One of the biggest challenges people face when deciding they’d like to write an ebook is not knowing where to start.
They spend hours and days researching and reading about topic ideas, formatting tips and marketing strategies.
The actual act of sitting down to write the darn thing can sometimes be elusive.
That’s why I like to use something called my One Book, One Sitting rule.
It’s simple. I sit in at my machine on a Sunday morning (or whatever day I can block off 4-6 hours) and begin to write with the intention of not calling it a day until I’ve shipped a book.
I know it sounds a bit daunting but let me make something clear.
I’m not intending to write a 30k word novel. I have a set of criteria I follow. A formula.
Let’s break down the steps so you can see how easy and unintimidating this process is.
One problem
Have you ever had ringing in your ears? Not just a little jingle that you occasionally hear but a constant, mind-alerting ringing that drove you to the point of insanity?
I have and it wasn’t long before I took to the internet looking for a solution. I was a desperate buyer looking to find relief from pain.
I had a problem that needed a solution and had my credit card in hand as I surfed from site to site looking for answers.
The most viable information products you can create are ones that solve a “bleeding neck” problem. If you had a bleeding neck, don’t you think you’d be pretty desperate to find an answer and quick?
So the first step is to identify an audience that has a problem that needs a quick solution.
Somebody that is looking for the latest guide to World of Warcraft isn’t your target audience. Somebody that has a big date lined up and knows that he has a severe case of bad breath (halitosis) is. If you can provide him with a quick and easy guide on how to deal with his bad breath in time for his date – you’ll have a winner on your hands.
One solution
So you’ve identified a problem that you’re going to write your ebook on now it’s time to fire up your word processor and get down to the business of writing the thing.
Not so fast.
One thing I always do before actually starting to write my ebooks is to take a half hour to write a quick outline. This makes the process of writing your content MUCH easier. If you do it properly it almost ends up like filling in the blanks.
A good template to follow is to write your solution in 7 steps.
So if you’ve decided to write an ebook on catching a cheating spouse, all you need to do is break down 7 actionable tips on the subject and go from there.
It’s an important point that your ebook and the steps contained within it should be actionable. Your reader will be much more satisfied with something they can read AND take action on. A few tips or suggestions is one thing. A book with things to actually try is something else altogether and in my experience will lead to a much better reception in the marketplace.
A step-by-step approach
A good way for your book to contain actionable material is to write it in a step-by-step format. This will not only make it easier for you to write it but also easier for the reader to consume it.
One of my outlines will often look like this:
- Introduction
- 7 step solution
- Conclusion
You’d be amazed how easy it is with an hour of surfing the internet to identify 7 steps to any problem.
Remember, this is where you are providing immense value to a reader. They could spend an hour (or likely more) themselves searching the far corners of the internet for a solution to their bleeding neck but instead they find your ebook with all the research done for them.
Between 2000-4000 words
I generally like to keep my ebooks quite short in length. As I’ve mentioned before, I sell my ebooks usually for under $3 because I don’t rely on the book for the bulk of my profits.
If you write a quality product that actually solves someone’s problem, they aren’t going to judge your material based on it’s length. That being said, your book has to have some meat to it to be perceived initially as worth someone’s money (even if it is only a buck or two).
It can take a bit of practice to be able to comfortably bang out a couple of thousands words in a sitting but if you’ve taken the time beforehand to create your outline, you might be surprised how easy it is.
The important thing is to do it.
There is one thing I can guarantee you. Nobody is going to buy an idea you have in your head.
You need to commit to doing it and be prepared to fail. Don’t expect to launch the next Amazon bestseller with your first effort. It took me several books before I had my formula down and was able to write books that sell and that create me a decent passive side income.
It’s never been easier to create information products and get them online for sale as it is now. Follow the steps I’ve outlined above or discover your own process. Either way – get it done and get it out there.
Somebody out there has a problem and needs a solution.
They’re not finding it.
You know what to do…
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