Sell What You Know

Sell What You Know: Self-Publish Your Own EBooks


You don't have to be a good writer to create your own EBooks. That's what editors and proofreaders are for - but more on that later. The question is, what do you know? Pull out some paper and pen, or pull up your word processor. Ready? Let's start brainstorming!

* List your work experience - all of it

* List your current and past hobbies

* Any volunteer work?

* Any military experience?

* You can also list things you would like to know about and research the subject(s)

* Anything else you know about?

Remember, you don't have to be an expert to write an EBook on the subject you choose. With the Internet at your fingertips, you can research your subject to fill in the blanks.

Narrow down your list until you end up with a few items left. Save the others for the future, though. Now comes the hard part - choose one subject for your EBook. Now that you have a topic to write about, next comes the outline. Start with a title, introduction, and then the chapters that further teach your reader about your topic. For example, it should look something like this:

How-to Give Yourself a Salon Quality Manicure

* Introduction (Introduce your reader to the subject any way you like. You can include the history, a summary, your thoughts, etc.)

* Chapter 1: Manicure Supplies You'll Need

* Chapter 2: Why You Need Supplies and How They Work

* Chapter 3: Basic Nail Care

* Chapter 4: Getting Your Nails Ready

* Chapter 5: Proper Polishing

* Chapter 6: Using Fake Nails, Stickers and Other Accessories

* Chapter 7: Types of Manicures

* Chapter 8: Getting fancy with Colors

* Chapter 9: Nail Maintenance

* Chapter 10: Extra Tips, Tricks and Advice


See how it flows from the first chapter to the last in introducing the information to the reader? Once you have your outline, you can come up with subcategories for your chapters, and start writing! Don't worry too much about the writing itself - it can always be revised later, which brings us to the next point. If you are not a writer or have poor spelling and grammar, I suggest getting an editor or proofreader to look over your work and help you on that end. Readers want to be able to understand the information you are trying to convey in an easy to read format.

Formatting is also important in EBooks. People will be reading your information online, which means your EBook needs to be skimmable. Sections need to be broken up as much as possible for easier reading. Two pages of only text and very little white area will bore your reader. Separate sections with subheadings. You can also add images and pictures to your pages. All of this should be done in your word processor (I recommend Microsoft Word), and then put into PDF format.

Here are some free programs to turn your text document into a PDF file, which all EBooks come with:

http://convert.neevia.com/

http://createpdf.adobe.com/

http://www.pdf995.com/

http://www.acrosoftware.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Now that your EBook is complete, it is time to start selling! Here are some places you sell your EBook where you should be able to keep all rights to it, meaning you are free to sell elsewhere. Read the fine print for this one.

http://www.payloadz.com/

http://www.artopium.com/library/sell_ebook_downloads.htm

Another great option is to create your own website and sell your book there. Market and promote it through advertising, asking family and friends to pass along the word to their email buddies, join relevant Yahoo groups, start a blog and others, etc. Once you are done, you can get started on the next one! Get that list out!

Additional Resources:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/site/editorial.htm

http://www.enhancemywriting.com/

http://www.internet-resources.com/writers/