30 tips for ebook writers and authors

Section 02: Generating Ideas and Research


So, you know what "topic" to write about, but how do
you come up with WHAT to write about that topic? You
may have identified "making money" as your topic, but
what will you write about "making money"? Will it be
Internet related? Stocks and bonds? Direct mail? Home-
based business? Fundraising?

And when you narrow it down to the actual subject, what
kind of information will you share in the eBook?

That's what this section will hopefully help you to
decide by exploring some ways to generate ideas and to
do some research.

6. Brainstorm To Get Other Folks' Ideas. Whether you
get family members, a group of friends, or other
writers together, brainstorming is a wonderful way to
beat Writer’s Block. When you are stuck, make
brainstorming fun. You can sit and just start throwing
ideas out or make a game by putting ideas in a hat and
then passing it around to read or act out.

We call this a "mastermind" session. And you'd be
absolutely amazed at how productive it can be. Folks
throw out ideas that you never even thought of. They
offer opinions that you weren't even close to
considering. Why? Because they think differently than
you do. And that can be a good thing.

Are you having trouble generating ideas for your eBook,
or expanding upon what you are already writing about?
Get a group of folks together (or even ONE person is a
start) and ask questions. Explain what you are writing
about and ask for suggestions, ideas and opinions.
Voila -- with the wave of a magic wand, you've got more
ideas and a fresh perspective to write from.

I know. I know. When I say "research" you envision some
guy up late at night with fifteen books open, 5 empty
Coca Cola cans (he needs the caffeine to stay awake!)
and an anxious look on his face.

Research scares the heck out of most folks. It sounds
too much like doing a term paper for a trigger happy
high school English teacher with a red pen in her hand!

But, it doesn't have to be that way. Let's look at some
(slightly less painful) ways of getting ideas for your
eBook.

7. Use Childhood Memories. Here's a great exercise. Sit
down with a pad and paper and start writing down
childhood experiences. Start with a specific age and
think about the school attended at that time, the
friends you hung around, the style of the clothes you
wore, a favorite pet, anything you can. You will be
amazed at how many ideas you can develop that can be
useful to you in writing, or that spawn other ideas for
your eBook.

Just as you revisited your own childhood, talk to other
family members or friends and ask them to share stories
about their upbringing. For example, one writer asked a
close friend from Israel about her experiences as a
child during World War II. What unfolded was a
wonderful story of determination, as the friend shared
how her family had withstood persecution and survived
horrible ordeals. Just like that a new chapter to an
eBook was added, "How to Overcome Opposition: 7 Secrets
From A Survivor."

Wow -- it's amazing how looking at childhood memories
(and ALL past experiences) can be used to develop ideas
for use in your eBook content.

8. Listen. Listen to people. Whether you're shopping,
at the job, or in the gym, listen to what people are
saying. What subjects are being discussed? What seems
to be important to other people? Many times, you will
get ideas based on everyday discussions. Having good
listening skills is a huge benefit to writers.

Don't forget the kids. Kids are innocent and provide a
sincerity that is often missed with adults. If you have
children of your own, nieces or nephews, or friends
with smaller children, sit down and just talk to them.
Believe me -you will hear all kinds of things that will
soon get you out of Writer’s Block. They possess such
great imaginations that they will actually help yours
kick into high gear.

Attend a workshop. Listen to a teleseminar or
conference call. Sit in on a class. Do an interview.
Absorb information that other people are sharing and
extract IDEAS that you can use yourself.

9. Analyze Data. Conduct some analysis with people who
can contribute to the topic you are writing about. Do a
survey. Take a poll. Ask questions. Have them ASK YOU
questions. Compile all of the information and you've
got even more ideas for writing your content.

For example: I know of a marketer online who wanted to
put together an eBook for newcomers to the web to help
them learn how to do business online. He had a half
dozen or so ideas about what to share, but that was
all. He knew that "newbies" have a lot more questions
than that! But, he didn't know what they were -- being
an EXPERIENCED web marketer, he took a lot of "basic"
things for granted.

So, what did he do? He sent a SURVEY out to people on
his newsletter list and the lists of his online
marketing friends. The result: Over 200 questions that
newbies wanted answered! That's around 195 more "ideas"
than he started out with. And that's also a GREAT way
to come up with new ideas...ask questions and have
folks ask you questions.

