7 Secrets to Planning and Writing Your First eBook Without Making Rookie Mistakes

So I’m guessing you are here because you have chosen to write an eBook.

Smart move as writing eBooks is increasingly popular for a successful marketing strategy for any business, big or small.

Or for any blog.

Writing an eBook is a perfect way to increase visibility and share a passion or skill to help your readers create a community or tribe.

this for later

7 Steps To Take As An EBook Creator

1. What Will You Write About?
2. Validation. Will They Read It?
3. Choose a Niche Market.
4. Create a Winning Headline.
5. Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome.
6. Market Your eBook With SEO.
7. Promote Your eBook.

The First (And Most Important) Step Before You Begin Writing Your First EBook

Writing your first eBook begins with an idea. The most useful piece of advice I found when I began crafting my first eBook was to begin.

Just begin.

Done is better than perfect. It’s so easy to overanalyze every single step of eBook writing and something that I am guilty of doing. Regularly.

But this tip has stopped me from becoming tangled in the details and move forward quickly. The aim is to keep the flow and momentum going without feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

The 7 secrets written below will help you to begin creating your first eBook without any pitfalls and rookie mistakes.

Let’s dive right in and get started!

Self-Publishers 7 Secrets To eBook Writing Success

A self-publisher is someone who writes her or his books (in my case, eBooks) and is their publisher too. I am going to talk about the seven secrets that are helpful to plan out and write your first eBook without the hassle of making rookie mistakes.

It’s no surprise that most people, at some time or another in their lives, just like you, have thought about writing an eBook. You have an idea, an evident passion, and long to share it with the world. 

Then what? 

Do you dive straight in to write your first eBook about your passion? Plan it out methodically first? Or do you happily take the middle ground with a mixture of the two? 

You will find this is your biggest obstacle. The balance between writing freely and letting your creative thoughts flow and sticking to a carefully detailed plan.  

And while it is so incredibly important to plan your eBook purposefully, it’s also essential to you to get into the right headspace to write regularly and consistently without interruption, to let your words take shape.   

What Are a Self-Publishers Biggest Struggles?

Along your journey as an eBook writer, you may find your biggest struggles in staying focused to finish my eBook are: 

1. Time management 

2. Sticking to your original masterplan 

It takes some time and dedication to create a detailed mind map of any niche topic. Outlining all chapters and breaking them down into sub-chapters, ensuring you didn’t miss any information you wanted to share with your readers.  

It is invaluable at the beginning of my eBook writing as you can glance to refer to your plan and add to it daily if needed.  

Staring at a blank screen is no fun!

And with a consistent plan, you never have to get to this point.  Having vital planning and writing methods to help you achieve your writing success is essential for your journey.

Below is an outline you can follow to get you well on your way to write an eBook without tripping up on any hurdles along the way.

SECRET #1: WHAT WILL YOU WRITE ABOUT?

What you write about will affect your eBook outcome.

Fact.  

If you get to the point where you desire to write an eBook as a self-publisher of fiction or non-fiction. Fantastic.

 

Selecting The Right EBook Topic

Successful authors know this simple secret about selling eBooks.

Know your topic.

Really know your topic.

It makes perfect sense that you will be able to write with more passion and have an abundance of ideas and inspiration for other eBooks in the series, on a subject you love. Fiction or non-fiction, short or long, your ebook will be motivated by you and what you want to share with the world. 

Selecting the right topic is, again, personal. So, start with creating a list of your strengths and passions, hobbies, and topics that motivate you.

Thoughts of how you will stand out within a sea of eBook self-publishers can be daunting and all-consuming at the start of your eBook journey.

Start simply by writing a list to get an idea about what your topic will be: 

SAVE TIME BY KEEPING IT SIMPLE

The beauty of writing about what you already know is the time saving on researching your topic.

You have the information already; you will write more fluidly and reach the eBook marketing step much quicker because you understand the nitty-gritty of what your audience is seeking.

Why?

Because you know your topic’s struggles and triumphs, knowing and loving writing about your topic can go one of two ways.  

You do have to be mindful of your topic and carefully choose what you will write about as it can lead you to lose all interest in your passion you wanted to write about in the first place.  

My advice? Could you keep it simple from the start? Make every effort to simplify.

