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 ? 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.

Beginning 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.