning do's and don't's. Thanks for making your site easy to read and understand. I try and do that too on my blog.
Thanks for stopping by, Joan. So glad it's helpful!