Look at your initial list and choose a topic you will enjoy writing about, which will do well commercially.

If you are not sure about how to search for niche topics, look at How to write an eBook For A Passive Income for easy, straightforward tips on how to get started. 

what to write about even if you are unable to think of a genre or topic:  

SECRET #2: VALIDATION. WILL THEY READ IT?

Brainstorming what you will write about is the first step. The second is to think about validating if your reader will read the eBook you will have written.  

If you look on Amazon KDP there are so many categories (and hidden categories) It is daunting to say the least when you begin to think about what you will write about.  

We looked at what to write about in the first secret. Now let’s add some more if you are still struggling.  An incredible software tool to consider when searching for what topic to write about is Dave Chesson’s Publisher Rocket.

Writing An EBook To Sell On Amazon

It helps you decide on categories searched for via keywords (the lifeblood of Amazon and Google) to analyze your competition and find a great target audience perfect for that niche, which isn’t oversaturated.

Read more about it in How to Write an eBook for a Passive Income for more information.

Brainstorming what you will write about is the first step. The second is to think about validating if your reader will read the eBook you will have written.  

If you look at Amazon KDP, for example, there are so many categories (and hidden categories).

It is daunting, to say the least when you begin to think about what you will write.  

Useful EBook Software Tool To Help Select Your Perfect EBook Niche

We looked at what to write about in the first secret.

Now let’s delve deeper if you are still struggling.  

An incredible software tool to consider when searching for what topic to write about is Dave Chesson’s Publisher Rocket.

It helps you to decide on categories that are searched for via keywords (the lifeblood of Amazon and Google) to analyze your competition and find a great target audience perfect for that niche, which isn’t oversaturated.

Read more about it in How to Write an eBook for a Passive Income for more information.

Top Five Non-Fiction eBook Topics To Write An Ebook On

There are so many topics and genres to write about today.

But what types of eBooks are best to sell? The tops five below are generally and consistently the most popular non-fiction eBook niches.  

So how do you move forward and find out if somebody will read your eBook?

I mentioned Publisher Rocket for a good reason. 

Keyword research is the cornerstone of all successful eBooks. Without that core keyword research, you really will not know if your topic is even being searched.

Let alone how many times per month.  You do not need to outsource this step; it is doable yourself.  

Take your chosen topic, your passion, let’s say, and research that topic in the ten ways below.

By doing essential research at this stage, you will be able to form a real plan of what you want to write about and have anyone read it. My tip here is not to spend too many hours on the research step. It can bog you down if you go too deep.

Could you keep it simple?  

Search for questions, keywords, ideas, and overall validation that your topic is being searched.

Use the above tools to find out how many searches per month and the additional keywords for your topic.

You will find some absolute gems and essential keyword ideas to create an eBook your readers will want to read to solve their struggles.

SECRET #3: CHOOSE A NICHE MARKET 

Choosing a massive market can work against you as they can be oversaturated, and your eBook will be lost.

Competing with high ranking, high volume topics, even if you do put in the work on your SEO and keyword research, you will find it hard to compete and rank highly for your eBook (on your website), and this will be discouraging.  

For you to get the best possible result in ranking highly (and selling) your eBook, you need to: 

1. Avoid large markets in your topic 

2. Also avoid the tiny markets in your topic as there will not be enough interest. 

So where does this leave you?  

Somewhere in the middle of these two. It sounds so counterintuitive to say avoid the large markets as this is where the interest is.

Logical not to go for the small market with little to no interest as you will not sell any eBooks. 

Choose a Well-Defined Niche

Here is where we return to the “Keep It Simple” approach. A small, professionally researched, and well-defined niche that is simple will give you a better result selling your eBook.

By niching down, you reach your target audience, who will have more interest in your topic.

Even small niches can have vast numbers of potential readers and customers.  

Keep It Simple

For example, if your topic is motorcycling, you have a passion for it and want to write an eBook to help others with their struggles.

Specifically, to protect your bike from being stolen. You want to help people. After some in-depth research, you find motorcycle safety is not a key term that people are searching.  

What the research has done is target your topic into “motorcycle DIY,” giving you pages of targeted websites, talking about general motorcycle issues, as well as specific makes of motorcycle, DIY ideas, specific equipment, helmets, and training.  

