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Interesting ways to write an ebook

by Johnny1975
62 replies
I just had a thought. Let's say you want to write an ebook about a topic that you either know a bit about, or you feel that you could easily learn about.

You list as many sub topics as you can think of, and then you categorise them into 10, one for each chapter.

Then, for each chapter, you write 625 words, which really isn't much. Then from that, you write a 125 word intro and a 125 word conclusion. And you do that for each chapter.

Now you have 625+125+125=875 words per chapter = 8750 words.

Then you write a 250 word intro to the book, and a 250 word conclusion to the book.

Now you have a 9,250 word ebook.

You put it on amazon and see what happens. I don't know what a reasonable price for a book of that length would be (does anyone know?)

If people are buying it, then you expand on what you wrote, making everything (chapters and their intros and conclusions, and intro and conclusion to the book) twice as long, giving you an 18,500 word ebook.

Then you replace the original ebook with the longer version, and increase the price.

Then if that goes well you double it again, expanding on what you've written, giving you a 37,000 word ebook.



Does that sound like a reasonable way to do it? I think it does because it gives you a chance to just get on with it without too much to think about at first, and it's manageable, and then you just elaborate more and more, but at least you can get your book out there asap.

What about some other ways to write an ebook quickly and efficiently?
#ebook #interesting #ways #write
  • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
    Sounds like a good plan.

    Why don't you simply do it and then take notes on your progress.

    Then put all your notes into a nice form and publish it as a WSO.

    It will sell like hot cakes.

    Reason: That is what people want here on WF. They want to know how
    to make money and they want to see that something works.
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  • Profile picture of the author DomSpero
    Sounds like a good plan if you have a hard time sitting down and writing an ebook. But length doesn't necessarily mean quality content. Then again, something is always better than nothing
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  • Profile picture of the author sweetcrabhoney18
    That's a similar method to how I write my books for clients and PLR reports. Try it and make a profit!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kalambur
    What in interesting mathematics, but why??? Is not it better just to start writing about your knowledge and experience?
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  • Profile picture of the author CSmitty
    Wouldn't you be better off instead of rewriting the book to expand on it with a second book and then putting a follow up link in the first book to the second book?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mindz
    Try it and see ! Test, test, test !
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    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Seems to me you want to sell your book by the pound. don't be so wrapped up in the word count, if that is all you think about it will be loaded with fluff.

      al
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  • Profile picture of the author Mo Goulet
    You will probably make more money putting it in the Amazon Library.

    You then qualify to earn the Amazon Prime dividend.

    Check Amazon.com for more details.
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  • Profile picture of the author bnorton2010
    9,000 words is a good length for an eBook. That's about 36 pages on kindle. But quality of the content is more important than word count.

    Also, I would publish separate books rather than combining them. Multiple streams of income is where it's at.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      I'm doing it now. I'm writing a short book, and then when it's done I'll put it on Amazon.

      But I don't want to rip people off. What I mean is that let's say you buy a book, and then you see that book again with twice as many pages, you'd feel ripped off. And then when you see it again, twice as large as the last version, I don't know, I doesn't feel right.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

        I'm doing it now. I'm writing a short book, and then when it's done I'll put it on Amazon.

        But I don't want to rip people off. What I mean is that let's say you buy a book, and then you see that book again with twice as many pages, you'd feel ripped off. And then when you see it again, twice as large as the last version, I don't know, I doesn't feel right.
        Not a problem.

        When you buy from the Kindle marketplace, you buy the book and the updates. The folks that bought your first version will be allowed to update the copy on their device to match the one in their cloud (your latest). Some versions of the software update automatically.

        Then, when the person looks at your title or cover in their library, they will see a little "new" banner or tag.

        Your plan sounds good, as long as you ensure two things. First, don't count on doubling the price with double the words. This marketplace doesn't work like that. Second, don't add material just to pad the word count. If you start adding fluff, or get repetitive, reviewers will tear you a new one.

        As for the pricing, you may want to test the waters at $0.99 with the first version, jump to $2.99 for the second, and then $3.99 to $4.99 as the final stop. I've heard from multiple experienced indies that the $1.99 price point is a black hole - way too high for the $0.99 crowd but not enough to get the 70% royalty.

        At $1.99, you'll make about 70 cents per book. At $2.99, you make just over $2 per. Say you sold 10 books at $2.99. You would have to sell 30 at $1.99 to make the amount of royalties - 3 times as much.
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        • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
          But I don't want a new one! Please don't let them tear me a new one.

