Writing an ebook is a hard thing, not the words. You can write something for 10,000 words and there you have it - a nice and short non-fiction ebook. However, to write something of substance is a difficult thing.
However, there is a hack, atleast something which I use and you can adopt also.
But before that, this is the 11th post in my blogging journey, all of them comprising of about 500 to 1500 words. Today, the total number of post equals 10,000 words. So, if I compile all my blog post in a sequence and publish, then it's an ebook I published.
And that's the hack, however there are some steps involved to make it a success. Let's see how you can either in 10 or max 30 days come up with your own ebook.
What Do You Already Know
If you start writing about something you have to research a lot then it's going to take a lot of time. Not a problem, if this is what you envision to do. However, if you want to come up with an ebook fast, look inside and ask the below questions.
What's something I am good at?
What's advice people come to me for?
What's a unique solution I provide to a common problem?
Answer the above question and stay with them for a while and you would narrow down to a topic, on which you can provide the nuggets of wisdom, either a tutorial, solution or an empathetic view.
Enough to write around 10,000 words around that topic. And thus, you could give yourself a target of writing them and getting it done.
Next thing, you need to do is structure your ebook, so that there is coherence and some magic to how people read your book.
Write 10 Blog Post
When I think about the blog which you are reading, this is centered around a single topic, how to understand and navigate the Internet. If I strung a story, the 10 blog post I wrote in the last 20 da.
All you need to do is do the same as if. Imagine you have a blog and you need to deliver a blog post every day. Be it 500 words or 1000 words. And although these seem like huge targets, they aren't if you know what you need to speak.
In your areas where you know all the things, you can speak for an hour. That's 10 times what a 10 blog post is.
So, get out of your fear and write those ten blog post. Once you reach them and you will, all you need to do is tie them for a nice story and package it and share it with your friends.
There is a reason I don't want you to sell the ebook. Because most likely, they won't sell for that much or worse no one would buy and your friends will be bitter about it.
Free Ebook Vs Paid
When you write your first ebook, that's the rush of excitement and you feel like you have written the best next thing in the world. And although that might be even true, it doesn't matter. Writing something valuable and getting paid for it are two different things. And in the world where writing is considered the easiest thing in the world, it's a hard sell.
As a first time author, you shouldn't expect anything. That's why I urge you to make your ebook available for free. Let it be shared with anyone and if it gets shared to 100 people when your friends are only 10, then it had something shareable.
Rejoice you have an ebook and people want to share. If no one wanted your ebook, maybe the topic is too narrow or you have written okayish book. Still nothing to worry, congratulations on the book. Always improve later.
Clarity Of Thoughts
Even if you didn't intend to or want to write an ebook, even for vanity reasons, I urge you to go through the process and come up with a completed book. Because doing so would give you so much clarity of thoughts and a direction on how to think. Not to mention, this is a very good meditative practice. When you are writing, you are 100% focused on the thought in your mind and the typing on your laptop.
Nothing else matters and then your brain goes in a trance mode, where your best ideas come in clarity. Even the jumbled thinking somehow lines up and you can see through it.
This alone is worth it to go through the whole exercise of writing your book in 10 days.
What's Next?
Once you are done with your book, it's natural to think that this is a one time thing and that's it. But there is so much value in doing the thing again for another topic you are well versed in or you want a clarity of thought and something to refer to for yourself. It can be your love story, money relationships, job, friendships, breakups, skills, life perspective and so on. You define the limit and break them. Your goal isn't to end up with an ebook, your goal is to be with so much structure and narrative that you can have the clarity of thoughts and then you can take the next action or inaction.
Go ahead and come up with another idea on which you want to expand into an ebook. Write it down, and then go through them to edit, restructure or make it your own reference book.
Or maybe write another book on the same topic after years so that you can see how much you have changed, what's stuck and how to think about the future.
So much to think, use and refine - all from this simple exercise. Go ahead and start writing and this game of an ebook in 10 days lets you do all of these and more in a fun way.
What's your next ebook going to about?