Do you see how far this initial search of motorcycling has taken you? It has led you to other subcategories or niches of motorcycling, which you can then research and explore.

Explore the Smaller Niches

The term motorcycling was too broad, but the subcategories work nicely to form niche ideas for your eBook. You can target these niche audiences rather than the more general audience of motorcycling.  

Small niche markets are incredibly powerful and exciting to become an authority. You are helping people to find solutions in your chosen niche. 

Don’t overcomplicate the process, implement secrets #1 and #2, and complete your niche choice by researching a smaller market.  

For more information on how writing an ebook will positively affect your business, take a look at Why Write an eBook 7 Top Benefits so that you can clarify your reasons for writing an eBook.

SECRET #4: CREATING A WINNING HEADLINE 

It is the hook that draws a reader in and gives a taster of what is inside. Headlines sell.

Copywriters know this secret, for them to write good copy, a copywriter needs to speak directly to its audience.  

Sometimes the most challenging thing of all, setting aside writing the copy, is the headline. It would help if you got the balance exactly right, so you attract the right audience ( and not repel them) 

How is this done?  

While researching what to write, who your audience is, and choosing a niche market to sell your ebook.

Now is the time to use that vital information to shape the next step. You are writing the perfect headline. 

4 Things to Consider When Creating A successful eBook Headline 

You will have compiled a huge list of keywords by now.

It’s time to use it to your full advantage and create an irresistible tantalizing headline to draw in your reader.

1. Speak Directly to Your Audience 

By analyzing your results in your research phase, you will have lots of detailed information about who your potential audience is.

They are not “all readers in general” but the niche readers you have targeted and are writing directly to.

Finding out their ages, likes and preferences, geographical location, and what competitor eBooks they read.   

Knowing this information will shape your copy and help you to write a compelling and enticing headline so that you are speaking directly to them.

Gathering all your reader avatar information will help you really know who they are and what they want.

It helps in two ways as well; it shapes what solutions you will solve within your eBook text, and it gives vital formation you can use to write a compelling headline that will speak to them directly. 

2. Use Trigger Words Based on Psychology 

Using trigger words that evoke positive emotional responses, this will help to craft your winning headline.

An example of a positive, powerful trigger word is using “tested” within your headline, such as “101 Tried and Tested Ways to Declutter Your Home Used for Years.” It will help to tell the reader some thought has gone into shaping this eBook.

Your eBook is not just any old eBook. It is a carefully designed, assessed, and tested over time.  

Some of the most successful positive psychological trigger words to remember are research, secret, truth, explosive, pioneering, proven, free, new, instant, easy, and breakthrough.

Drawing the emotional response you want from your readers can be made a lot easier by using some of these phycological trigger words with purpose. 

3. Use Tried and Tested Headline Formulas 

Hooking in your ideal reader is your goal. Using tried and tested headlines that work but adding in your niche topic information is a real time saver and winning combination.

Your headline gives your reader a good reason to choose to keep reading past the headline of your eBook.

Crafting a great headline doesn’t have to supply lots of information. It just needs to pique their interest so they can continue reading.  

8 Winning Tried and Tested Headline Examples  

1. Age-Old Secret Helps People Become Successful in Their {Passion/Hobby} 
2. Pioneering {Your Niche Topic}, Offers Solutions Where Others Cannot 
3. Internet Guru Claims She Knows Why You’ll Never Succeed At {Passion/Hobby/Niche} 
4. Do You Know the Hidden Secrets to {Passion/Hobby/Niche}? Find Out What You are Missing 
5. Are you Sick and Tired of {Struggle No.1} and {Struggle No. 2} Preventing You from Achieving {Goal}? 
6. Use my Tested Methods for {Achieving Goal No. 1} and {Achieving Goal No. 2} in Just {Number} Days 
7. Change Your Life Overnight with {Name of your Passion/Hobby/Niche} 
8. Learn The 10 Dangerous Secrets That Every Person In {Your Passion/Hobby/Niche} Knows, But You Don’t

4. Suggest a Main Benefit or Pose an Unusual Question

Your goal with your headline is always to hook and entice in the reader. The eBook you are writing isn’t for you; it’s for your reader. Have that in the back of your mind. You are writing for your niche audience.  