          Yes I'll price it sensibly (i.e. not double just because the word count is double, as much as I'd love to do that).

          What I'm actually doing is looking at what I've written on my topic (notes that I've been working on for years, just for personal use), and looking at whole sections and trying to write the essence of it in just 50 words, or as close as possible. I'm finding that it forces me to cut out the fluff. All the material for the book is essentially already written, in note form, the hard (but not that hard) part is choosing what not to say, at least yet.

          So, hopefully, my first version will be very low fluff, and then I can use my low fluff paragraphs as the first paragraph in what will be a longer section, and I'll just elaborate on each. If each bit starts with something powerful it will take the pressure off me a bit.

          The most challenging thing right now is coming up with different creative ways to turn what is essentially a bunch of lists into a bunch of paragraphs. I don't want to sound like I'm just turning a list into a book (even though I am). It's also very hard to have any charisma in my writing or be able to add insights or observations with such a tight word target. But that's ok because I can add a bit of that to each paragraph at the end. This is a good way because it forces me to focus only on the meat and potatoes. The reason why I decided to do it like this is because I'm usually very slow to get things finished (I'm too much of a perfectionist), so the idea here is to have a finished, workable product done asap, which once it's out there I can just continue and refine and broaden.

          Thanks for your advice, and I'm glad to hear that updates are automatically made available to previous customers. That's really handy, I wasn't expecting that.
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          • Profile picture of the author mello
            Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

            The most challenging thing right now is coming up with different creative ways to turn what is essentially a bunch of lists into a bunch of paragraphs. I don't want to sound like I'm just turning a list into a book (even though I am). It's also very hard to have any charisma in my writing or be able to add insights or observations with such a tight word target.
            Then don't try to write it - talk it out. Turn on your audio recorder of choice and state the list point then explain it or give an example of it. You'll have not only elaborated on the point but infused your personality in the process.

            Next is to transcribe it which can be done via outsourcing. Finally, edit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
    Forget word counts. Honestly, just forget it.

    Whatever you produce, be it a 100,000 word eBook or a 10,000 word eBook - it will only be judged on the quality of the content.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by Romeo90 View Post

      Forget word counts. Honestly, just forget it.

      Whatever you produce, be it a 100,000 word eBook or a 10,000 word eBook - it will only be judged on the quality of the content.
      Yes I hear you but I have a habit of rambling (like I am now) and I can sometimes be too much of a perfectionist, and I set myself big targets which cause me to linger and never get finished. That's why for a change I'm giving myself small targets in terms of word count for each chapter, so that I can focus on cutting things down and making sure that every sentence carries some value.

      I know that word count isn't that important in the end, but I'm just starting, and today I did finish chapter 1 of my book (minus its intro and conclusion). When I do what I did today with the other 9 chapters, I'll have the meat and potatoes of my book finished, and then all I'll have to do is write intros and conclusions to each chapter, and then for the book.

      I do understand what you're saying but my focus on word count is to make it small (at least for now), not big. I'm trying to get my points across using less words.

      What I want is to create a finished skinny product asap, get it out there, sell it for a modest price to begin with, and then continue working on it and fatten it up like a turkey, just in time for ching-ching-mas.
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  • Profile picture of the author pbarbanes
    The one thing I do like about the OP's thinking is that in a way he's doing what I believe in: "begin with the end in mind". (Stephen Covey's habit #2 from his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.)

    On the other hand, sometimes you can overthink things - and the "best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray" and all (Robert Burns).

    Somewhere in between is the hard-to-find ideal. But these days it's best to err on the side of taking action now. Just do it. : )
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  • Profile picture of the author andrealouisechang
    Banned
    Excellent idea! I'd say go for it, but beware of redundancy as your page count grows. There's just so much you can say about a topic without sounding overly complicated and downright long-winded.
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  • Profile picture of the author Max Greenflame
    That's interesting but why won't you just get a training course created by a respected Amazon ebook selling expert and learn from their success how to make good money with ebooks there? Then you'll write an ebook on a profitable topic within your expertise, get it out there and make bank instead of wasting your time for trials and errors.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Chapter 2 is done. I'm finding this very easy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
    Chapter 3 finished, and most of the intro and conclusion.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradVert2013
    Awesome! Just keep plugging away at it. Keep us updated on your progress.
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  • Profile picture of the author EzamMarjan
    Seems to be a very good start strategy. Just do it..
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    The best way to write a book is by organizing its content and writing the chapters and subchapters before doing anything else.

