How to write your e-book

Don't try to write your e-book from the beginning straight through to the end. Use one of the easy writing methods below to help you actually get through it:

First create an outline

Begin your outline with an introduction, telling your readers about what they are about to learn. Add your company logo, e-book title, and whatever you like. You can create a graphic that matches the theme of your e-book. The introduction should actually be written last. After that you write the foreword. Your Foreword might include information about who you are, copyright information, disclaimers, warranties, etc.

Licensing agreement—“Copyrights”

Make sure to display your copyright on your foreword page, or include a separate page for your copyright information. This will help protect your e-book.

Your copyright might look something like this:

"Copyright © 2008 by your company, all rights reserved worldwide. No part of this e-book may be copied, sold, or distributed in any way. Violations of this copyright will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law."

Your next step will be to design a table of contents. This will enable your readers to quickly locate important information. It will make your e-book easier to read. Draft the chapter titles so that a person can scan them quickly and get a step-by-step description of what your e-book is about.

About the author

This is really an optional page. It tells your reader information about you in general. This section is used to tell your readers about your e-book, your company, your Web site, and yourself as a person. Provide your Web site address and your contact information.

Once you've completed your outline, you can begin filling in the sections. Write your text in small blocks and leave an extra space between paragraphs. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a white background. In addition, write in everyday language that anyone can understand.

Navigation (for exe e-books only)

Include good navigational links on each page. Make sure that each page you create contains links to the previous and next pages within your e-book. Let's say for example we are on page five of your e-book we should have links to page four and page six.

Writing fonts

Make your work suitable for reading on any computer:

Always use Times New Roman or Arial font when preparing your product. Don't try to use other fonts. These two fonts are very easy on the eyes, and they are the most frequently used fonts. Also if you use any other fonts, there is a risk that some of your clients won't have them on their computers. In this case, they will not be able to view your e-book well.

Your text should be written in black ink. Avoid using backgrounds that will make your text difficult to read. When you write your product make sure to design paragraphs for reading ease.

Throughout your e-book, put subheadings or bold font in each section to capture the attention of those who just scan your text.

Enhancing your e-book's appearance

It's important to include small images that compliment the subject of your e-book. Avoid using large pictures that take a long time to load; they can cause your readers to become frustrated before they start reading. You can also include live links, video, sound, order and subscription forms, flash, and whatever you want.

Password protection

This feature is mainly used as a sales tool. You can create an e-book with a password that is needed to view the material. Allow the book to be freely distributed. If your customers want to get full access to your e-book, they have to purchase a password from you to unlock it. This selling method creates curiosity, so more readers will want to purchase your e-book.

Most of the programs used to compile e-books offer an option to protect your entire e-book, certain directories, or certain pages by password.

If you have a number of pages within your e-book that you would like to protect by password, you may want to place them within another folder inside your e-book's folder. When you're ready to add the protection, simply select the entire folder.

Glossary

This page is used to explain terms that have been used throughout your e-book. It also provides a quick reference for information located within the e-book. The customer won't read the glossary from cover to cover; it's too boring. However, if a client comes across a term that is unfamiliar, he or she can quickly find an explanation on the glossary page.

Finally, at the closing statement, wrap everything up.

Note: It's a good idea to search the Web to see what your competitors are already selling. I don't mean to steal their ideas or do anything illegal, but you can see what information you can provide that isn’t already available and how you can make your product unique.