10. Watch TV or Movies. TV is another source for ideas.
As you know, television covers anything and everything
and if you're struggling with Writer’s Block, there
will be something that will help spur your mind into
action. With 598,000,281 different stations to watch,
you're bound to find something helpful! :o)

If you want to write an eBook on snakes, sit down and
watch the Discovery Channel. You will gain a ton of
important information and once again, you can determine
what wasn't covered. If the show covers the detailed
information on the top 10 venomous snakes in the United
States, why not do research on the next five. Ideas are
often found by using the ol' remote control!

11. Play The Alphabet Game. Here's another great idea
generator exercise. Starting with the letter “A” in the
alphabet, literally start thinking of events, places,
people, items, verbs, etc., that start with that
letter, which are related to your eBook topic. The goal
is to go all the way to “Z.” This is a great way to
shake loose Writer’s Block.

For example: if you are writing an eBook on internet
marketing, here are some ideas...
A = affiliates
B = build a list
C = conversion
D = digital products
e = ezine
f = follow-up
g = google.com

And you would complete that all the way through Z. Do
you think any new ideas could be generated from such a
list? Of course! Try it -- you can thank me later.

12. Conduct Interviews. Find some interesting people in
your church, school, work, or even family and friends
who have had a unique experience in life and conduct an
interview with them. Sometimes we think we know someone
well until we take time to talk to him or her – really
talk. For example, one young woman interviewed her own
mother. She thought she knew everything about her and
her life but during the course of the interview, she
discovered cherished pieces of her life that she didn't
even know existed.

Her own mother had her ears pierced at age eight, in
1935, by Chief White Feather, the grandson of Chief
Sitting Bull. He lived in Indiana down the street from
her and took a real liking to her. The daughter had no
idea! Interviews will unearth all types of buried
treasures. And look for EXPERTS in your field of
interest. Ask them a handful of questions and then use
the entire interview as an actual part of your eBook.
That's what I did with Eye-Popping Popups.

I asked a half-dozen prominent web marketers how they
were using popup windows to make sales. I gave them 10
questions and then published their exact responses in
the eBook. It ended up giving me about 20 pages of FREE
content, and free publicity for them.

Until the next post.....
Brian Ankner (non-guru)

30 Tips For Article Writing And Writing Ebooks

Writing Isn't Nearly As Hard As You Think.....

If You Know A Few "Tricks of the Trade" People write
for a variety of reasons. Some because it’s a deep,
heartfelt passion and others because they enjoy the
challenge. Still others write because they want to make
a name for themselves.

And then, there are folks that write......to make some
money! Like me. :o)

No matter what the reason, writing is a talent, whether
blessed with natural ability or developed through
writing courses and workshops. Looking back in history
at some of the greatest writers known to man such as
Shakespeare or Edgar Allan Poe, or to the novice writer
just starting to put pen to paper, all writers
experience the same things:

• Every writer struggles at one time or another with
writer’s block.

• Every writer longs to find what to write about in
order to be successful as an author.

• Every writer must learn to be organized and take
action to complete their assignment.

• Every writer needs to be motivated, inspired, and use
unique methods for developing new ideas.

• Every writer wants their creativity to be tapped into
and released for their readers to enjoy and learn from.

• Every writer has a goal of providing some kind of
useful information for others to benefit from.

And the list could go on.

There are a LOT of eBooks available that explain "how
to write an information product." Here is one, Turn
Words Into Traffic (OH, my God, yes that is an
affiliate link please don't fine me internet police!)

But, there are few that cover WRITING TIPS that
actually aid eBook authors in WRITING THEIR MATERIALS
and helping them through the common struggles and needs
that all writers experience.

That's why I wrote this report. And that's why you are
here. I want to provide writers, from all levels and
writing styles, with some unique and traditional
methods to become the best writer possible.

And you want to BECOME the best writer possible. It's a
journey we'll take together.

I'm about to share with you 30 Writing Tips for eBook
Authors. Regardless of what your goals are for writing
an eBook, these ideas are guaranteed to make the
WRITING of your eBook easier and better.

Let's begin by looking at WHAT to write about...