    But, before starting you should look for buyers. Check if similar books to the one you intend to write are selling. If not, make a few modifications.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gambino
    Personally, I don't care about the length. I'd rather read an 8,500 word ebook (or better yet 500 words) than 37,000 words if it covers the subject and what I need to/expect to learn.

    Quality over quantity, IMO. If it takes 8,000 words or 37,000 words just produce the best product you can for potential customers.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

      Personally, I don't care about the length. I'd rather read an 8,500 word ebook (or better yet 500 words) than 37,000 words if it covers the subject and what I need to/expect to learn.

      Quality over quantity, IMO. If it takes 8,000 words or 37,000 words just produce the best product you can for potential customers.
      How much do you think is reasonable to charge for a 10,000 word ebook (assuming that it's a good book)?
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      • Profile picture of the author Gambino
        Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

        How much do you think is reasonable to charge for a 10,000 word ebook (assuming that it's a good book)?
        I think you're looking at it wrong. I've never said, " this book is 10,000 words long so it must be good." I have however read the description and reviews of an ebook and said "this will tell me what I need to know."
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        • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
          Originally Posted by Gambino View Post

          I think you're looking at it wrong. I've never said, " this book is 10,000 words long so it must be good." I have however read the description and reviews of an ebook and said "this will tell me what I need to know."
          Ok i get that but surely length plays some part. Why are some books more expensive than others? I mean, if I saw a 25 page ebook, I wouldn't want to pay very much for it. I find it hard to imagine anyone wanting to pay much for such a short book.
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          • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
            Johnny it sounds like you really just like the technique of breaking your work down into sections so you dont feel overwhelmed. And thats a way to get it done!

            I have a lot of books on Kindle. And I simple take my idea and break it down into chapterheads and write as you suggest. Now I don't get caught up in word count. I write till I feel I have said what I need to say.

            What you want to keep in mind is that if you have several books on a related topic or a series you can link them at the back of your book. And if a customer buys one they may buy another and that is how you grow your business. I have multiple books on working from home for example. If someone buys one they often buy more.

            Working smart will hep you achieve your goals! Good luck with the books.
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            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

              How much do you think is reasonable to charge for a 10,000 word ebook (assuming that it's a good book)?
              It somewhat depends on the niche, but Amazon has made it pretty clear what they think people should pay. They set up the royalty scale to motivate publishers to stick in the $2.99 to $9.99 slot by doubling the royalty for books in that range.

              Unless you're a major publishing house, your best bet may be to stick with the lower end of that range. If you look in your category, you can get a feel for what the other indies are charging. Stay in that range, at least at first. Don't be afraid to experiment, though. There will be an optimal price that balances profits with exposure. You just need to find it.
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              • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                It somewhat depends on the niche, but Amazon has made it pretty clear what they think people should pay. They set up the royalty scale to motivate publishers to stick in the $2.99 to $9.99 slot by doubling the royalty for books in that range.

                Unless you're a major publishing house, your best bet may be to stick with the lower end of that range. If you look in your category, you can get a feel for what the other indies are charging. Stay in that range, at least at first. Don't be afraid to experiment, though. There will be an optimal price that balances profits with exposure. You just need to find it.
                Ok so if I sell my book for $2.99, is that reasonable for about 35 pages?

                Also, I'm in the UK, so do the royalty rules apply with £? i.e. £2.99 - £9.99 = I keep 70% and anything above and below = I keep 35%?
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            • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
              Originally Posted by LilBlackDress View Post

              Johnny it sounds like you really just like the technique of breaking your work down into sections so you dont feel overwhelmed. And thats a way to get it done!

              I have a lot of books on Kindle. And I simple take my idea and break it down into chapterheads and write as you suggest. Now I don't get caught up in word count. I write till I feel I have said what I need to say.

              What you want to keep in mind is that if you have several books on a related topic or a series you can link them at the back of your book. And if a customer buys one they may buy another and that is how you grow your business. I have multiple books on working from home for example. If someone buys one they often buy more.

              Working smart will hep you achieve your goals! Good luck with the books.
              Yes I'd love to do that. Ok here's the thing. Without going into too much detail, I have some ideas for further books related to what I'm doing right now. But what I'm doing now is its own particular thing. I don't know how I can create more than 1 book on this particular thing without repeating myself in the next book. At the moment I'm holding back a lot, and there are more things that I could talk about in my book, but if I do another similar one I'll just be talking about the same things and just merely mentioning the stuff that I'm holding back on now. In other words it would just be another version of the same book. That's why I thought it would be better to do a small book, and then go back and fatten it up with all the extra info.

