Think Outside the Box

It’s all too easy to choose a topic that is popular or topping the charts right now. However, you shouldn’t just bend to public opinion because that can lead to some very bad decisions. There have been countless self-help and dieting books that you don’t need to add to. Instead, you should write a book on topics that interest you and prove useful to your readers.

This is not only a practical decision, but a creative one. You shouldn’t aim for saturated markets anyway, and writing on an interesting topic will simply get your creative juices flowing.

In choosing a great topic, you could look at the magazines, newspapers, and blogs you read. You could even turn to the YouTube channels you follow to gauge the interest of certain circles. You need to aim for a niche that is hungry for a certain type of content. Searching on platforms that receive regular readership or viewership is a great place to start.

Gauge Your Blog or Newsletter Audience

If you already have a newsletter or a blogging website that you publish regularly on, then you’re already at an advantage. You already have an audience that likes your work, and some may even love your work. There is no better way to test how well a topic would do then by using your blog posts.

A great way to go about it is to create a survey. You should come up with 5-7 possible titles your audience would love to read about. You could also try publishing blogs on a few of those topics and gauge the response of your audience. Looking at the comments and the traffic for those blog posts or newsletters could be a clear sign.

After you’ve experimented with a few topics and vague titles, you should get more specific. Once you’ve pinned down a topic that the majority of your audience loves, you should go ahead with it.

Do the Research

Although proper research is important, very few people stick to this rule. People expect a certain professional element from eBook writers that they don’t necessarily do from bloggers. Some eBook writers think they can get away with just regurgitating conventional wisdom found on blogs. That’s a big mistake.

To fully immerse yourself into the writing process, you should check out cited research papers and surveys. It’s also a good idea to check multiple sources for one cited fact. That way, more credibility will be lent to the point you’re making.

You should also refer to other books for sources and do the reading. Instead of sticking to the first page of Google search results, take the time to dig up references. Your readers will appreciate every morsel of obscure information that you’re able to unearth for them. 

Begin With an Outline

Every building needs a blueprint, and every book needs a plan. Whether it’s brainstorming sessions, structure planning, or chalking out time for research, you need to have a plan. Writing extempore is fine, and inspiration is a writer’s best friend. However, there will be times when the creative juices just run dry. For such times, you will need a plan.

Even when the creative juices are flowing, you will need to stick to a limit and a plan. You can’t start writing an eBook about food supplements and end it on the history of vitamin E. Keeping an outline in mind is the bedrock of successful eBook writing.

If you’re unsure of how to proceed here, you should consider hiring a professional eBook writing service. Their experienced writers will help you narrow down the important points you need to focus on. They may even help you plan out the entire eBook and improve your focus on the core material.

Schedule a Set Time for Writing

You may have heard of something called Writer’s Block. It’s real. It can happen to anyone, and it can take a toll on your schedule too. That’s why it’s important to set aside time where you can just concentrate on writing.

A few hours a day, you should just sit alone with your laptop to just write. While this doesn’t promise to get your creative juices flowing, it does help you stay focused on the task at hand. Remember to sit in a distraction-free environment where you can concentrate. Sit with a cup of tea, or coffee, or an energy drink, if that’s more your speed.

This schedule will help you get in the mood for writing automatically every day. It’s part of tricking your brain to get into a particular zone to write when the time is right.

Keep a Notebook Handy

This is writing 101. When you’re writing an eBook, inspiration can strike at any time. You can think of an idea that is worth a million bucks, but it can fade as quickly as it appeared. Hence, you need to keep a small notebook hand to jot it down. Either that or you should have a dedicated notebook app shortcut on your phone to quickly put down your thoughts.

Taking down ideas and little sparks of inspiration can help you remember things to elaborate on later. Writers often take hints from things they’ve seen while they’re walking down the street, or waiting in a cue. Those small moments can end up being the beautiful details that your eBook sorely needs. It would be a crime to ignore them. It could also end up costing you hundreds in sales. 

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Visuals

Your readers will be flipping through virtual pages on a smartphone while commuting to work. They will be swiping through the chapters while waiting for coffee. This is just how people interact with content now. They watch films on their tablet while eating lunch, and their favorite YouTube videos while in the can. You can’t help that.

Hence, it’s better if you fill your eBook with visuals that they actually remember. These need not be pie charts or graphs that communicate facts and dry data. They could be illustrations of beautiful landmarks, or digital art. Remember, visuals in a book are meant to emphasize the essence of the book. They’re not the main focus, but they can lend importance to a section that the author deems crucial.

This also includes the cover. A beautiful cover can incite the audience into buying your book. While the old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover” holds true, we all still do it. Better to take advantage of that shallow reflex built into humans.

Visuals will ultimately help your eBook resonate better with your audiences. In this regard, hiring an eBook writing service will help tremendously. They have a dedicated graphics department that can produce beautiful images to suit your requirements.

Don’t Forget to Edit

I remember reading somewhere that J.K. Rowling was indebted to her editor for improving the Harry Potter novels immensely. That’s the power of a great editor. Whether you choose an eBook writing service for this task, or take it up yourself, it’s of paramount importance.

Editing whittles down a book to its essentials and it’s most exciting. Authors possess great talent for writing, but they are not faultless. Hence, they can meander. You will also find that you have wandered off from your central point in certain paragraphs.

Editing helps to bring you back faster and help the audience stay interested for longer. Your audience is investing time and money into your eBook. They expect to be kept interested for as long and as continuously as possible.

Apply Finishing Touches

Every eBook needs a great introduction and conclusion. It’s the sign of great eBook writers that the former pulls you in and the latter gives you closure. An eBook also needs a good CTA which directs readers to your blog, newsletter, or any service that you provide.

Taking care of these things may not seem all that important to the structure of the book, but it helps in the long run. A great introduction will help pull in a new reader. A great conclusion will get them interested in more of your writing. A great CTA might entice them into checking out your other work. All of this will help get you a greater audience. That is something which will not only improve sales, but help you improve as a writer.

About the Author

Dave is the Content marketing Manager at Content Development Pros. He currently heads the eBook Division of the company. When not supervising the various eBook projects at CDP, Dave can be found swimming, cycling, or golfing.