This is part four in a series on How To Write An eBook: From Idea to Launch. You can read part one here, part two here and part three here.
Once you’ve come up with a topic for your eBook, there’s still one more step before you start writing. You have to create an outline (well, you don’t have to, but it will make the writing process a lot easier if you do!).
And the smoother you can make your writing process, the better the chances of you actually doing the writing.
Here’s how to create an outline that will make your writing process a million times easier:
The Outline
If you did the brainstorming I talked about in part three of this series, you’re already half-way to an outline. All you need to do now is pull it together.
The first thing you want to do is make a list of the things you know have to be included in your eBook. This includes:
- A Table of Contents
- An Introduction
Then you’ll want to list each main topic from your brainstorm as the chapters of your eBook. Underneath the main topic, include all the subtopics from your brainstorm. Then add under the subtopics the additional subpoints you came up with.
Using the “gluten allergies” eBook example (from part three in this series), here’s what an outline would look like:
Example eBook Outline: Gluten Allergies
1. Table of Contents
2. Introduction from the Author
3. Symptoms of Gluten Allergies
4. How To Eat At Restaurants
–Questions to Ask
- Does this have any wheat in it?
- Does this have any soy sauce in it?
- Does this have any flour in it?
–How to Read the Menu for Hidden Gluten
–Dealing with Waitstaff Who Don’t Understand
5. Transitioning from Eating Gluten to Not Eating Gluten
6. How To Cook Gluten-Free Food
7. Gluten-Free Recipes
Now this is an incomplete outline, but you get the general idea. The numbered points are chapters, the points with the dashes are the subsections of the chapter, and the bulleted list below the subsections are subpoints for the subsection.
This is just one way to outline, but it’s how I do it and it makes the process of writing much easier. All you have to do from this outline (once it’s finished being filled in) is start writing.
You’ll already know the order everything goes in and you’ll have the information listed out that needs to be included. It’s literally just filling in the blanks at this point.
You can always change things around and add more information as you write along, but this will give you the general guidance you need to get started writing your eBook.
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What’s your outlining process like? Does it make it easier for you to write afterward?
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