One Weekend to Create an Awesome eBook

Have you considered writing an eBook but have no idea where to start?

If you have been wanting to write an eBook, you landed in the right place!

Many bloggers have the desire to share their knowledge in an eBook. However, it can be a daunting feeling to wonder how to start.

Another frustration of bloggers is getting the information to fill up an eBook.

If I told you that your eBook could be completed in one weekend, would you believe me?

I will help you simplify the process so you can complete your eBook in one weekend.

Where is the most accessible place to get content so you can write your eBook quickly and accomplish your goal of being an author?

There is no better place than turning to the blog posts you have already spent hours writing!

NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure for details.

As a blogger, your main job is to provide content that will engage readers by solving a problem. Once you have accomplished this, you want to bring them to your website for answers. To succeed, you must use multiple methods to engage an online audience.

Turning your blog posts into an eBook is an excellent way to build your credibility. It can also bring more readers to your website.

If you choose to sell your eBook, this is a great way to make some extra cash. If you don’t want to sell it, another option is to use it as an opt-in or content upgrade to grow your email subscriber list.

With over 5 billion people using mobile devices (source) an eBook is also a great way to offer your content to them so they can read it anytime, not just when they are online!

What is an eBook?

Almost everything we do in today’s world is available in a virtual format. We have eBanking, eTickets, eCigarettes, eCommerce, and eGift Cards, just to name a few examples.

In simple language, an eBook is a book that is read in digital formats. Examples might be using a smartphone, computer, or tablet. Even books for sale in a bookstore or on Amazon are often available in a virtual format. This allows them to be read via an electronic device or the audio listened to using the same or a similar device.

Simply speaking, an eBook is an electronic or digital version of a printed book. They can come in a printable format (such as pdf format). Sometimes they are not even printable but can only be read on the device.

One key factor to remember when deciding what format to use for your eBook is that it should not be editable by anyone except the author.

For example, a Word document should not be the final version of the eBook when it is released for others to read, even if this is the program used to create it.

Writing an eBook is a great way to give your followers a way to read your information anytime and anywhere they want!

Why should you turn your blog posts into an eBook?

As your blog grows, you have new readers hopping on board.

Why is this important to note?

Very few of these readers have been with you since the beginning of your blog. However, since day one, you have invested your time in creating great content.

Creating an eBook from your blog posts is an excellent way to share older posts with newer readers. You likely have some hidden gems in older content that can be brought back to life by repurposing it into an eBook. And what an excellent way to share the content with your recent followers!

An eBook can provide in-depth information in one place

Have you ever been searching for an answer online, and instead of one solution, you found many answers? Then, as you read each article, you had to decipher the information and try to put it all together.

I would venture to guess we have all been through this time-consuming (often frustrating) process!

Creating an eBook for your readers is a way to gather all the information you have written on your blog and lay it out in a nice step-by-step or sequential format.

Your readers will love you because this will:

• Save them time from trying to decipher all the information themselves
• Give them one place to revisit when they need are looking for information on your eBook topic
• Allow them to read the information when they may not have internet access (if your eBook is downloadable), such as when they are a passenger in a vehicle or in a waiting room for an appointment.
• Give them plenty of time to read and re-read the information without having to remember what blog post they were on to find the information again

Essentially, an eBook written from blog posts is a method to offer your outstanding content to readers in the most convenient way possible!

An eBook establishes credibility as an expert in your niche

Bringing information together into an organized and informational eBook for your readers is an excellent way to showcase your knowledge. It demonstrates you have the ability to share the information in an excellent format. It also shows you can make it understandable and enjoyable to read.

Considering you include your personality in your blog posts when you write them, the same would be true for your eBook.

Including first-hand experience adds additional value for your readers. Not only is your experience unique, so it cannot be included by other authors, but it also opens the door for your readers to be able to personally relate to you.

An eBook can create an income stream for your blog

If one of your blog goals is to create a passive income stream, writing an eBook should be high on your priority list.

A mistake many bloggers make is to think people won’t buy an eBook because the information is on your website. In reality, it is often the opposite!

Readers pay for the convenience!

An eBook allows them to:

• Read all the information in one place
• Download the information so they can read it offline if they choose
• Have the information organized, so they don’t have to jump around and put it in order themselves

Increase your eBook sales by adding extra value to your readers. Write an additional chapter on the eBook topic that is not on your blog.

This will give them more incentive to purchase and make their money well-spent! Be sure to include information about this bonus on your sales page, in all your correspondence to your email subscriber list, etc.?

An eBook can increase your newsletter sign-ups

Another great way to use an eBook is for an opt-in or content upgrade to your newsletter.

