EBooks have long replaced the traditional paperbacks we grew up reading in our childhoods. Today, these digital reading materials are not just at the center for arts and culture, but also for textbooks and informative reading guides as well. As the eBook market grows to accommodate more genres and writers, we come across the notion that anyone could write an eBook with ease. But coming up with a manuscript is not that simple and it takes up more time and money than one might think. So, what can you do in a complex situation like this?
Before you decide to come onboard the writing process of an eBook, whether big or small, you have to consider the kind of time and money you are willing to spend in the endeavor. Of course, there need to be certain restrictions when it comes to these factors, so here are a few ways to ensure that nothing goes to waste. These tips will tell you how you can save both time and money when you are trying to come up with a brand new eBook.
- Use Online Tools
When you consider using an online eBook tool, you will find that it saves a lot of time in terms of how you structure and format your work. It will be free, so that means you do not have to spend any additional costs, and furthermore you will be able to spend more time on the writing process. EBook tools will assist not just in structures and formatting, but also the font sizing, the color gradients and overall design of your book for the reader’s ease.
- Have a Purpose
So, yeah, you want to write an eBook. But so do a lot of people. Therefore, writing it for the sake of writing will not help you save up on any time or money. You need to have a purposeful direction which will help you move forward with the writing process before you even put pen to paper. Therefore, ask yourself: what is the purpose of this book and how can I profit off it? This entails that you know exactly what the customer is looking for and what is trending during that time. That’s one of the most basic ways to save both time and money.
- Look at the Length of the eBook
Your book does not have to be a thousand pages to be a good manuscript. Instead of wasting your time trying to get out more pages than the day before, it is best to focus on the content you are providing and then capitalizing on it. Say what you want to say and be concise, direct and comprehensive without any unnecessary details.
- Only Give One Week to Proofreading
This may be harsh advice, but it is the truth. There may be some initial glaring typos and grammatical errors that you need to correct, but they should not be taking up all your time. The easy way is to hire a temporary proofreader, preferably a student to save costs, and let them do the work for you.
- Don’t Think about what the Audience Needs
If you spend most of your days worrying about what your audience needs form your book, you will never get anywhere. Thus, instead of falling for this trap, you should simply follow the outline you have at hand and take the topic to a level you always intended for it to go to. EBook topics cannot be flimsy so run a free poll or survey to save time before starting.
- Allocate a Set Amount of Time for Research
It can be easy to get lost in an interesting topic and then fall down a rabbit hole of Google searches and PDF downloads. A smart way to avoid this trap is to surpass this stage as fast as possible. To avoid any waste of effort, make sure to allocate only a certain amount of time to the entire research process and then use this limited time to gather all your data. Once you have accomplished this, move directly to the writing stage and then move from there. This way each chapter will have the information you need to put your ideas on the page.
- Choose a Simple Cover Design
While it is true that we tend to judge a book by its cover, this does not mean that you spend all your time and budget in perfecting the cover design of your eBook. The overall design and theme should definitely be attractive to entice readers and buyers, but you should not be paying thousands of dollars to a designer or artist who takes weeks to come up with an initial sketch. Go simple and let your words speak for themselves.
- Ignoring the Publishing Date
Even though you do not need to have a strict deadline for when you finally publish your eBook, it is wise to set one. Ignoring this vital deadline can lead to constant revisions and changes which will inevitably lose you more time and money. Thus, pick a date months in advance and then work according to it so that the book goes live exactly when it was supposed to so you do not face any kind of loss.
- The Value of your eBook
Do not get too caught up in the idea of making your eBook too valuable and expensive because the truth is that no one will be interested. If you manage to put out a two hundred page manuscript and price it at sixty-something dollars, chances are that you will make nil dollars in profit. This means that all those hours and money spent into the creation of the book were a complete waste. Therefore, think smart and add the correct values. Competitive pricing and marketing are what will make the entire ritual worthwhile.
- Free Marketing Lists
Email marketing lists are free to use and yet very effective. To save time from making numerous social media posts and filtering out word of mouth advertising, you can instead cater to email marketing techniques and watch your book sell immediately.
Conclusion
As you can note from the latest tips given above, there is no reason why writing an eBook should take over your entire life and destroy your bank. The idea is to take small steps and head in a simple direction. Once you have the basics in mind, you will spend more time writing than wasting it on choosing cover designs or hiring editors. In the end, the final product will be something you are proud of and which took up less from your life than it should have. Happy writing!