Section 01: Hot Topics To Write About

Everybody wants to know WHAT to write about. What is it
that people want to read? What are the "hot topics"
that you know will generate some interest if you write
about them.

Even though the Internet has changed the face of the
world -- how we shop, communicate, do business,
research and just about everything else -- it hasn't
changed what we WANT. There are classic (and absolutely
TIMELESS) topics that are always going to be hot
topics.

Here are five of them. If you want to know WHAT people
want and WHAT you should write about, then find
something related to these topics...

1. Making Money. This one ain't ever gonna go away.

You can just go ahead and etch it in stone, it's here
for the long haul. We all want to make money (if for no
other reason than to be charitable and give it away to
someone else) and some of us (I won't mention any names
:o) are half-crazed for information on how to make
money.

If you can show people how to make money (in a legal,
moral way, of course) I can assure you, they will buy
it. I guarantee it. Internet marketing / doing business
online eBooks are some of the hottest information
products available anywhere in the world. And for good
reason. People want to make more money. So, show 'em
how to do it.

2. Dating / Relationships.

What a great topic for an eBook. There are dozens of
ideas you could use for this one that could each become
best-sellers... How to avoid divorce court. How to make
your marriage last forever. How to be more romantic.
How to pick the perfect mate. How to get people to
notice you. How to use online match making services.
How to be a great father / mother. How to be a great
husband / wife. How to raise great kids. I mean, we
could go on and on and on here. Play the energizer
bunny if we want to. There are dozens of ideas for this
topic and the information sells like crazy. Why?
Because if we have positive, enriching, growing
relationships, we are HAPPIER. And since we can't buy
happiness in a bottle......we buy your eBook instead!

3. Hobbies and Crafts.

Hot selling items in any bookstore or online as e-
books, are information products about hobbies or
crafts. People love making things themselves and
getting the self-gratification of a job well done. You
could do some quick research on the Internet to see
what some of the most common hobbies and crafts are and
come up with some unique ideas.

Some might include woodworking, door wreaths, stained
glass and any type of do-it yourself information.
Things like improving your golf game, a guide to stamp
collecting, antiques and so forth.

Recreation is a huge part of our lives. We all like to
spend time enjoying a hobby. And, we spend a lot of
money supporting those hobbies as a society (My wife is
a major contributor :o) Hobby related information
products are most always a big hit and certainly
warrant consideration when choosing a topic to write
about.

4. Online Shopping.

What tools are available? Where can you find price
comparisons? Are there free trials available? Demos?
Where are the best deals? Are there any meeting places
for like-minded shoppers? Can I browse? Shopping is
becoming a larger and larger industry online (It
already is HUGE) as more and more people are buying
online, and as people buy more and more.

Some kind of resource directory for shoppers would be a
great eBook, I believe. How to find trustworthy
merchants online. How to find the best prices. How to
get special deals and discounts. Etc. Etc. Tips and
resources and webpage links -- HOW TO SHOP
ONLINE...great idea for an eBook.

You could even get "nichey" and create an eBook on how
to shop for "golf accessories" or "fitness stuff" or
"Christian materials." Or, if you're really smart,
you'll create an entire series of eBooks on how to shop
for just about anything. One eBook at a time, for
dozens of different categories.

5. Technology.

I bought a digital video camcorder. I brought it home.
I looked at the 300 page manual. I had no idea how to
use it. If you had an eBook available summarizing in
simple details how to use the various features of the
camcorder, I'd have paid you $100.00 for it! And I'm
sure I'm not the only one.

Technology is great -- but it can be a bit
overwhelming. And, who the heck has 3 days to read
through a manual to figure out how to use the darn
thing you bought, even if it isn't overwhelming to you?
I don't. I'd rather pay someone to show me how.

And that's a market you should consider going after.
There are hundreds of software programs, video games,
computers, electronics, etc. that folks would love to
be able to figure out how to use QUICKLY AND EASILY.
So, you write tutorials and show us how it's done. And
we pay you. And we're all happy. :o) Seriously, I think
this is one of the biggest industries for information
products that is currently untapped. A sharp writer
could make a fortune here.

The next post will continue from here.............until then,
"Keep typin' till your fingers blister!"
Brian Ankner (semi-guru)
Article Writing