Thanks to the proliferation of ereaders and the growing popularity of ebooks, becoming a self-published author is literally as easy as sitting down and beginning to type. There is obviously more to it than that, but scheduling writing time and completing your project can often be the most difficult part of the process.
In addition to scheduling dedicated time to write, (whether you work from an outline or just start pouring out your ideas on paper), you should also spend time doing the following:
- Market research. Who will read your book? What audience are you targeting? How many other books on your topic already exist? How will yours be different?
- Price research. What are the books in your niche selling for? How much do the bestselling books cost?
- Sales research. What is the best way to sell your book? Can you arrange for people to read and review your book? Can you organize public speaking events at local libraries and bookstores to help launch your book?
- What are your goals? People write books for many different reasons. Sometimes they are trying to establish their credibility in a given field; sometimes they are trying to entertain; sometimes they are trying to tell a story. Knowing why you want to write an ebook can help you stay focused.