Thinking of writing an ebook?

I’ve compiled a wealth of information on writing, publishing and marketing ebooks originally shared during the WordCount Last Wednesday live chat on Twitter, which took place Oct. 27, 2011.

My guest on the chat was Boston area freelance writer Susan Johnston, who blogs at The Urban Muse. Earlier this year, Johnston published her first ebook, The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets.

During the chat Johnston shared what she’d learned about picking appropriate material, formatting, distribution and promotion. Her comments have been edited for clarity.

What are the advantages of self-publishing an ebook vs. a traditional print book?

Self-publishing means you don’t have to wait for a publisher to choose your book, go through the printing process, etc. Plus, it gives a writer more control over their content and distribution methods. My ebook wouldn’t have worked as a traditionally published print book because there are so many links and so much time-sensitive information. I noticed a gap in the marketplace – a lack of info about online writing markets – so I decided to fill that gap.

How did you get started? What were your first steps?

I looked through my blog for content I could expand upon, then compiled a list of suitable markets. I also looked at the kinds of questions readers left and made sure that my ebook covered all those answers in detail. The blog was a great way to crowdsource topics for the ebook and figure out the kind of info readers wanted.

How much of the book did you take from blog posts and how much was original material?

Less than half the content was pulled from the blog and the rest was original. The directory of markets, which is a large chunk of the ebook, did not appear on the blog.

Is an optimum length or number of chapters or structure for an ebook?

Length depends on the topic. But you definitely want it to be broken into sections and subsections so it’s easily digestible. My ebook is relatively short – 61 pgs – so I wouldn’t want to have too much overlap with the blog. And I used a Q&A format.

Once your ebook is out, should you consider using bits and pieces from it for new blog posts, or keep it premium?

Keep it premium. If you’re charging, buyers want to feel like they’re getting something special.

What about turning an already published book into an ebook?

If your book is out of print and the rights have reverted back to you, it can be a great way to keep it in circulation. There are services like Smashwords.com that can help out with that or you can hire someone to format your book as an ebook.

What about links you include in an ebook – what happens if they go bad?

I took that on as an ongoing project. Buyers of my ebook can sign up for free updates where I add or subtract markets. I also invite readers to email me if they spot a broken or out-dated link and I’ll go through and check periodically. Eventually, I may deeply discount the ebook with the caveat that it won’t be updated anymore. I’ve seen other authors do that.

What subjects sell well as ebooks?

It’s important to choose a topic that fills a need, like the Damon Brown ebook on the iPad or my ebook about online writing markets. Do people want to know how to brew their own beer or start an Etsy store?

What software, services or other resources did you use to put your ebook together?

I typed my ebook using Microsoft Word and hired Amie Fedora to design the cover, then converted to a .pdf file. For simplicity’s sake, I just chose to use a .pdf because that’s almost universally readable. However, I tried to format as I went along and that was a huge hassle! Next time, I’d write first, format second. The toughest part was getting the fonts to embed properly in the .pdf, but there are lots of online resources to help with troubleshooting. Whatever the issue is, you can usually get help by Googling or tweeting. For instance, you could Google “MS Word 2008 embed fonts in .pdf.”

How did you handle setting a price and accepting payments?

I looked at how similar ebooks were priced and chose $15.99. Some ebooks are $9.99 but you can’t discount much from there. Mine is $15.99, and I occasionally discount it to $9.99. My ebook is available through Lulu.com andE-junkie. You can also sell through Amazon but you’ll need an ISBN for that. With E-Junkie, you can have readers pay through PayPa and they automatically generate a download link for their purchase.

Do ebook services take a percent of the sale price?

E-junkie takes a monthly fee and Lulu.com is free to set up and takes a 20 percent fee per sale.

Other than selling through ebook services, how did you promote your ebook?

I promoted it through guest blogging, giving away review copies to bloggers, promoting it on my blog and in my newsletter and on Twitter. Having an established blog and Twitter following really helped. Here’s a guest post I wrote with 12 promotional strategies for ebooks.

What are some common mistakes writers make in putting together an ebook?

Unappealing covers are one mistake. Invest the money for something that conveys a professional impression.

How profitable are ebooks?