You are not re-inventing the wheel here; you are merely giving them an excellent reason to keep reading past your superb headline.  

And you are hinting that if they do stick around to do that, they will learn something new about your niche/topic that will help them with a significant struggle they are having. 

So how can you hook them into your fabulous eBook? You can do it in these simple ways: 

Ask a Question 

Simple and effective.  

But rather than asking a broad question, provoke them with how they would feel. Such as what feelings would they have if they became rich overnight by doing {Your Niche}  

Ask them how they would spend their riches. What charities would they donate to?

Pose the question so the reader will think about how they will feel and how their lives will change after reading your informative eBook on a niche/topic they are passionate about. 

Highlight a Benefit in an Outrageous Way 

Rather than using a soft approach by stating the main benefit of reading your eBook, use shock tactics. Be forceful and layout the benefits.

For example, “Triple Your Income In 6 Months,” “Become a Millionaire in Your First Year!”  or “Live a Happier Life by Applying these 7 Secrets,” Commanding your readers to take action, not suggesting, will give them the push to potentially buy your eBook. 

State a Benefit Your eBook Has That No Other in Your Niche Can 

Place your eBook apart from all the others in your niche by drawing in your audience with a significant benefit.

Give them an ah-ha moment when they realize your eBook will have the answers to their most challenging problems within the niche.

With such a variety available in the marketplace, it’s up to you to provide every opportunity to hook in your readers within your headline. 

Take Note of Magazine and News Headlines for Inspiration 

This tip is so logical it may seem too easy!

Good copywriting for eBooks and news headlines have many similarities. If you analyze some great copywriters and their skills, you can see they use attention-grabbing headlines as if they were news headlines. 

Look at online news headlines for inspiration, pay attention to the benefits of the story within the headlines. Should you include this style within your headline? Does the newsworthy element appeal to your audience?  

Focus on the most crucial benefit your eBook gives the reader, which is the most newsworthy. For example, “Influencer Revolutionizes the Net with SEO Product in Ways Never Seen Before.” 

Think about what benefits and features your eBook has that are unique and the most desirable to your potential readers. 

SECRET #5: AVOIDING SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME 

Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) is an entrepreneur’s worst nightmare.  You have done the research, found your niche topic, written to your audience, and bam, then you realize your great idea wasn’t so great after all.

So, you repeat the process with another niche topic and wind up back at the same point over and over.

You have reached Shiny Object syndrome at its finest. Keeping you trapped and unable to finish anything you start.    

It’s the distraction that keeps you from finishing. You are doing a great job, full steam ahead, and then you doubt yourself, self-sabotage, and end up with a dozen half-finished eBooks.  

Here is a Typical Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) Cycle 

1. You find a great niche idea for an eBook 

2. Enthusiastically you dive in and write your eBook 

3. When the book is almost finished, you create a website or landing page for your eBook 

4. It’s at this point when Shiny Object Syndrome traps you into thinking you have an even better idea for an eBook.  

5. Repeat, from step two. Again, and again. 

It’s the fear of completing your project, in this case, your eBook, and then implementing the final phase of marketing and promoting to sell your eBook.

It always stops at the same place. Your mind puts roadblocks up, so instead of saying, “I’m afraid of marketing my eBook,” it comes up with a better eBook idea for your niche topic. And the cycle goes on.  

How can you stop this habit and progress even if you do have Shiny Object Syndrome? 

Studies on successful entrepreneurs have shown that they achieve their goals faster and with more accuracy by making an immediate start on new ideas and projects.  

They don’t waste time getting from A to B.

Their plan is realized and actioned quickly and with passion. 

Three Ways to Stop Shiny Object Syndrome Creeping In When Writing Your First eBook

Three ways because these steps have been so successful for so many eBook workflows.

Focus on getting as much inspiration from your research phase as possible.

This will arm you with confidence to work through the three steps below and squash any shiny object syndrome feelings that may creep in.

1. Implementation – Complete Your Project 

Successful entrepreneurs make an immediate start on new projects.

They get on with it.

By making implementation a priority, you will sail through and complete your eBook because you have it at the forefront of every word you write. 

