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Writing an E-Book

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last book i've read

Article by Wendy McCance

Ever since I started blogging, I have challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone.  It’s these little jabs that have allowed me to grow and develop my blog and writing career into what it is today.

Recently I was reviewing what I have done with this career of mine and realized that I have been sitting in a place of comfort for far too long.  I decided I needed to stir the pot and put myself through a little discomfort again.  I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to finally write that book I have mentioned for so long.

There are so many questions going through my mind that I thought I would ask all of you what your thoughts are.  I know many of you have written ebooks before and I would love to hear about your experiences.  How long did the process take and was it difficult to put an ebook together?

Promote Your E-Book

If you have written an ebook or any book for that matter, please include information on your book with a link when you answer any of the questions posted.  I am hoping that this post will help all of the many people who are looking to write a book, but I also want to be able to celebrate those of you who have gone through the process with a little promotion of your book as well.

Questions:

  1. Would you rather read an ebook about kicking off a writing career with no writing background, a book about how to make money off a blog or a book detailing how this blog changed my life?
  2. What method did you use to put together your ebook?  I am contemplating using Smashwords.
  3. How long did it take for you to write and publish your ebook?  Was it difficult?
  4. How many pages is your ebook and how much does it cost to buy?
  5. Where can you find your ebook if someone wants to buy it?
  6. Was it worth the time and trouble to write the ebook?  Would you do it again?
  7. What is the best piece of advice about this topic that you can share?
  8. What is the most surprising roadblock that you encountered when writing your book?
  9. Were you happy with the amount of money you made from selling your book?
  10. What was the best way you found to market your book?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions.  Even if you only answer one or two questions, your experience will help so many readers who are considering writing an ebook themselves.

 

 

 

 

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

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14 thoughts on “Writing an E-Book”

  2. Where do I start, Wendy? I hope I’ve covered most of the answers to your questions below:

    — I’d like to see you write an e-book on how this blog changed your life

    — For self-publishing, I primarily used Smashwords (recommended by a friend) and also Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon) not Kindle Direct Select (exclusivity rights and unable to promote anywhere else including your site).

    — This was very hard for me, since this was my first attempt at putting anything in book form. So, I made it short (6 stories - 16 pages) mixing them up with ones I’ve written on my site and new ones. I made it free as an introduction to what I do, as well as feeling my way through the process. I made it available for PDF, as well as electronic. I think it took me a good 6 months, first of all, to write the content and put something together, figure out putting it in PDF, research copyrights and get a professional-looking cover (got help from E-Lance on that). Then, the formatting part came, which was tedious, especially with photos. The Word document I was using had to be formatted exactly a certain way to be published electronically. Smashwords is great helping with that and outlines everything step-by-step.

    — It was definitely worth the time and trouble and would like to do it again. Like you, I try to push myself out of my comfort zone. I think the hardest part for me is the writing and getting enough content. I wrangle with words and sentences and the subject ideas and words don’t come easy. I think that’s why I don’t post as often on my site. If I get an idea or inspired I’ll stay with it and work through putting the words to it. Looky here, I probably could have written a post on this (haha).

    — I think the best piece of advice I could give is if anyone is entertaining the idea of self-publishing an e-book, take the plunge and do it. Everyone one of us has something of value to contribute to the world and your individual perspectives and experiences will fit and be right just for those that need to read and hear about it. Plus, electronic publishing gets your work out there fast and covers all parts of the globe.

    — My greatest hurdle was Amazon (Kindle Direct Publishing) although the electronic self-publishing part was a snap after I had already self-published with Smashwords. Because I live in Colorado there are special State tax regulations other states don’t require and it’s a whole other deal with self-publishing using Kindle Direct Publishing with Amazon. My book is on Amazon but instead of free I had to set a minimum amount at $.99 plus it’s not promoted, as it would be in other cases.

    — The marketing part wasn’t as important to me this time as it’s free. Although, I did want people to read it and enjoy it, as well as get feedback from it. So, I added it to my profile on LinkedIn, added a page for it on my site, promoted it. as a manifesto on a Seth Godin-inspired site called “Change This”, talked about in on Writer’s Groups, FB page and numerous other social media sites. On Smashwords, as of Dec 2012, when I self-published it, I have almost 200 downloads. I have one review on Amazon and a number of people have downloaded the PDF version from my site. I take away from that as a success for my first attempt.

    I hope this helps with any questions you’re having on self-publishing your first e-book, Wendy. You’re super, when it comes to having no problems writing and research. I see you having no problems and only see leaps and bounds of success for you. For you, it’s a no brainer.

    Thank you for the opportunity to share my e-book here. It is called, “Sweet Days of Summer - All is Okay and Other Wisdom Stories” and there’s a PDF download and information on my site where you can get it electronically at http://plaintalkandordinarywisdom.com/free-e-book-sweet-days-of-summer-all-is-okay/). Would love to hear any feedback, if anyone from here decides to check it out.

    Reply

    • Wow, this is the best most thorough information. Much better than anything I could ever hope to read. Thank you so very much for getting into so much detail and sharing so much wonderful advice. I hope you get a ton of readers who check out your book. 200 downloads is absolutely fantastic. I hope I can achieve that level of success on my first try. Thanks again, the information is truly invaluable. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Hi Wendy. Believe it or not, I’m that type of person that seems to want to try everything. However, I have not written an ebook before but trust that I’ve researched doing one. I put together this small book of things(drawn/handwritten) that the kids were to do during the summer and receive an incentive for each one completed. I was going to make it into an ebook. That was 2 summers ago. My 11 year old brought the book into my room and asked did I remember it. I told her to save it because I’m still planning on making it into an ebook and uploading to my blog. Perhaps, I will get back to this….
    Sharon
    Make It Or Fix It Yourself

    Reply

  4. My book, “Love and Abuse on 40 Acres,” is on Amazon
    A true story of hope as the secluded dream retreat with one husband became a widow’s isolated place of terror with the next. It sells for $6.99 My first book took 4 years to write and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The second book took only 2 years, and now I’m on my third book.
    As for advice, it depends on what you’re writing about. Mine is a memoir and other writers said you just have to cut a vein and bleed on paper. I believe that’s true. But it has been so worth it. Even at that, writing a book was not the hardest part, a lot of work is involved in the marketing.

    http://www.amazon.com/Love-And-Abuse-On-Acres/dp/1105792420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377722497&sr=8-1&keywords=love+and+abuse+on+40+acres

    Reply

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