courtesy of Maria on flickr

Recently, I've gotten it into my head that I want to write an eBook for this blog. It will be the first eBook I've ever written and I want to share the lessons I've learned (so far) after two months of working on it.

Lesson 1: Know your blog/website 

This should seem like common sense but it's actually extremely difficult. When I started writing my eBook two months ago, I had no where near the clarity or vision for my blog that I do now. And writing this eBook has helped bring me clarity for my blog in many ways.

I know the changes I need to make and I've found a new vision for my blog. I've hired a professional web designer to redesign my blog to match these changes. In this sense, I'm extremely grateful to my half-written eBook for the lessons it's already taught me about my blog.

Lesson 2: Make an outline

I can't emphasize enough the importance of the outline. eBooks are so different from traditional print books in a number of ways. But the most important thing for an eBook is that it's easy to read. And remember, you're putting your eBook on the Internet, and you'll have no idea where it will end up or with whom.

To make my eBook matter to my blog readers, I needed to put a ton of consideration into the content and how I wanted to present it. This is where the outline became super handy.

Lesson 3: Accept that it's a process

Writing an eBook is a time consuming process. It will be full of both excitement and complete exhaustion. And there will be times where you just want to give up. I know I had many of these moments the last two months. I didn't know where my eBook was going and I was sick of writing in circles.

If you are writing an eBook, or want to write one, remember that it is a process that will take time and energy.  If you're feeling frustrated or stuck (as I was), seek feedback from other people. I'm part of a online writing group and they helped me to get unstuck and clarify my goals for my eBook.

These are the three lessons I've learned so far. I've included a couple of  resources at the bottom of this post that have helped me in writing my eBook.

As always, thank you for reading :)
Melissa

Resources

How to Write a High-Quality eBook in 30 Days from Copyblogger

eBooks The Smart Way by Pat Flynn (from Smart Passive Income)

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