How do you get started creating a Kindle ebook? It's a question I frequently am asked.
This week I had interviews with two favorite colleagues and both conversations ended up being about how bloggers and business owners can save time by leveraging their exisiting content and get more visibility, in order words, repurposing their content.
There are many, many ways to repurpose your blog content and I've addressed that in previous posts. However, most bloggers and business owners rarely take action and do the steps necessary that will increase their exposure, drive more traffic and generate more leads for their business. After talking with Phil Hollows (CEO of Feedblitz) about how I advise clients to create Kindle ebooks from their blog content, he remarked that it seemed like a lot of work and wondered if most people will make the effort.
Interesting question. No, most people will not do the work. And, the people who do the work, are the ones who see results and are successful.
The thing is, it's not hard to create, publish and promote a Kindle ebook. It does take a little time and effort though.
The example I use with Phil is how bloggers can use "low hanging fruit" to quickly create an ebook.
13 Steps to Your First Published Kindle Ebook
I'll assume you're already blogging for your business and have a body of work to draw on. Congratulations! The hardest part is already done! Here's how to proceed with my formula:
1. Review your blog categories and select one with 10-20 posts focused on one topic
2. Select 5-10 posts that naturally relate to each other.
3. Compile the posts into a word document and arrange them in a logical order.
4. Add an introduction to the topic.
5. Add a Table of Contents to each section.
6. Add appropriate transition content between each section.
7. Edit and update the content as necessary. Blog posts are often written in a casual style and you may want to clean that up.
8. Add a strong Call to Action at the beginning and/or end of the ebook inviting the reader to get more free information from you. Send them to a landing page to get the info.
9. Add your bio.
10. Create a cover for your ebook. You can use royalty free images to create an attractive, eye-catching cover.
11. Follow the guidelines on the Kindle Direct Publishing site for formating your ebook for their platform (this is the part that gets a little tricky. My team and I can help you with this.)
12. Upload your ebook.
13. Promote your ebook to your email list, on your blog and on social networking sites. Kathleen Gage has an excellent program for helping you create a Kindle bestseller.
See? Not difficult, but does take some time and effort. You could make it more complicated and create a stylish, fancy ebook, but this is my "down and dirty" formula for getting your first Kindle ebook published. After that, you can hone your skills or outsource to design experts. However, I know the first book is where most people get bogged down and I don't want that to happen to you. Get it done and then move on to the next. Your sense of accomplishment will make a big difference in motivating you to build a Kindle ebook empire.
To further help you out, here's a list of some resources I use when I develop digital products like Kindle ebooks.
If you want mentoring and help getting your first Kindle ebook published, check out my Kindle Ebook Jumpstart program.
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