              Now, in terms of the other ideas, yes, I can certainly link them to the book that I'm writing now. And if this one does alright I'll probably do that.
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  • Profile picture of the author oniram
    I've published short fictional stories on Amazon Kindle. When folks click on "Look Inside" they get a chance to "evaluate" it. That's your intro If they like they will buy it. I've had some luck writing "How to" books. Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author EconomicalDomains
    That is a good idea, but I think there are quicker and more efficient ways to accomplish this. Outsourcing or starting with a base and then customizing it to your own liking can also be a good strategy.
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    • Profile picture of the author dougp
      I don't think this is a good idea. The probability that each chapter will require the same number of words is impossible. Some chapters will require more words while others will require less so making each chapter include the same number of words will result in an awkward book. Spend one day developing your table of contents and then build your ebook off it. This comes from a veteran that have written way more then 100,000 words of e-content.
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      • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
        Originally Posted by dougp View Post

        I don't think this is a good idea. The probability that each chapter will require the same number of words is impossible. Some chapters will require more words while others will require less so making each chapter include the same number of words will result in an awkward book. Spend one day developing your table of contents and then build your ebook off it. This comes from a veteran that have written way more then 100,000 words of e-content.
        When I talk about planning my word count or trying to make each chapter the same length, I don't mean that in an obsessive way where it has to be exact. It's just something to aim for, in order to keep my word count target low enough to be manageable. And actually I'm finding it easy to cull words. Yesterday when I was working on chapter 3, I got to a point where I had said everything that needed to be said, but I was 256 words over. Then I cut out lots of unnecessary words and sentences, and consolidated phrases together, and now I'm just 4 words over. I'm not going to try and cull those 4 words, it's fine as it is. The idea of having a small target to begin with is to make it so that the hardest part is making it shorter rather than making it longer. Also, if I hold back and keep it concise, my first version will be very fluff free, and then I'll still have lots of options of how to expand it and double it. There's a lot of stuff that I could have included in this first version but I've chosen not to, just so that I can finish it quick. And I have a few interesting ideas for how to make it more interesting, but for now I'm keeping it simple. By no means do I plan on adding fluff to make it bigger.
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  • Profile picture of the author RowenaFanning
    Sounds like a good idea and you should give it a try. If anything, after you start working on it, you can simply adapt it.
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  • Profile picture of the author serryjw
    Personally, I like the idea of serialize it into 3-4 books better.
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  • Profile picture of the author davidaclark
    I would finish the first book as suggested and then write a second book.
    Why waste time improving a book if it sells well.
    Also, your books will improve as you write more.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by davidaclark View Post

      I would finish the first book as suggested and then write a second book.
      Why waste time improving a book if it sells well.
      Also, your books will improve as you write more.
      I could write a second book, but it would basically be more of the same, in other words, the same book again, but just different stuff. I'd feel like I'm cheating people.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Logan
    Sometimes less is more. Why the length of the book matters? I mean, if I get an idea that brings me lots of benefits in only 10 pages, I am willing to spent same amount of money as for a long book. And someotimes long books are full of crap and not worthy even a dollar!
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    I've written ebooks in many ways:

    - From full outline where each step is a chapter (~ 8-10 pages) where there are 5-7 steps making a 70-100 page ebook. These take me from a week to 6-weeks depending on how well I know the topic, market research required, etc..
    - Collection of blog posts. I have several blogs with posts going back several years, I have ebooks where I mainly take the best of the best around a certain topic, make any updates, add an intro and conclusion and have my ebook done in a few days
    - Outline + outsource...I have taken this approach where I can find someone else that has more experience with the topic than I do
    - Combined writing + interviews...where I conduct expert interviews and then have those interviews transcribed using all/portion of the transcription for the ebook
    - I have also "talked" chapters in my ebooks - where I use voice recognition and simply talk through the ebook where I have accompanying audio at the same time

    Lots of great ways to get your information products developed...key is to target the right topics and do a good job of marketing

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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

      Ok so if I sell my book for $2.99, is that reasonable for about 35 pages?

      Also, I'm in the UK, so do the royalty rules apply with £? i.e. £2.99 - £9.99 = I keep 70% and anything above and below = I keep 35%?
      I'm in the USA. I know I get 70% on UK sales on my books. You might want to shoot the KDP support people an email, but I believe that's correct.