It depends on how well you promote it, how the ebook is priced and if there’s a strong need. But the margins per sale are much better than going through a traditional publisher. With a print book, you might get a little bit in royalties for each book sold, but with ebooks it’s almost pure profit. With ebooks, you don’t have hard costs like shipping and materials so they make great blog giveaways, since you can just email a download link.

If you’ve written an ebook, what was your experience? What advice or resources can you share?

I’ve compiled a wealth of information on writing, publishing and marketing ebooks originally shared during the latest WordCount Last Wednesday live chat on Twitter, which took place Wednesday, Oct. 27.

My guest on the chat was Boston area freelance writer Susan Johnston, who blogs at The Urban Muse. Earlier this year, Johnston published her first ebook, The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets.

During the chat Johnston shared what she’d learned about picking appropriate material, formatting, distribution and promotion. Her comments have been edited for clarity.

What are the advantages of self-publishing an ebook vs. a traditional print book?
Self-publishing means you don’t have to wait for a publisher to choose your book, go through the printing process, etc. Plus, it gives a writer more control over their content and distribution methods. My ebook wouldn’t have worked as a traditionally published print book because there are so many links and so much time-sensitive information. I noticed a gap in the marketplace – a lack of info about online writing markets – so I decided to fill that gap.

How did you get started? What were your first steps?
I looked through my blog for content I could expand upon, then compiled a list of suitable markets. I also looked at the kinds of questions readers left and made sure that my ebook covered all those answers in detail. The blog was a great way to crowdsource topics for the ebook and figure out the kind of info readers wanted.

How much of the book did you take from blog posts and how much was original material?
Less than half the content was pulled from the blog and the rest was original. The directory of markets, which is a large chunk of the ebook, did not appear on the blog.

Is an optimum length or number of chapters or structure for an ebook?
Length depends on the topic. But you definitely want it to be broken into sections and subsections so it’s easily digestible. My ebook is relatively short – 61 pgs – so I wouldn’t want to have too much overlap with the blog. And I used a Q&A format.

Once your ebook is out, should you consider using bits and pieces from it for new blog posts, or keep it premium?
Keep it premium. If you’re charging, buyers want to feel like they’re getting something special.

What about turning an already published book into an ebook?
If your book is out of print and the rights have reverted back to you, it can be a great way to keep it in circulation. There are services like Smashwords.com that can help out with that or you can hire someone to format your book as an ebook.

What about links you include in an ebook – what happens if they go bad?
I took that on as an ongoing project. Buyers of my ebook can sign up for free updates where I add or subtract markets. I also invite readers to email me if they spot a broken or out-dated link and I’ll go through and check periodically. Eventually, I may deeply discount the ebook with the caveat that it won’t be updated anymore. I’ve seen other authors do that.

What subjects sell well as ebooks?
It’s important to choose a topic that fills a need, like the Damon Brown ebook on the iPad or my ebook about online writing markets. Do people want to know how to brew their own beer or start an Etsy store?

What software, services or other resources did you use to put your ebook together?
I typed my ebook using Microsoft Word and hired Amie Fedora to design the cover, then converted to a .pdf file. For simplicity’s sake, I just chose to use a .pdf because that’s almost universally readable. However, I tried to format as I went along and that was a huge hassle! Next time, I’d write first, format second. The toughest part was getting the fonts to embed properly in the .pdf, but there are lots of online resources to help with troubleshooting. Whatever the issue is, you can usually get help by Googling or tweeting. For instance, you could Google “MS Word 2008 embed fonts in .pdf.”

How did you handle setting a price and accepting payments?
I looked at how similar ebooks were priced and chose $15.99. Some ebooks are $9.99 but you can’t discount much from there. Mine is $15.99, and I occasionally discount it to $9.99. My ebook is available through Lulu.com and E-junkie. You can also sell through Amazon but you’ll need an ISBN for that. With E-Junkie, you can have readers pay through PayPa and they automatically generate a download link for their purchase.

Do ebook services take a percent of the sale price?
E-junkie takes a monthly fee and Lulu.com is free to set up and takes a 20 percent fee per sale.

