How To Create An eBook

One if the easiest ways to start a money-making activity on the Internet is to create an eBook and sell it online. If you are not sure what an eBook is here’s a quick definition: An eBook is an electronic book, in a pdf, exe or html format, that can be displayed on a computer using a special reader. The most common eBooks are generally in pdf (Portable Document Format) a format developed by Adobe Systems in the early nineties. It’s by far the most common format used for most documents attached in emails or downloaded from sites. The reason for this is that the pdf format can only be read by using Adobe’s free reader. Most all computers have the reader pre-installed on their system so you may not even know that you are downloading and using it.

Most all eBooks are created using pdf creation software. Up until the past few years you had to purchase Adobe’s Acrobat software to create a pdf. However, you can find many alternatives on the market that are less expensive and can do basically the same thing. Not to long ago a free open source version came out, PDF Creator (download it free at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/) It will do all of the basic stuff that you actually need to create a pdf formatted eBook. If you want the ability to manipulate or edit pdf formatted files you need to get Adobe’s latest version or you can get some really cool features with PDF Printer. 

Now that we have that out of the way here’s what you need to do next.

1. Start to research your topic. We have some topic ideas at our tutorial covering business ideas.
2. Once you have decided on a topic start writing using your favorite word processing program. Be sure to have your spell checker on. Better yet, if you have a grammar checker turn that on as well.
3. You should have at least 50 pages of information. Keep the fluff out and stick to the topic at hand and be sure that what you are writing about has value to the reader. Writing about your summer vacation doesn’t work unless you have found a way to travel Europe on $10 a day. (By the way it’s already been done, Arthur Frommer wrote it back in the early 70's.) You get the picture, make it really attention getting.
4. Most digital information eBooks provide insight or value in terms of sites that you have found or products you have found that aren’t well known but provide real value to the reader.
5. If you are providing links you must be sure to make those links interactive so that they can be clicked on. This is called hyper-text and can be placed within the pdf format. This becomes critical if you are inserting links that you are an affiliate for.
6. Another way to make your eBook more attractive, and this is optional, is to create an eBook cover. This can be done easily but it will cost you a little money. See our home business tools guide for Quick 3D.
7. How do you plan to deliver your product? If you don’t have a website it’s going to be pretty difficult to deliver your eBook. If you need to set up a website see our tutorial at Basic Website Needs and Setup
8. Price your eBook to make a profit but don’t over-price it because it just will not sell in today’s market.
9. Once you have figured out how to deliver your eBook you need to have a way to accept payment. It’s pretty easy to do see our tutorial on payment acceptance. Hint PayPal is free and fast.
10. Upload your eBook to your website making sure to put it in a folder that’s not obvious such as "my eBook Folder" or "My First eBook product" Sorry to say but there are thieves out there.

I think that the hardest part of this whole process is finding the right topic to write on. That being said you can take a look at www.ebookinstructor.com for some additional information. You can alwyas purchase a PLR ebook that you can re-configure to be your own or search public record eBooks for inspiration.

There are a number of ways to publish an eBook online however the above process is a bare bones approach that shouldn’t cost you anything out of pocket unless you don’t have a website or word processing software on your computer.