      Whether it's reasonable or not is up to the marketplace - if your book sells for that price, it's reasonable.

      Originally Posted by Project View Post

      Sometimes less is more. Why the length of the book matters? I mean, if I get an idea that brings me lots of benefits in only 10 pages, I am willing to spent same amount of money as for a long book. And someotimes long books are full of crap and not worthy even a dollar!
      All of that may be true, but the thud factor is alive and well. While people may be more accepting of shorter ebooks than they would be of printed books, if they see Book A of 10 pages priced at $2.99 and Book B of 75 pages also priced at $2.99, which do you think they would choose first if all else were relatively equal (author not a big name, similar reviews, etc.)?

      Lots of people say the same thing you do about being willing to pay the same for similar benefits. That's not what the sales ranks say, though, in the main.

      I've found that many short books are also full of crap and not worth a dollar. I downloaded one yesterday on a free promo and felt like I'd been cheated.
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      • Profile picture of the author Nick Logan
        Of course, also shorter books are full of crap.

        It is also true that they will select a cheaper and larger one. But they also look at reviews. If shorter version offers positive reviews, than I would not hesitate to buy a very short book even if it would be more expensive than larger one. And I also never hesitate to refund a book full of crap even though I gave only $5 for it.


        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        I'm in the USA. I know I get 70% on UK sales on my books. You might want to shoot the KDP support people an email, but I believe that's correct.

        Whether it's reasonable or not is up to the marketplace - if your book sells for that price, it's reasonable.



        All of that may be true, but the thud factor is alive and well. While people may be more accepting of shorter ebooks than they would be of printed books, if they see Book A of 10 pages priced at $2.99 and Book B of 75 pages also priced at $2.99, which do you think they would choose first if all else were relatively equal (author not a big name, similar reviews, etc.)?

        Lots of people say the same thing you do about being willing to pay the same for similar benefits. That's not what the sales ranks say, though, in the main.

        I've found that many short books are also full of crap and not worth a dollar. I downloaded one yesterday on a free promo and felt like I'd been cheated.
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        • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
          I've skipped chapter 4 for now as it's a bit tricky and I just finished chapter 5 a minute ago.

          I think the reason why I have a hard time believing that a very short book can make money is because when I browse for books I don't go for 20 page ones or 30 pages or even 40 page books unless they're free or very very cheap and I get a good feeling about them based on how it's sold and the reviews. So the thought of spending $5 or whatever on a very short book is even less appealing to me. Every time I see them I laugh and think that they must be full of crap or stuff that I can get for free or cheaper elsewhere. I just assume that the author is very cheeky, especially when I consider that I've bought 300 page books for not much. I usually go for books that are about £1 per 100 pages. Personally I do pay a lot of attention to the size of the book. I just assume that others do too.

          So I base my assumption on what I'd do (or not do). And yet people still say that you can do well with a very short book. Maybe I'm missing something.
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          • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
            I've just finished another chapter and I'm 50% done.
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  • Profile picture of the author DoubleOhDave
    Sounds good from a purely "get things done" perspective, but what about the actual framework or outline? What hanger do you plan to put the clothes on?
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by DoubleOhDave View Post

      Sounds good from a purely "get things done" perspective, but what about the actual framework or outline? What hanger do you plan to put the clothes on?
      I've got a framework. My book is based on notes that I've done over a long period of time. I looked at them all and categorized them into 10 chapters. The writing process is just me condensing the essence of my notes into lots of small chunks that make up each chapter. So not only do I have a framework, I have the majority of the wording already written in note form. Most of what I'm doing is creating sentences out of my notes. It's good because the thinking process in terms of what to cover and how to say it has been done. I'm just basically stringing things together and making it sound good. Would you like me to send you the text of the first chapter, and you can tell me what you think? It's less than 1,000 words and will probably take 5 mins to read, tops.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamescanz
    Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

    What about some other ways to write an ebook quickly and efficiently?
    Creating an interview is a very quick way to create an ebook...

    The cool part is that you don't have to be an expert in the topic.

