E-books are quickly replacing printed text in many industries. Online college courses now rely on e-texts instead of printed texts, the government relies on e-books and materials to distribute information, and several businesses rely on e-books to attract visitors to their site as well as to market their ideas. If you are interested in taking advantage of this remarkable media revolution then it is time that you write your own e-book.



Step 1 - Select Your Theme

The first step for writing an e-book is to establish your book's theme. If you will be writing a fictional piece then your theme will be based on the plotline. On the other hand, if you will be writing a nonfiction e-book then your theme will be based on the subject of your book. For example your theme may be "how to organize your office."

Step 2 - Select Your Market

The next step is to decide who you will be marketing your e-book to. You will want to make sure that you focus your writing style and information so that it appeals to your selected market. By doing this you will be improving the chances that your book will sell and you will be improving the chances that this book will be able to attract viewers to your site.

Step 3 - Select the Format

The format of your e-book will influence who will be able to read your e-book, as well as how they will be able to view your book. When you are deciding on what format to use make sure that you take into consideration what device the book will be viewed on: Windows PC, Windows Table, Macintosh, Linux/Unix Computer, Pocket PC, Palm OS device, Blackberry, etc. You will also want to take into consideration if you want to make your e-book printable, easy to view on a computer screen, and/or easy to navigate through.

There are several great computer programs that are designed especially for formatting e-books. Some of the most reliable and user friendly products for formatting e-books include: eBook Starter, eBook Generator, and Activ E-Book Compiler. If you don't want to buy special software for formatting your e-book then you can also use Adobe Reader, HTML, Word, and Plain Text.

Step 4 - Outline Your Book

Now that you have the logistics established you can now outline your e-book. For fictional pieces you will want to make sure that you cover all of the major events and plot twists in your outline. For nonfiction pieces you will want to create a chapter outline that covers all of the topics that you will be covering in your book.

Step 5 - Research

To ensure that your e-book is offering your readers the most up-to-date data and information you will want to make sure that you can back up your statements and information with reliable sources. Try to create an annotated bibliography that you can use to not only support your claims with, but that can also be used to help you organize your ideas. If you are writing a fictional piece then your research will be related to situations that your characters are facing, or to elements that will help you to flesh out descriptions of the setting or characters, or to verify historical events that impact your storyline.

Step 6 - Develop a Writing Schedule

Writing a book can take years to do if you just pick at it. If you want to complete your e-book in a timely manner then you will want to set up a writing schedule and a completion due date. For example you may want to set a writing goal of 5 pages per day until the book is completed. You will also want to make sure that you schedule time for revisions and editing.

Step 7 - Write Your E-Book

Get writing! Try to stick to your schedule. If you fall behind adjust your schedule and work hard to complete your book by your due date. Just remember, the sooner your e-book is online the sooner it will be generating leads and income for you.

Step 8 - Edit and Revise Your E-Book

After you have completed your first draft put the project away for a week. Then after the week is up return to the project and read through it again. During this read check for flow problems, grammar errors, and spelling errors. If you have someone willing to edit your project for you take advantage of their help. It is often very difficult to find all the mistakes in a large document that you have written yourself.

Step 9 - Publish your E-Book

When your piece is ready to publish you will need to decide how to get it online. You have a few options. Your first option is to try and sell it on commission via an established e-book web site. Your second option is to publish it on your own web site and offer it free to all of your site's visitors. Your third option is to sell your e-book through your own web site using an online shopping cart program.

Step 10 - Market Your E-Book

The final step is to market your e-book. To do this you will need to use your imagination. You may start by asking friends and colleagues to read your book and then recommend it to their friends and colleagues. Next you can advertise your e-book via your blog or your company's message board. Finally you can buy online ad space via Google's Ad Sense, Yahoo!'s advertising program, or some similar ad agent.