I have notes for my ebook on my phone. Where and how can I develop an ebook?

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Hi! It’s great that you have all the content ready. Congratulations on actually finishing your book, which is something most people in your situation never do! Let’s quickly discuss how to proceed further, covering the basics of publishing and other relevant information.

Ebooks are huge right now. I appreciate your timing of choosing that as an option. There are many platforms for developing an ebook. Expecting that you know about the essentials, there are two different ways of developing an ebook. In case you want more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The two different ways are:

1) Web-based apps and plugins:

These are software that runs on a web server. You don’t need to install it on the local operating system. The examples include Beacon (WordPress plugin), GoogleDocs, PublishXpress, etc.

2) Desktop tools:

As the name suggests, they are software that you install on a computer. Examples include Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Adobe InDesign, calibre, etc.

Also, since it’s safe to assume you are making ebooks as digital products that you intend to sell, I would like to suggest trying out Perfect Product Creation (PPC), especially if you are selling nonfiction, although I believe the general concepts apply to any ebook. It is an hour-long video program teaching you how to develop a digital product, such as an ebook, regardless of your niche. Usually, people consider developing ebooks an easy process, and it is, but they ignore the real factors that contribute to their success. The proliferation of online tools is to blame for that. Those tools, no doubt, make the literal development process easy, but they do not teach the basic truths about what kind of products succeed in the market and which ones vanish into obscurity.

It’s important to look past the literal stuff sometimes, like the tools and tactics. The stuff taught in PPC works. Since I am using PPC presently after the recommendation of an industry expert, I would recommend it as well.

Now then, regarding converting into PDF, if you are confident that your content is designed systematically, and would look good in that format, you can do that. I would not recommend it with more “book-like” ebooks, such as fiction or creative nonfiction like memoirs unless you really know what you’re doing. For that classic book experience, you’re going to want to get a professional edit, before anything else. Then, get a properly processed and coded HTML file and convert it into e-publishing file formats, such as .mobi for Kindle devices and the Amazon store. You can learn to do this, or pay someone to do it for you. Don’t edit your own book, though, have someone else do that.

On the other hand, if you aren’t selling anything like that, and your book is more in the line of “My 30-page guide on how to XYZ”, basically a digital business product, then, by all means, PDF is fine. If the book is really big, you might want to go the other route, though, because then you can also convert the text and get it typeset for a print version, and print-bound books are a great marketing tool. Just ask Russel Brunson.

For publishing your book, you have two options:

1) Getting a publisher. Discounting paid publisher services, there are online publishers you can submit to, and if they accept you, that will take some of the work out of your hands. Whether that lack of control is worth it to you, I can’t give blanket statements. You’ll have to decide. Obviously this option is not necessary in the case of digital marketing type books, because you can put those out rather easily on your own website, which you should. For all other book types, a publisher is a worthwhile option.

2) Publishing on your own. This takes work, and time, and you’ll have to learn a lot, but it’s not as hard as it might seem, especially if you tackle it like an entrepreneur, and not an artist hoping to make it big. It’s a business. You’re a publisher.

In conclusion, publishing an ebook is an easy task, provided you follow a systematic method. It’s certainly easier than actually writing a book, which it sounds like you’ve done.

Please feel free to reply to me if you seek more information on any of the points discussed in this answer. I would be please to help.

Good Luck!

Thanks,

Cleo



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