    1) Seek out the expert

    2) Write down some good questions

    3) Ask them and record the answers
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  • Profile picture of the author ErinWalsh
    If you own any series of PLR articles on the same topic, you can also convert them to eBook. There's even ways to do it to make sure they pass Copyscape, and why be concerned about duplicate content? Well, even if you have the rights to use the PLR content for whatever you want, you have to make sure it's still unique enough to something else out there. This will increase the chance to sell more items. Of course, it's also easy enough to rewrite pages of content based on past batches of articles you wrote yourself. However, again, you have to make it as unique as possible and provide info you haven't given to anyone else.
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  • Profile picture of the author DoubleOhDave
    Okay, sure... it's late here though (almost midnight) so it will be a day or two before I can get back to you, but I am a kindle writer and a proofreader so I will give you some feedback..
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by DoubleOhDave View Post

      Okay, sure... it's late here though (almost midnight) so it will be a day or two before I can get back to you, but I am a kindle writer and a proofreader so I will give you some feedback..
      Thanks. I've sent it in 2 parts. It's almost midnight for me too (I'm in the UK).
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      • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
        I just finished another chapter and I'm 60% done.
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  • Profile picture of the author BW090582
    I would concentrate more on how you are going to get good reviews on Amazon rather than worry about the length of the book. The ONLY thing that matters is if your book provides value. Doesn't matter if the book is 100 words long or 100,000.

    Think about it. If someone had the winning lottery numbers for tonight, and was selling those numbers in a book, would you care how long the book was?
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  • Profile picture of the author ItsMikeyC
    I would probably keep the book short and concise, then put the other content into future books. Have 3 or 4 separate books to sell at a low price, the maybe combine all books into a collection and sell at a higher price once you're done.

    I'd setup a mailing list with a simple optin page and link to it from the books so that you can announce the release of new books to your past purchasers too.

    Cheers!
    Michael.
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Originally Posted by ItsMikeyC View Post

      I would probably keep the book short and concise, then put the other content into future books. Have 3 or 4 separate books to sell at a low price, the maybe combine all books into a collection and sell at a higher price once you're done.

      I'd setup a mailing list with a simple optin page and link to it from the books so that you can announce the release of new books to your past purchasers too.

      Cheers!
      Michael.
      I don't mind doing that, but I can't think of how I'd do it, unless I call my second book "even more ways to..." or something like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author rodger metty
    Originally Posted by Johnny1975 View Post

    I just had a thought. Let's say you want to write an ebook about a topic that you either know a bit about, or you feel that you could easily learn about.

    You list as many sub topics as you can think of, and then you categorise them into 10, one for each chapter.

    Then, for each chapter, you write 625 words, which really isn't much. Then from that, you write a 125 word intro and a 125 word conclusion. And you do that for each chapter.

    Now you have 625+125+125=875 words per chapter = 8750 words.

    Then you write a 250 word intro to the book, and a 250 word conclusion to the book.

    Now you have a 9,250 word ebook.

    You put it on amazon and see what happens. I don't know what a reasonable price for a book of that length would be (does anyone know?)

    If people are buying it, then you expand on what you wrote, making everything (chapters and their intros and conclusions, and intro and conclusion to the book) twice as long, giving you an 18,500 word ebook.

    Then you replace the original ebook with the longer version, and increase the price.

    Then if that goes well you double it again, expanding on what you've written, giving you a 37,000 word ebook.



    Does that sound like a reasonable way to do it? I think it does because it gives you a chance to just get on with it without too much to think about at first, and it's manageable, and then you just elaborate more and more, but at least you can get your book out there asap.

    What about some other ways to write an ebook quickly and efficiently?
    this is cool but there are cooler ways you can create an ebook in just a day, all you need is try and get some report on the topic from google put together all the report you have gotten and then you rewrite them in your own way, after that you will just pack them together and place your name tag on it and kabooom you have an ebook of your own without any copyright issues
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
      Here's a good way :

      Go to wikipedia and other places where there are good summaries of a topic. Then copy and paste everything, including stuff in links. Then, rewrite the whole lot in your own words.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
    8 out of 10 chapters done. Almost there. It should be finished on thursday. I'm going to need help in getting it onto amazon.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
    9th chapter done. One more to go, and then I need to polish the intro and conclusion.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Johnny, you might want to dial down the status updates. This is starting to look like a "follow me" thread where your last post includes a link to the sales page...
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      • Profile picture of the author Johnny1975
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Johnny, you might want to dial down the status updates. This is starting to look like a "follow me" thread where your last post includes a link to the sales page...
        Sorry, yes I know what you mean. It's just that this is my first book and I'm, you know, happy about it.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Been there, done that...

          Just wanted to give you a heads-up before you inadvertently got the thread locked or deleted.
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