2. Completion – Finish What You Start 

It’s a fact that the majority of successful entrepreneurs complete what they start.

The direction may change a little, but in the end, they meet the project.

You can do it too.

The project doesn’t stop, even if there are obstacles. An evolving project still gets completed rather than stopped because you have found a better one to start.  

3. Persistence – Believe and Achieve  

This one overriding attribute all successful entrepreneurs have in abundance.

They believe they can complete via persistence. They keep going even in the face of adversity. They want to achieve completion, so they persist.  

As an eBook writer and publisher, you will be tested on all three of these. The key is to keep going (persistence) through your struggles. If you look at what is holding you back, what roadblocks you are creating to halt the great work you are achieving, you will find: 

1. Your setbacks, aren’t as difficult as they look  

2. If you persist and ride through your issues it will be worth it 

Don’t let this pesky habit of distraction stop you from finishing your eBook.

You can reach your goal faster than you think. 

SECRET #6: MARKETING WITH SEO 

We have talked about the importance of an excellent title to hook in your readers.

Once you have finished your eBook, now is the time to market and promote it.

To give yourself every chance to reach your ideal audience and sell your eBook, you need a plan.  

Successful eBook self-publishers have these things in common: 

There are always exceptions to the rule, but if any book title needs you to explain to a stranger what the book is about, is that book likely to sell in today’s marketplace?

It’s unlikely. Although not unheard.  

When in the planning and research phase, you will have created a valuable list of keywords and phrases to add to your eBook and title. 

The main aim of good SEO practice is to generate organic traffic. So that your eBook will have the most prominent search terms that people naturally use to find your eBook on Google.

Once you have compiled your keyword list, below are 9 tips to include in your SEO plan; 

Your Plan For Successful EBook SEO 

1. Use focus keywords in your title.  
2. Create a domain name of the book title using focus keywords 
3. Do a Google search of your niche. And compare your competitors (for example, use Uber Suggest) 
4. Think about ways to offer your audience an incentive, giving the first chapter for free, for example. 
5. Write a blog post or series of blog posts, offer information of value to your audience, link to your new eBook website, or have it on your blog. 
6. Always include an opt-in form on your website or blog. So your audience can easily digitally download your eBook.  
7. Change your website, blog, social media, Amazon KDP, and eBook sales pages to reflect the same focus keywords to help with SEO 
8. Use metadata on your images on your blog or website using keywords. 
9. Use your keywords naturally through the text. 

SEO will help you to reach your niche audience using your carefully researched keywords.

Millions of people use Google, Bing, and other search engines daily to ask questions they have.  

Potential readers may not search for your author’s name or an exact title.

But with the right keywords, you can attract your niche audience to see your eBook. And how buying it can help them solve their specific problems.

SECRET #7: PROMOTE YOUR EBOOK

We have talked about the importance of an excellent title to hook in your readers.

Once you have finished your eBook, now is the time to market and promote it.

To give yourself every chance to reach your ideal audience and sell your eBook, you need a plan.  

Marketing and Promoting Your EBook

Congratulate yourself on a job well done.

You have finished writing your eBook and ready to market it so you can share it with the world. 

Marketing and promoting your eBook as a self-published author can seem like a monumental task, but below are some great tips to navigate your way through.  

Promote on Your Blog 

Having a website to talk about your new eBook and write specific blog posts is an excellent form of promotion. Suppose you are humming and haring and wondering if you should have a website and blog. Go for it. 

It not only gives you a substantial online presence but the scope to blog about your useful new eBook to share with your audience and any potential readers too.  

Having a blog on your website also gives great flexibility to talk about and market your eBook in any way you choose.

Blogging about your eBook will give your audience the ability to share it on social media and comment, ask questions and, of course, click to buy your new masterpiece.  

Collaborate With Bloggers & Influencers

Collaborating with bloggers and influencers in your eBook’s marketing phase is an ideal way to publicize your new work. You can get plenty of buzz and excitement surrounding the upcoming eBook release and honest bloggers reviews, which you can add to your landing page.  

Guest blogging is also one of the most popular ways authors use to promote their eBooks. It will enhance domain authority and authentically promote your eBook.   

During your research phase, it’s worth creating a list of all websites and blogs with great online authority (to increase your authority and reach), on which you can guest blog. 

