There comes a time in the evolution of every Internet marketer when they realise that they really need to be writing their own e-books and reports yet we tend to shy away from writing our own material because we manage to convince ourselves that it is just too hard. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me show you a few simple steps to get you started.
The first step is to make a plan. What is your e-book going to be about? What information needs to be included and in what order? I set out my chapter or section headings and rearrange them, add in new headings and remove those that I decide that I don't need. The point is that you must make some sort of plan in order to stop the entire project from disintegrating into chaos.
After you have a your headings in place under each make an outline of the points you want to cover. There is no need to start at the beginning and work through in any particular order. This process is all about getting all the concepts you want to cover onto paper or into your word processor. Don't try to flesh out these ideas at this stage rather arrange your ideas under the appropriate headings and from this will emerge an outline. Take the time needed to make a solid and workable outline and the rest will be easy.
Now you can start writing. Starting at the beginning work through the outline and flesh out each of your ideas. At this stage I don't worry too much about formatting or even grammar and spelling. All you are trying to achieve is to let the 'creative juices' flow and to give life and substance to your basic outline. If you find yourself getting bogged down and struggling to move past a specific section don't be afraid to move on to another section and come back to it at a later stage. It is amazing how these things tend to work themselves out by themselves if we don't allow them to drag us down. Often all it needs is a little time to clear the head and think.
By the time you have finished this task you should have a fairly comprehensive first draft. I tend to let this sit for a day or two before I come back to it. The reason is that when I do come back to it I want to do so with a fresh pair of eyes. The next task is to edit the draft and if I begin that immediately after I have finished writing it, or worse, as I am writing it I find that I will miss a great many things that should be corrected or edited in some way. It is all too easy to become 'blind' to the weaknesses in our writing.
The first task when it comes to editing is to locate and correct any grammar or spelling errors. There is nothing that will turn your reader off faster than multiple spelling mistakes or bad grammar. Obviously the first step is to use your word processor's built-in spelling and grammar checkers but don't stop there. Read your own work and be certain that it makes sense. A spell checker is not able to pick up the fact that you chose the wrong word. It may be spelt correctly but an incorrect word will always be an incorrect word!
When it comes to reading your work I suggest you do so aloud. This will point out any parts of your text that just don't make sense or are difficult to understand. When you find these sections it is a simple matter to re-write or edit them so that they flow smoothly.
The next task in the editing process is to format the e-book into something close to its final form. Up until now you have concentrated on getting the text up to a suitable standard. Now it is time to consider the presentation of the e-book. This includes the choice of a suitable font, including it's size. You also need to consider the use of any colour you might want to use as well as bold, underline and italicised text. You will want to break up any large paragraphs in order to create white space and you need to consider whether or not you are going to include any pictures or illustrations.
The final stage in the editing process is to get someone else to take a look at your work. Choose this person carefully. They will need to someone who will be honest as well as thorough. Don't ask anyone who will only tell you what he or she thinks you want to hear rather than what they really think. You want them to tell you what they think in addition to any errors they might find. Once you have your critic's feedback you can make any appropriate alterations and now you are ready to publish.
You have to admit that the process as I have outlined it here is not that difficult. You will note that it has less to do with the ability to write than it does with having something to say. I have always found that if you have something to say, that is you know your topic well, then writing about it is easy. If you follow this process you will find that e-book production is a relatively straightforward task that holds no terror for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8689200
The first step is to make a plan. What is your e-book going to be about? What information needs to be included and in what order? I set out my chapter or section headings and rearrange them, add in new headings and remove those that I decide that I don't need. The point is that you must make some sort of plan in order to stop the entire project from disintegrating into chaos.
After you have a your headings in place under each make an outline of the points you want to cover. There is no need to start at the beginning and work through in any particular order. This process is all about getting all the concepts you want to cover onto paper or into your word processor. Don't try to flesh out these ideas at this stage rather arrange your ideas under the appropriate headings and from this will emerge an outline. Take the time needed to make a solid and workable outline and the rest will be easy.
Now you can start writing. Starting at the beginning work through the outline and flesh out each of your ideas. At this stage I don't worry too much about formatting or even grammar and spelling. All you are trying to achieve is to let the 'creative juices' flow and to give life and substance to your basic outline. If you find yourself getting bogged down and struggling to move past a specific section don't be afraid to move on to another section and come back to it at a later stage. It is amazing how these things tend to work themselves out by themselves if we don't allow them to drag us down. Often all it needs is a little time to clear the head and think.
By the time you have finished this task you should have a fairly comprehensive first draft. I tend to let this sit for a day or two before I come back to it. The reason is that when I do come back to it I want to do so with a fresh pair of eyes. The next task is to edit the draft and if I begin that immediately after I have finished writing it, or worse, as I am writing it I find that I will miss a great many things that should be corrected or edited in some way. It is all too easy to become 'blind' to the weaknesses in our writing.
The first task when it comes to editing is to locate and correct any grammar or spelling errors. There is nothing that will turn your reader off faster than multiple spelling mistakes or bad grammar. Obviously the first step is to use your word processor's built-in spelling and grammar checkers but don't stop there. Read your own work and be certain that it makes sense. A spell checker is not able to pick up the fact that you chose the wrong word. It may be spelt correctly but an incorrect word will always be an incorrect word!
When it comes to reading your work I suggest you do so aloud. This will point out any parts of your text that just don't make sense or are difficult to understand. When you find these sections it is a simple matter to re-write or edit them so that they flow smoothly.
The next task in the editing process is to format the e-book into something close to its final form. Up until now you have concentrated on getting the text up to a suitable standard. Now it is time to consider the presentation of the e-book. This includes the choice of a suitable font, including it's size. You also need to consider the use of any colour you might want to use as well as bold, underline and italicised text. You will want to break up any large paragraphs in order to create white space and you need to consider whether or not you are going to include any pictures or illustrations.
The final stage in the editing process is to get someone else to take a look at your work. Choose this person carefully. They will need to someone who will be honest as well as thorough. Don't ask anyone who will only tell you what he or she thinks you want to hear rather than what they really think. You want them to tell you what they think in addition to any errors they might find. Once you have your critic's feedback you can make any appropriate alterations and now you are ready to publish.
You have to admit that the process as I have outlined it here is not that difficult. You will note that it has less to do with the ability to write than it does with having something to say. I have always found that if you have something to say, that is you know your topic well, then writing about it is easy. If you follow this process you will find that e-book production is a relatively straightforward task that holds no terror for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8689200
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