Other than selling through ebook services, how did you promote your ebook?
I promoted it through guest blogging, giving away review copies to bloggers, promoting it on my blog and in my newsletter and on Twitter. Having an established blog and Twitter following really helped. Here’s a guest post I wrote with 12 promotional strategies for ebooks.

What are some common mistakes writers make in putting together an ebook?
Unappealing covers are one mistake. Invest the money for something that conveys a professional impression.

How profitable are ebooks?
It depends on how well you promote it, how the ebook is priced and if there’s a strong need. But the margins per sale are much better than going through a traditional publisher. With a print book, you might get a little bit in royalties for each book sold, but with ebooks it’s almost pure profit. With ebooks, you don’t have hard costs like shipping and materials so they make great blog giveaways, since you can just email a download link.

If you’ve written an ebook, what was your experience? What advice or resources can you share?

• In July, Amazon reported that in the second quarter of 2010 the online book giant sold more e-books for its Kindle digital book reader than hardcover books, for the first time ever.
• Since its release in April, Apple has sold more than 2 million iPads, all of which can be used as e-book readers.
• Digital book reader software is now available for most smartphones.
• DIY book publishing houses such as Lulu.com have made creating e-books simpler than ever.

Today the question isn’t why do an e-book, but why not.

Boston freelance writer and The Urban Muse blogger Susan Johnston who earlier this year published her first e-book, The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets, will be my guest during the next WordCount Last Wednesday chat, which is appropriately enough, all about e-books. Tune in on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time for a discussion that will cover e-book basics such as:

• What are the advantages of self-publishing an e-book vs. a traditional print book?
• How do I get started?
• What are some common mistakes writers make putting together an e-book?
• What distribution channels are best?
• How can I promote my e-book?

The one-hour chat takes place on Twitter.  To follow along, use the hashtag #wclw.

The format of tomorrow’s live chat is as follows:

• 8:30 – Log on and introduce yourself.
• 8:35 to 8:45 – I’ll ask Susan a few questions to get things rolling.
• 8:45 – We’ll open it up to questions from the audience.
• 9:30 a.m. – The chat ends.

Although it’s possible to use the standard Twitter interface for a live chat, you might find it easier to follow along with an add-on application such as TweetGrid, TweetChat or HootSuite. This tutorialexplains how to set them up.

If you’re afraid you’ll offend followers by tweeting too much during a chat, you can suggest they use an app called TwitterSnooze to temporarily turn off your tweets. In case you haven’t done this before, when the chat starts, tweet a message like this: “I’ll be in a live chat for the next hour; if you don’t want to follow, turn off my tweets with TwitterSnooze.com.”

If you’ve got a suggestion for a subject you’d like to see covered, send it my way. The next WordCount Last Wednesday chat will take place on Nov. 24 and feature Jason Lancaster, an Internet marketing consultant and SEO expert with Spork Marketing in Denver, who’ll lead a discussion on SEO basics for writers and bloggers.

If you’re an expert in a particular aspect of freelance writing, running a freelance business or tech tools for writers and are interested in participating in a future WordCount Last Wednesday as a guest speaker, contact me.

In honor of the 2010 WordCount Blogathon, which starts May 1 -tomorrow! - today’s edition of my weekly roundup of good reading and good writing is devoted to bloggers, blogging and blogs.

ProBlogger - Whenever I have a question about blogs, ProBlogger is my first stop. Lately I’ve been researching advertising and ProBlogger didn’t let me down. I found the most comprehensive explanation of anywhere I looked on how a solo blogger like me should set blog ad rates. Is this great writing? It won’t win any Pulitzers. But if you’re a blogger, it’s a veritable fount of information.

Break the blogging rules – Do this, don’t do that, make sure you remember SEO. Don’t you ever get sick of people telling you what to do on your blog – including me? If so, you’ll love these blogging rule breakers. First, Seth Godin. An Internet marketing trendsetter, Godin’s blog, which is simply called Seth’s Blog, breaks all the rules: no links (in some posts), titles that are anything but SEO, subjects that are all over the place. But the stuff he talks about – priceless. Next, Lisa Barone, chief branding officer at Outspoken Media, whose recent post The 5 Old Blogging Rules Killing Your Readership has been making the rounds. Barone argues that tried-and-true blogging rules about short posts being better and page views being the end all be all are outmoded ways of thinking. Even if you don’t agree with what she says 100 percent, it’s food for thought.