Get in touch will them all as you get closer to your launch and find out which are the most suitable to guest post and who also have an interest in your eBook topic.  

Create A Winning Landing Page 

Creating a landing page is the perfect way to promote your new eBook.

You can generate plenty of engagement promoting your work combined with collecting emails for you to stay in touch with your readership (and announce eBook release dates) 

Create A Dedicated Landing Page With Convertkit For Your Ebook Promotion

Convertkit has made it wonderfully easy to create an opt-in form and link up a landing page you create to capture emails. This way, you can create useful information about your eBook, offer reader incentives such as a free chapter of your eBook.  

Or a free copy in exchange for an honest review.  

Having a dedicated landing page as part of your marketing strategy is a fun and interactive way to share your news about your upcoming eBook release. 

Your audience can be part of the excitement and help you decide on vital segments of your work.

Front cover artwork, topics to include in the eBook, and any tips your audience wants to offer that you could insert within your work. Crediting the individuals, of course. 

It’s also a great place to showcase yourself as an author and any other eBooks you have for sale on Amazon KDP or any other platform. 

What better way to drive traffic from a search engine like Pinterest to a dedicated landing page giving vital information about your upcoming eBook.  

Promote Your Ebook WIth Reader Giveaways 

By giving away your eBook, you can gain valuable honest reviews to add to your blog and landing page and reader insight into your niche eBook.

All feedback is useful.

Firstly you can reach out to your newsletter audience. Also, you can offer your social media followers a free copy in exchange for feedback.  

Secondly, you can direct your readers to a password protected link on your landing page. Giving them access to a free download of your eBook.

Thirdly, you could set-up an automated email to the first 50 (or any amount you decide) people who click a link on your email invite. 

Promote Your EBook On Social Media 

Promoting on your social media platforms is a logical marketing step. 

You can create a cohesive and exciting sequence across all your social media platforms with this in mind. This will help you to entice and tease your audience with snippets of your upcoming work.

Just think about what your ideal audience is struggling with and the glimpses you can give into an eBook that helps solve those very problems. It’s a great way to keep your audience engaged and gauge your reception too.  

Pin your tips and solutions to the top of your social media pages and use this step to get your audience talking about your work.

Encourage and invite people to comment, question, and engage with your work and the creative solutions you will give them. Giving valuable sneak peeks at your writing is a fantastic way to promote and draw in your audience.  

Ebook marketing is an essential step in any self-publishers journey and can be highly rewarding. Gathering essential data from your audience as an eBook author will help you iron out any inconsistencies you may have overlooked.

Track Your Progress With Google Analytics

To know and discover where you are consistently making progress, you need to track your marketing and promotion progress. Using tools like Google Analytics will highlight where your traffic is coming from and what volume too. 

Tracking your analytics will give you the exact data and insights you need to create specific content areas.

For example, specific social media platforms so that you can see what’s working for you and what is not. Which links are converting and which aren’t. It’s an exact way to track your marketing campaign. 

Writing an Engaging Book Blurb 

The book blurb is a 100-150-word short promotion piece of writing you can add to the back cover and the sales pages and landing pages of your eBook.  

Include all relevant keywords, keep it short and sweet, and entice your reader’s curiosity by highlighting the benefits you can offer them within your eBook.

You can hook your readers in with an appealing summary. Adding in the main struggles, you are going to solve and give your readers what they want.  

Where to Next?

For more information on eBook writing head over to the following blog posts for inspiration and starategies to move forward:

Why write an eBook (7 top Benefits)

Turn Your Skill Into an eBook in 2020

How to Write an eBook for a Passive Income

7 Actionable Tips To Write a Successful eBook

Writing Your First EBook | Conclusion

Hopefully, these tips and ideas to write your first eBook have provoked some thought and helped you discover a pattern you can follow to write your next eBook. Writing is enjoyable and a way you can create a passive income for yourself by sharing your knowledge and expertise.

I believe that writing with passion will shine through. Creating an eBook based on something you love will translate to your readers. All you need is the desire to write it and the determination to finish and market it.

Have you made a passive income or side hustle income by writing eBooks? It all starts with one idea, one passion and can lead to an incredible journey. One that you can share with the world.

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