How to Write a Successful How-To Ebook

So often I see writers think that to write a great how-to ebook, all they have to do is write about how to do something.

Wrong.

For a how-to ebook to be successful (and by that I mean it sells well and is popular) it must contain these three essential things.

Topic.         Your ebook topic must have a hungry market. It must be a problem that people are already trying to solve. So first find your market and see what problems they are having. Then let your ebook be the answer.

How-To.    The big mistake that most how-to ebook authors make is that they forget to explain the how-to. It’s no good just talking about how to do something, your ebook must explain the exact steps that the readers need to take.

Pitfalls.     Not only do your readers need to know how to do something but they also need to know what could go wrong and how to fix it when it does. Otherwise they’ll stop at the first pitfall and say that your method doesn’t work.

So before you write one word of your how-to ebook, make sure:

- that there is a market for the information that you’re providing

- that you are providing a step-by-step guide

And

- that you warn them of what could go wrong and how to fix it.

Just by including these 3 things will ensure that your how-to ebook is better than most.

Take a Break From Writing

Writing every day is important.

Writing every hour of the day is not.

Unlike other jobs, working as a writer can’t be done for hour after hour without a break.

Not in my world.

There are times when I’m writing in one huge creative window and I just keep going and going, and when I look up 2 or 3 hours have gone by and I’m dying to pee.

But usually I need to take breaks.

If I don’t, I start to get distracted by email that doesn’t need checking or social media feeds that don’t need my attention.

On these days I need to time my writing and take 5 minutes break when the timer sounds. It’s the only way I can sit and write if I’m not in the mood or what I’m writing about is boring.

There are also other days when I really struggle to stay focused and on these days I have to give up because it’s a waste of time.

But when I’m writing I have to take breaks to relieve eye strain, give my spine a rest and clear my head.

So I move away from my desk, stand, stretch, walk away and do something physical for 5 minutes, even if it’s pat the dog or hang out the washing.

It really helps me to sit down again with a fresh mind.

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How I Get More Writing Ideas

It’s OK to say that to be a successful writer you need to write.

But what when you have no ideas?

For me this isn’t a problem for two reasons:

• I’m extremely creative (always have been)
•  I have 2 notebooks full of ideas

Being creative and blessed with a good imagination helps. But many people ask me how I find the time to come up with ideas.

And the answer surprises them.

They seem to imagine that I sit and wait for the muse to strike me.

On the contrary.

Usually I’m not even sitting when ideas strike me. When I get an idea it normally strikes when I’m busy doing un-related things that have nothing at all to do with writing.

They come often when I’m dog walking, from what I see, what I think, or what I hear if I’m listening to an audio as I walk.

Many ideas come to me when I’m doing mundane things like housework, car cleaning and even mowing the lawn.

But most importantly – and this is really, REALLY important – I write all my ideas down IMMEDIATELY.

And that’s how I collect so many.

Try it for yourself and see.

Get a notebook just for ideas. Mine are spiral-bound shorthand notebooks.

Then every time you get an idea, write it down, or, if you’re out, voice record it till you get home.

But never EVER think that you’ll remember an idea – you won’t.

That’s a lesson I had to learn many times over.

So don’t make the same mistake.

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