Writer-bloggers we love – When it comes to blogs on writing or blogging, some writers have it down cold. Susan Johnson is one of them – and I’m not just saying that because she’s a 2010 Blogathon sponsor. Johnson’s blog, The Urban Muse, is well-organized, has lots of extras and above all, is always an interesting read. Other blogs about blogging worth checking out: Blogging Basics 101 – the name says it all – Copyblogger and Daily Blog Tips. Want more? Here’s Daily Blog Tips’ list of top 25 blogs about blogging.

At a friend’s recommendation, I wrote a letter of introduction – LOI in freelance lingo – to the editor of a just-launched personal finance website back in February 2008. Never heard back, forgot about it, and months later read somewhere the editor I’d written to left to do other things.

Flash forward to this week. The editor I’d first written to 17 months ago contacted me to inquire about my availability for an assignment for another soon-to-be launched personal finance website. After some initial back and forth on terms, etc., I’ve just agreed to accept. If things work out, the opportunity could lead to a steady stream of assignments.

Lesson learned: LOIs matter, though it could be months – or even years – before you see the pay off.

What to put in a LOI? At the very least, a description of who you are, what type of writing you do, what publications you’re written for, and the types of work you’re available to do for the editor or market you’re writing to.

What to emphasize and how much detail to go into on any of those points depends on who you’re contacting and why. If it’s a magazine you’d like to write features for, you’d want to mention similar pieces you’ve done in the past for similar markets. If it’s a website looking for bloggers or other regular contributors, you’d want to emphasize any relevant experience you’ve had working with a publication on an ongoing basis, particularly if you did the same type of work.

If you’ve got more ambition than experience – nothing on your resume or in your clips file quite matches the work you’d like to do – play up any strengths you do have. Explain how they could translate into the opportunity you’re now seeking. Don’t leave it to an over-worked editor to put two and two together – do the math for them.

LOIs should also always include links to your resume and a few clips. If you’ve already got these on your website or blog, all the better. If you don’t have a website or blog, send them as attachments. But why make an editor work that hard? It’d be in your best interest to start a simple blog if only to warehouse these types of documents, so an editor can see them with one mouse click.

Do LOIs have to be long? No. Here’s the one that landed me the assignment I mentioned earlier (with some information removed for privacy purposes):

Hi XXX:

My name is Michelle Rafter and I’m a freelance writer and friend of XXX. She told me recently that she’d passed my name onto you as someone you might be interested in working with on XXXX’s new Website, XXXX. I’d love to talk to you about possible writing opportunities. Or if you’re looking for pitches, I’d be interested in the types of stories you have the most urgent need to fill.

I’m a long-time business and technology reporter and first met XXXX when we were writing for XXXXX. I now write for several Websites she edits, including XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. I am also a contributing editor at XXXX, where I cover a variety of issues, including careers, hiring, retirement, pensions and recruiting.

You can read my resume and clips at my Website. I also have a blog for freelance writers called WordCount. You can see everything there at http://michellerafter.wordpress.com.

Thanks,

Michelle

Susan Johnston, has this example of a LOI on her blog, The Urban Muse Writer.

Got your own LOI secrets? Let’s hear them.

Then it happened. That very day. For the first time since 2003.

I am finally and officially worried.

And if I’m worried, I have to assume a lot of other self-employed writers are too.

So I put together the WordCount Bad Economy Emergency Survival Kit. In it you’ll find a hit parade of WordCount blog posts about what writers can do to ride out bad times. It includes some of the most popular posts I’ve written this year, based on the number of page views received.

Happy reading. Here’s hoping the market recovers next week.

Freelancers’ strategies for prospering in bad times - Suggestions from a variety of freelancers about steps they’re taking to strengthen their businesses this year.

Going freelance in a down economy – Susan Johnston’s choice to leave a full-time job to work for herself coincided with the start of the current down turn. Read how and why she did it in this guest post from the author of the popular Urban Muse blog.

Marketing your freelance business in bad times – Advice from a marketing expert and assistant professor of business at Oregon State University about what self-employed writers can do to promote their services.

