I’m still furiously working on client projects and prepping for a new project I can’t wait to tell you about! That means my posting here has been sparse. So when my friend Ang England asked if she could write a guest post to help promote her new ebook 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook, I was more than happy to oblige. I know you’ll love her tips and her ebook!
As the mother of four little ones, with one on the way, I am a huge fan of working smarter, not harder. One of the benefits of writing an ebook is the ability to create an additional product from work and research you’ve already used elsewhere. I love re-purposing high-quality content and presenting it in more than one format. With that in mind, I want to give you some tips for planning blog posts with the goal of eventually creating an ebook.
Brainstorm Article and Post Series
I’m a huge fan of the brainstorming process. When I first began writing web content for a particular content site I took a 50 cent poster board from Wal-Mart and filled it with idea after idea after idea. Two years and three ebooks later, that brainstorm session was actually covering the mortgage payment when I took maternity leave with my third child.
Planning articles in series around a particular topic meant that when I wanted to write an ebook, I could tell what series my readers were responding to and help predict which specific topic would sell well. It also meant that I had a huge head start on research and writing when it came time to put the book together.
Editorial Calendar
I love having an editorial calendar in place – even if just in general terms – so that I know where I’m heading with my writing goals. When I want to write about a particular topic, adding it to my calendar greatly increases the chances of that project actually coming to fruition! Otherwise, I’m too easily sidetracked by the immediate needs of my sites and jobs and family and….you get the idea. You’re probably in the same boat. An editorial calendar can help.
Scheduling Posts in Advance
When I launch a new ebook, I like to write a few posts on a related topic. Then you can schedule them out in advance and create a sustained buzz over your ebook. Alternatively, you can work on producing your ebook while your posts are still being posted to your blog. When I was working on the Making Money Blogging ebook, I had pre-written several blog posts in one day so that I could take awhile to put the book together and work on marketing it without abandoning my audience.
Angela England is a problogger, freelance writer, and author of 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook. Find her on Twitter and at her blog, angengland.com.
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Hi, thanks for the suggestion and I am looking forward to seeing what you have up your sleeve. The ebook links aren’t working…at least not for me. I will check back later and try again. I’d love to see what Angela has to share. Lisa~
Hi, Lisa. Thanks for letting me know about the broken links. Those are fixed now!
Ha ok Never mind – all better now!
Angela England recently posted..Blogging Ethics – What Would You Do?
Sorry about that Lisa – Try this link http://30dayebook.com?ap_id=BB101
Ang, I cannot wait to dig into your ebook!! Thanks for the tips above as well!
I can’t wait to get started with your book..now to have something interesting to say!
Wow! That was a fantastic post, thank you for sharing the idea. I’m actually in the process of brainstorming a series of articles, videos, and followup emails right now. Should prove to be a very successful combination!
Mike I love that idea! I plan to include links to private videos in future ebooks about building a blog. It will include exclusive screencasts and such – I think ebooks make it VERY easy to enhance a manuscript with multi-media information.
Great post! I totally agree. I am thinking about making an eBook for my website http://www.howtogetridofviruses.org!
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Great advice; I need to get better with this… thanks for sharing!
Great article. I like to work smarter and not harder as well.
Do you have any great blog posts on how to actually go about creating your first ebook? This has been on my to do list for quite awhile now. I need the action steps to take to put it together.