Have you ever stopped and asked yourself: "Am I a blogger, an author, or both?"
Do you sometimes wonder whether you should be blogging, or working on your manuscript, and which is more important? Do you sometimes think you spend more time doing marketing and publicity then actually writing? I'm addressing these questions in today's post because I'm just as confused as some of you may be! My blogging has really taken off and I feel great with my new blogging plan and marketing strategy. However, I haven't touched my manuscript for at least a month. At least. What does Bridget Jones say? It's a well known fact that when a part of your life is going well, another part will fall apart. Ok, I'm being dramatic, but it is frustrating trying to find that lovely, natural balance. I think I've found a halfway house solution though - using some of my blog content to make an eBook which I'll publish to Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. That way I can publish something, get it out there and feel like I've achieved - all whilst working on longer projects. Remember what you're trying to achieve when considering starting up in self publishing: 1) A brand for yourself and your work 2) Becoming an expert in your field 3) Attracting a wider audience to your website and blog 4) Making a little money to re-invest in cover design, professional editing, proofreading and marketing If you blog regularly (three times a week), you'll know what I mean when I say your blog content gets lost pretty quickly in the archive. Everything you write should be used and re-used over and over so you get your deserved return from each piece you pen. When I thought about this idea a year ago, I wasn't sure because I felt using my blog content was cheating - and who would buy it when they could read it for free? The trick is to create some new material but this doesn't have to be complicated. For example, how about an exercise at the end of each chapter? I have to be organised with my blogging and write within a series each time. It doesn't matter if your blog doesn't follow one set path, but you will need to read back through your content from beginning to end and do some sorting through. Try to group by topic (check your post categories). See which posts were the most popular (check your stats). Each category could be an eBook if there is a lot of material to work with, or you could create a "Best Of" collection. Then - Intro, conclusion, nice cover, format, upload. You know the drill. Think about whether you want your eBook to carry the same design as your blog (think branding)... and then promote it on your blog and via your social media.
0 Comments
Remember at the beginning of this Self Publishing series I gave you ten reasons to try it? Why should you self publish? Number one on that list was you can publish a book freely without the depressing submission and rejection merry-go-round, and today's post is a brief visual overview so you can see the work involved and plan your time, energies and finances accordingly. So if you're thinking about self publishing, why not start with an educational eBook?
In the "old" days not so long ago, it was difficult to get published with only the option of the traditional route - and with that came the same old problem I always encountered when trying to find my first job - if you won't employ me (publish me), how will I ever qualify for that thing you call "experience"? Writing and publishing an eBook will ensure you become a published author thus your portfolio is up and running. It will help you establish your brand and you can begin to position yourself as an expert in your subject matter. There is very little risk so consider it a one-time investment and if you already have a blog and post regularly, the content is just sitting there waiting to be used. Everybody is writing about writing. You need to find a niche and fill the demand. This is easier said than done, but with a little mind mapping and thinking time, something is bound to shine through. It just needs creativity and your own personal writing touch! Once you've found an idea, introduce it on your blog and through your social media and see what kind of response you get. An eBook should have structure. Ideas need to be presented in an organised way so the book flows. With this in mind, don't take your blog posts as they are and simply drop them in as chapters. There needs to be transitions between the different topics and be sure to include fresh content as well. You still need to hold your audience's attention just as you would with a story, so keep the writing tight and succinct because this type of eBook is created to teach your readers. Once read from virtual cover to cover, I imagine your text will be referred to over and over (if it was a success) so it should be "skim presentable". What do I mean by this? Make the information pop off the page - use headings, subheadings, bullet points, colourful text blocks, photos, illustrations, diagrams. I'll always remember when studying for my Science GCSEs, we had these new "bitesize chunks" textbooks to revise from. They gave me a fighting chance because they brought the boring details to life and I ended up with a double B. I honestly thought I'd failed in all three exams. I'm no scientist! If you use industry specific terms, make sure you explain what they mean. Give your eBook substance so that it packs a stimulating informational punch. Throw in facts and examples and try to present the details in a fresh, original and exciting way. Most informational eBooks are 50 A4 pages or less so if you set yourself deadlines, it could be published and on the virtual shelves in next to no time. A lot of people write in MS Word and then release as a PDF, and if you keep the size to 2MB or less, readers can email it around easily. Of course, you can put more time, effort and money into your project and make it a proper looking book should you wish, but if you're determined to keep your first attempt simple, a PDF would be the way to go. And there's no rule that says you can't re-release the original text with additional content in the future... The beauty with eBooks is you can hyperlink to any references thus making the book / text come alive for your readers. Interaction is key. Hyperlinks are especially useful in your table of contents. The other point to consider when writing the text is using key words you can later exploit in your SEO endeavours. Get an ISBN for your book so people are more likely to take you seriously. There are many many outlets for selling your work - Amazon (KDP) and Smashwords to name just two. Each have their pros and cons and experimenting will help you find what works best for you. For example, Smashwords will allow you to download different formats for your book and sell copies on your website. Next up we'll be looking at a typical plan for writing, launching and selling your informational eBook. |
AuthorBlogging is an amazing concept so here I am giving it a whirl. You'll get words. You'll get pics. Sometimes a vid or two. You'll get tongue in cheek, the odd humble opinion and an honest insight into my travels and writing life. Maybe even a few gems along the way. I'll be musing on home turf as I see more and more of the UK and sharing my experiences further afield on holidays and adventurous trips across the globe. Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|