Are you thinking about writing an eBook? You should be! Writing and publishing an eBook can benefit your freelancer career in a multitude of ways. You not only get the extra cash and put your name out there, writing a book can be an amazing personal experience, too!
Here’s the great thing – publishing has never been easier than it is today. Yes, there are some little tricks such as making sure you have the right kind of file and figuring out where you want your eBook to be sold. But compared to the process before the digital age – essentially contacting dozens of publishers and hoping someone would like it enough – the Internet opens a trove of possibilities.
Writing something and publishing it as an eBook for the whole world to see is a golden opportunity for freelancers. Here’s why:
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How writing an eBook can help your freelance business
1. Amazing reputation boost
First of all, eBooks can be the best marketing move you’ve ever done. Saying you’ve published a book is a great way to gain the respect of clients, both old and new. That’s because it says something about you: it shows dedication – you sat down for months and put your thought to paper in a useful, thought-out way. Moreover, you obviously have something to say and aren’t afraid to put what you know out there – those are all the qualities of a great freelancer.
Additionally, assuming your eBook is somewhat successful, it can also net you new projects. Whether those come from clients that are looking for new information on a certain topic or freelancers who feel like you should work together, getting “discovered” through eBook is more common than you might think.
2. Passive income
Secondly, an eBook is a great way to reach the holy grail of freelancing – passive income. You will put a lot of work into writing and publishing. But if you do it right and maybe have a little bit of luck, the long-term payout can be incredible.
Passive income will come in different forms. The most obvious one is people buying your book. But also people who learn about you through your book and maybe purchase something else or even your services.
An eBook will generate more traffic to your website, which means more ad revenue.
3. Organizing your thoughts and knowledge
Last but not least, writing an eBook can really help you get to know yourself better. The process of writing can be cathartic. Thinking about what you’ve done and what you’ve learned from mistakes and successes will not only generate useful information for the readers, but for you as well.
In case you’ve already written smaller things like blog posts or even longer Facebook or Twitter anecdotes – use those. Having them all into one, organized, tied-together book can really help you reflect on your career and how you could improve it. It’s never too late to re-learn a lesson you’ve forgotten.
The Publishing Process:
Next up, let’s look at the publishing process. But here’s a little disclaimer first – this article isn’t here to teach you how to write or what to write about. This is so personal that giving advice on it seems a bit pointless. You know where your passion is – and you probably know a lot about it, too! So just go for it. Here are some general tips that might help you out, though:
1. Creating an eBook file
To create an eBook, you’re going to want the right kind of file type. Nowadays, EPUB is the industry standard. Be mindful of starting on your EPUB file right away, at the very beginning of your writing process. Unfortunately, exporting to EPUB from software programs like Microsoft Word can be a little tricky or downright impossible.
Thankfully, however, there is some great software out there. You should check out PressBooks for a simple online tool, Sigil if you’re more tech-savvy or Vellum if you’re a sworn Apple user. There’s a lot of tools out there, so don’t be afraid to try a couple out before you decide.
2. Choosing distribution channels
There are a lot of ways you can go when thinking about where exactly you publish your eBook. If you’re looking for a good amount of market share plus a strong profit, you could go directly with Amazon. But, if you want to reach even more people while giving up some of your share, you can go with a distributor like Smashwords.
Last but not least, if you have a strong social media presence and a big audience already, you can publish in your own store via sites like Shopify. At the end, it’s up to you and what you’re looking for. Point of the matter is – publishing an eBook really is incredibly easy today. And if you’re a freelancer who loves to write, you should definitely consider doing it!
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