Bad times are good for new media’s business news writers – While more newspapers are trimming their business sections, business news Websites are popping up all over the place, giving freelancers who cover business more places to pitch.

10 things freelancers can do to save money in a bad economy – Although I just wrote it this week, this post on simple things you can do to cut costs and save money is already proving popular – and has elicited some great comments.

10 things writers can do right now to feel better about the economy – More advice, this time on simple activities like updating your resume, joining social networks and calling editors, that could boost your sales.

Taking my own advice on beating bad times – How I’m practicing what I preach.

If you don’t, it might be time to get acquainted. HARO stands for “If I Can Help A Reporter Out.” It was started by a PR guy and networking maven named Peter Shankman as a place reporters can turn to when they’re stuck for sources. Shankman started it as an alternative to ProfNet, which some writers have complained has grown so big the sources it nets aren’t relevant.

For reporters, HARO is easy. You don’t even need to register. Just go to the “Reporter” side of the service, fill out the request form and click “Submit it.” Your query will be included in an emailing of multiple requests for sources that Shankman sends out several times a day to a list of more than 23,000 PR representatives, company executives and other sources.

I’d heard a lot about HARO in recent months but didn’t give it a try until last week when I was hurting for sources for an IT industry story for IncTechnology.com that I was writing at the last minute. So I took the plunge and submitted a HARO request. Within 24 hours, I got about 40+ responses from PR reps, IT consultants and company presidents, etc. By the end of day two, I’d received close to 60.

HARO isn’t just for tech stories. I have freelance friends who write about all kinds of things, from green living to parenting to finance, and they all use it and rave about it. And they’ve been able to track down the hardest sources of all to get – real people.

HARO has grown so popular so quickly, it’s now got some of the same problems that plagued other source-finding services, namely too many off-topic responses, which you can read more about in this post about it on The Renegade Writer blog. Get around that by making sure your queries are as specific as possible. And state up front that people won’t hear from you unless you’re interested in using them.

If you decide to give it a try, I’ve got one more piece of advice: since HARO can result in inquiries from many more sources than you could possibly use, when you fill out the query registration form, give a very short time frame for people to get back to you, such as in 24 yours or less. Otherwise you could get bombarded.

And if you’re a PR person, read these great do’s and don’ts from Susan Johnston’s The Urban Muse blog about using HARO to pitch story ideas to writers.

The contest, created by Michael Stelzner, proprietor of the Writing White Papers blog, received 300 nominations, which he narrowed down to 37. According to Stelzner, he’ll choose the top 10 based on quality and frequency of posts, reader involvement and Technorati ranking. Winners will be announced soon.

In addition to WordCount, congratulations to the following freelance friends whose blogs were also nominated:

• Susan Johnston, The Urban Muse
• Beth Morrissey, Hell or High Water Writer
• Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell, The Renegade Writer

Today: Career development for freelancers

Freelancers’ strategies for prospering in bad times – Suggestions from established freelancers with a variety of backgrounds and business plans, including tips for maintaining old clients while cultivating new ones.

Guest post: Going freelance in a down economy – Susan Johnston, a.k.a. The Urban Muse, shares how she ditched her full-time job for freelancing in this guest post.

Freelancers need to pursue grants, scholarships, fellowships – It’s hard for self-employed writers to make time to take classes, but the payoff in more interesting, better paying assignments can make it worthwhile.

Grants for women in digital media – Information on institutions that run grant programs to support women in media, who are at greater risk of dropping out of the profession than men.

News U. offers online courses and Webinars – Take classes without leaving home.

I didn’t set out to be a freelance writer. It’s the compromise I made in order to do it all, be a writer and a mom. It’s made for a good life, and a good career. I’ve had to work hard to do both. How? Here are my 8 secrets for making life work as a writer and a mom:

Get organized. If there’s a golden rule of being a writer mom, it is this. Use whatever works for you. I’ve always been a list maker. I recently switched from paper lists to putting everything in Microsoft Outlook: Tasks manager is my friend. I mix work, family and personal to-dos, but I’ve mixed my work life and personal life for so long it doesn’t faze me.

You can read more at the Urban Muse here.