E-Book Writing Formats: How to Make the Words Flow

Nervous about writing your first e-book? Never fear.to go about everything from home repairs to taxes,
E-books are written in a conversational, informativeto raising her kids the right way. Give her helpful
style that's easy for the reader to understand, andinstructions, and make her day!
easy for you to imitate as you write them. WhetherFill up your e-book with instructions of all kinds.
it's ten pages about Smart Finances, 50 pages onImagine you're writing an e-book about knitting. This
How to Care for Your Cat or 250 pages coveringsubject begs for how-to copy! "How to Do a Basic
Secrets of the World's Best Yoga Masters, there areStitch." "How to Knit a Scarf."
several e-book formats you can write to that areHow-to sections can be written in numbered steps,
thought-provoking enough to get your words flowing,but they don't have to be. It depends on the topic.
and flexible enough to make them as long or short asSuppose you wanted to write a basic career guide.
you like. Each of these formats is extremelyOne major section of interest might be, How to Get
appealing to the readers for its breezy, informativeAlong Better With Your Boss. You can easily break
style.this up into bits, like so:
Format 1: Q & A. Question and Answer sections- Put yourself in your boss's shoes
win major popularity points with e-book readers for- Develop a positive outlook
their direct, no-nonsense approach. Pose a question,- Start thinking of the department's needs instead of
offer an answer. This format is extremely simple tojust your own
create because right from the get-go, the copywriter- Consider your own work habits from an outsider's
is forced to jump into the mind of the consumer,viewpoint
isolate his concerns, and then offer solutions.- Open the lines of communication
Switching perspectives is also a great mental exercise- Take a problem-solving approach
that lets you to see both sides of a situation. WhyYou won't believe how quick and easy it is to fill in
would you want to do this? If you can empathisethe details for each of these major points. If you
with the reader, you'll be able to answer in a waykeep it up, you might eventually need your own
that keeps his best interests in mind... and that makesinstructions: "How to Stop Writing How-To Lists!"
him happy. If he's happy, he'll keep reading. If heFormat 4: Problem-Solution. The problem-solution
keeps reading, he may ask for more information likeformat is a lot like Q & A. It's another
this. And presto, you just landed yourself moreperspective-switching technique that will sharpen your
writing work!knowledge of the reader's needs and wants while
The style in which you write your questions will ofestablishing you as the person with the answers.
course depend on the subjectmatter. If your topic isLet's pretend you're writing an e-book for a life
a dry one, write your questions and answers in acoach. She plans to include the e-book as part of her
formal tone. If the theme is light and casual, try acoaching kit to help clients achieve more in their lives.
conversational tone, like this:What are some problems a life coach's client might
Q: How do I figure out what questions to ask? A:face? Stress. Boredom. Loneliness.
That's easy; do some web research! There areTackle these issues from the reader's point of view,
forums for just about any topic on the internet. Visitas so:
one or two, and find out what the most commonlyThings that Keep Me from Moving Forward With My
asked questions are. Let's say your e-book is goingLife
to be about quilting. Locate some handicraft or- I have too much to do, and not enough hours to
quilting websites, sleuth around the boards for ado it all.
while, and you might find someone asking this popular- My job is dull and uninspiring.
question: How do I silkscreen family photos to my- I don't have many friends to keep my energy
quilt? There you go! Real concerns, from real people.levels up.
Put them in your e-book!Each heading will require a response on your part; a
Another good way to find questions is to scroll theparagraph or two where you can expound on ways
annals of your mind for real-life situations. Maybeto solve the issues at hand and help the reader
you're writing a book about senior citizen retirementrealize that she's not locked into any situation.
homes. Your grandma was in one, wasn't she? WhatProblem-solution formats are inspiring to write to
were her concerns? How about, "What do I do withbecause they replace negative, self-defeating
all my stuff before I move in?" "What if I don't getthoughts with positive, energizing ones. You may find
along with my roommate?" "How can I ensure thatyourself catching the fever even as you write them
my dietary needs are taken care of?" Train yourselffor your clients! And that will inspire you to
to think like the interested consumer. Once you doaccomplish even more in your own life.
this, you won't believe how quickly the ideas come.Format 5: Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing viewpoints
Format 2: Numbered Lists. If you haven't noticedis a fun way to play devil's advocate in your writing.
already, this article is written as a Numbered List.Take the recent article I wrote on Copywriting: "11
Even though it's not part of an e-book, it could easilyReasons Not to Hire a Freelance Copywriter (and
be incorporated into one. The numbered list will suitWhy They're All Poor Excuses!)." Throughout this
your e-book quite nicely.piece, I set up points that the buyer might feel are
People are drawn to lists for several reasons:valid reasons not to hire a writer- and then I "shot
1) The eye naturally wants to scan anything in listeach one down" with solid evidence to the contrary.
format from top to bottom.Some subheadings I used:
2) Lists provide incentive, followed byExcuse 1. "Why pay someone else when I can do
accomplishment. If you're reading along and youthe writing myself?"
come to number eight in a list of 11 items, you knowExcuse 2. "I know my product/business better than
you're 3/4 of the way home! That's surely a reasonanyone else."
to keep on trucking.Excuse 3. "I find it difficult to work with someone in
3) Lists offer brief resting points that allow the braina remote location."
to absorb what it just read before moving on.This may seem like a sneaky format, in that you
Lists are just as easy to write as they are to read.seem to be writing from one point of view when
Let's say you're writing an e-book, How to Enhanceactually you favor the opposite; but it's a quick and
Your Children's Lives. In the e-book is a sub-section,effective way to hook the reader's interest and hold
Fun Activities for a Rainy Day. The time comes toit. People love to argue; why not create an imaginary
write it, but you're drawing a total blank. Then youdebate scenario that they can relate to! If your
remember the numbered list format! It's worth ae-book is meant to persuade and convince people to
shot. In one burst, you scribble:try new things, the "opposing viewpoints" format is a
1. Bake cookiesclassic way to develop a good argument and entice
2. Paint with watercolorsthe reader to follow your lead.
3. Teach them a new card gameStill intimidated about writing your own e-book? You
4. Write poetry togethershouldn't be! Whether you're a wet-behind-the-ears
5. Plant some garden seedswriter or an old, seasoned pro, writing e-books is an
Look at that! In less than a minute, you managed toeasy, fun and lucrative way to develop your
come up with 5 intriguing topics that can becredibility on the web as well as broaden your
developed at great length. And what's this, you justknowledge on a wide variety of topics. Use these
thought of four more! Once you're in the groove, ittried and true formats to fill page after page with
will be difficult to stop. That's the great thing aboutinteresting information written in a friendly,
list writing. Can you see how this could quickly add upconversational tone. Master the art of great e-book
to lots of e-book pages?writing! It will win you new readers and keep the old
Format 3: How-Tos. Your e-book reader is foreverones coming back for more.
searching for new ideas, practical advice and solutionsCopyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
that work. She wants to be told, step by step, how