Are you looking to capitalize on the popular reputation of e-books and the famous Amazon Kindle?
The great thing about writing books for Amazon Kindle is that pretty much anyone can do it. Of course, those with the added experience of writing and publishing print books, web content or online e-books, are at a significant advantage. Already understanding the process, they appreciate the dos and don’ts of writing for pay. However, even if you are new to the industry and have never published anything, you can still make an income this way. Follow these helpful e-book writing tips before you start.
Do understand what an ebook is
First, you need to know what an e-book is. You may be unfamiliar with e-books and what web content writing is. An e-book or rather, an electronic book, are books published online instead of in print. It is remarkably simple to read an e-book on your computer or on an electronic reader such as the Amazon Kindle. The Kindle reader is available to use on your phone, tablet or laptop, so is extremely flexible, meaning a person can carry around lots of ebooks in a portable format.
For example, I have around 1000 books on my tablet, and it fits neatly in my handbag,
Personally, I prefer ebooks for one simple reason. My eyesight isn’t great and I can adjust the size of print on my ebook reader.
Don’t assume that you don’t need an ebook
You should not assume that e-books are only for creative writing.
E-books are the same as print books, just in a different format.
Many books listed on the New York Time’s bestseller list are available as an e-book as well as print. To write an e-book you do not need to be an established author and books can be on any topic. How-to guides and memoirs are always popular, as are horror and romance titles. The options for e-books are endless.
One thing that I would say, is that if you have written an ebook, do make it available as a print book. Amazon makes it easy to do, and you’re making your book available to a wider audience.
Do some research
Writing e-books can be overwhelming for new writers who are getting to grips with a new skill. The bestseller lists can be intimidating but try not to dwell on them. You do not have to write a bestseller to make money from writing. You also do not have to write the epic novel you assume you need. A book does not have to be 200 pages long. In fact, some of the more popular e-books are 50 pages or less.
The main aim of writing an e-book is to ensure you get your point across.
Because of this, it does not matter how long the book is.
Don’t limit your potential
Try not to limit yourself.
Remember you are not guaranteed a sale by selling an e-book but remain open to the possible earning potential you have in front of you. Because of this, you should not limit yourself to one thing. If you are hoping to write an e-book on a popular topic, such as saving money or how to work from home. Write it.
If you also want to be more creative and write a romance or fantasy novel, do that.
Do both, in fact. The more books you write, the more comfortable you will be about writing and the publishing process in general.
Some authors also write how-to-write books to help other authors. The options and opportunities are unlimited.
Do it properly
I’ve always written my books in MS Word and would encourage you to do the same.
This programme comes as standard on most personal computers and is also available separately for sale.
It works well for writers in that it includes a spelling and grammar checker. If your writing skills are not up to scratch, you will likely make mistakes until you become more experienced. Microsoft Word will catch most of these mistakes for you.
Kindle books are sold in a special digital text format which Amazon automatically converts for you from Word. By writing your manuscript in Microsoft Word, your text is edited along the way and your document will be ready for upload.
Don’t waffle
Try not to increase your word count or page numbers by adding unnecessary words, dialogue, or descriptions. This kind of “fluffing” or “waffling” of the word count is unnecessary and may drag your content down.
When it comes to the size of your book, it’s the quality and the value that it offers the reader rather than the word count that matters.
Do check, check and check again
An essential component to writing an e-book is proofreading before uploading your manuscript and converting it to digital text.
While MS Word may catch most grammar and spelling mistakes, it is not always 100% reliable.
I would strongly recommend reading it aloud yourself, use a tool like Grammarly and get some of your friends to have a look as well.
Don’t make it difficult to navigate your book
Whether your book is fiction or non-fiction, 75 pages or 200 pages, remember to add a table of contents.
Use the headers in MS Word to compile your table of contents and the Kindle will automatically turn this into links for those reading your book on Kindle. I use header 1 in my chapter headings, then header 2, 3 etc for sections within that chapter.
I hope that you found this useful. I could go on for ages with do’s and don’ts but I value your time and mine.
Don’t forget, if I can help at all, just book a call with me.