Have you ever wanted a step-by-step book about how to write an eBook and had no idea how to start? Well, let me tell you about a helpful eBook I found by accident.
Lisa Cartwright has a couple of books out there as a series — the Side Hustle Blueprint. I read the second one, How to make an extra $1000 a month writing eBooks.
She tells you in this one to read her other book first. However, it is a more general book about making extra money on the side and setting up your business, which I have already set up my freelance writing business.
I know I am quite the rebel to skip the first book. But writing eBooks, or nonfiction as these would be, is one of things I hope to do when I can’t get the fiction going.
I think sometimes I am better at writing nonfiction than I am fiction. The journalism degree I hold has nothing to do with that.
The contents
After chapters one and two introduce and guide you on how the book works, Cartwright jumps to the first step in the process of writing an eBook.
Each chapter is one aspect of writing. For instance, the third chapter is validating your idea on Amazon. If you have an idea, will your eBook sell? You sure don’t want to write a book and not have it sell.
Each chapter builds on the previous one. Cartwright tells you how to research and write the book in four weeks. That seems crazy to me, but an eBook may only be 25,000 words. Not too hard to write that many words in four weeks.
Cartwright then takes us through editing the book, getting a cover design, and launching the book. She gives some good ideas on the launch part, which is where I struggle with my own books.
The last part of the book is for ghostwriters and does repeat some of the same things as the first half, but adds items related to working with a client. Ghostwriting is something I have thought about trying, but haven’t yet.
My review
This book is good for writers learning to write an eBook. For someone like me, quite a bit of it I already knew.
However, I did learn a few new things in regard to launching. I will read that part more carefully a second time and use it when I release a new book.
I like how Cartwright divided the steps into chapters. At the end of each chapter, she provides a checklist of what you learned in that chapter and what you should do before you move on to the next chapter.
She gives you good ideas of both free and paid items to get your book published via links usually. Some of those I agree with, and others I don’t.
For instance, she recommends Fiverr for getting a cover design. Unless I know the person does an excellent job, I wouldn’t go too cheap on my cover.
In case you don’t know what Fiverr is, it’s a website where you can get things done for five dollars. Sometimes, though, you do pay more as the seller becomes established on the website. Gigs, as they are called, can be more than five dollars.
Cartwright is good at motivating you as the writer. She encourages you to write every day and find a partner who will keep you on task. If you can’t find one, she gives you her email and tells you she will find you one.
What author does that? No one else I can ever remember reading.
I am a visual person so I like Cartwright’s graphics in her eBook. One is the writing process, and the other one is the launching schedule.
Both of these would be very easy to print out and hang some place where you can see it each and every day. Now that motivates me!
Final thoughts
For a beginning eBook writer, I would recommend this book. It’s easy to understand and simple to follow. For any other writer, it might not be as useful if you are already publishing books.
However, I did learn some new things so the risk is up to you. To me, it was worth the risk. It’s not that expensive and has a five-star for reviews on Amazon.
Will you be reading this book?