For example, you could summarize the posts into a short eBook. Another example of an effective content upgrade for a blog post is to share the first chapter as a post and include the final chapters in exchange for an email address (packaged as an eBook.)

The length of an eBook can be a few pages, 20 pages, 100 pages, or anywhere in between (or even more!)

I wouldn’t recommend creating an eBook out of one post, but typically 3-5 blog posts are a good number to target when turning posts into an eBook.

An eBook can increase the total sales of your digital products

An eBook is an excellent digital product to use as a tripwire or an upsell for other products.

Another option to increase total sales of your digital products is to use several eBooks and create a bundle, or add an eBook together with a digital product (like a course) in a bundle.

As you create more digital products, you have multiple options on how to package them together or separately to increase your total sales.

 Which blog posts should you use for your eBook?

Selecting the blog posts to include in your eBook may feel overwhelming. This is especially true if you have been blogging consistently for quite some time.

Don’t overthink this process! I am going to break it down and keep it simple for you!

Follow these steps to select the blog posts you will include:

1. Ask yourself, “What is the recurring theme of my blog?” (This is an easy one, right?)
2. Ask yourself, “What are my blog categories?” (Another easy one!)
3. Search your posts to see the topics you have written about most
4. Narrow the topic as much as possible for final post selection – use the WordPress search feature with each category as noted in the image below
5. Select final posts – be sure the selected posts fit into the topic/title of your eBook

If you select blog posts that have not been recently updated, read them thoroughly. If they need updating, I recommend doing the update on your blog (not just for the eBook copy.)

How do I turn these blog posts into an eBook?

Now that you have your blog posts selected, it is time to start designing your eBook!

Here are your steps:

1. The easiest way to get the information from your blog post to the eBook is to copy and paste it into Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
   You are just working with the text, not the images. After the text is moved into your document, copy and paste the images into a folder. This makes them easy to locate in a few minutes. (You can also move the images into the folder as you go if that is faster for you. I like to batch tasks and do everything at one time and then move on to another task.)
2. Create Your Table Of Contents
   Your post titles will serve as chapters for your table of contents. Organize them so they make sense and flow nicely from one topic to the next. (Remember all topics need to be related to the main theme of your eBook.)
3. Add Content To Your eBook
   In addition to the content from your posts, the following should also be included:
   > Cover/Title Page
   > Table of Contents (with page numbers)
   > Author Page
   > Specifics on How To Use the eBook, Purpose, Summary, etc.
   > Resources & Links
   > Contact Information
   > Copyright Information
   > Disclosures (Affiliate, etc.)
   > Sources
   > Content + Images (blog posts)
4. Proofread, Edit, and Revise
   After completing the document, review it and make any necessary changes. The quickest way to do this (and you can also make changes as you work) is to use Grammarly (if you aren’t a user, this post on how Grammarly is a blogger’s best friend will show you all the reasons you should be!)

Once your pages are laid out and ready to go into eBook format, there are multiple options to put your actual eBook together, so it reads like a book.

Some of the options include Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, or Canva.

I prefer to use PowerPoint because it gives me more control over graphic and image placement, design elements, etc., and it is free (if you have purchased it with Microsoft Office.)

It is also easy to design your cover in PowerPoint if you go that route. You can do it all in PowerPoint or hop into Pic Monkey and fancy up an image and then add it to PowerPoint. The cover of your eBook should include a photo, title, tagline, author name, and website.

Some bloggers choose to have their cover designed for them. I recommend Fiverr as one of my top choices if you prefer to have a professional design for your cover.

How do I format my eBook?

There are numerous ways you can format your eBook.

I personally turn mine into a PDF file so it is easy to share and simple to read. This is also a great way to discourage people from changing their information.

However, there are ways to crack through the PDF-protected file if someone is determined to do so. (I don’t stress about this.)

Other formatting options include (not all are free, and I have not tried all of them personally):

• FlippingBook
• Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Any-Ebook-Converter
• Calibre
• Flipbuilder

How do I publish my eBook?

Awesome job!

You just created an eBook from your blog posts! 

What is next? Delivering it to your readers. How it is delivered depends on what you decide to do with it – sell it for income or use it as a newsletter opt-in.

If you decide to sell your eBook, I recommend one of the following three ways to deliver it:

1. Use SendOwl
2. Select a course platform – New Zenler is a personal favorite
3. PayPal (set up a sale button with a PayPal business account and place it on your blog)

Creating an eBook is a great way to increase newsletter subscribers or start making money with your blog!

If you decided to use your eBook for an opt-in or content upgrade, here are 4 great choices for delivery to your readers:

1. Self-host it on your website
2. Store it in Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, etc. (it will be downloaded from there)
3. Use your email platform to deliver it
4. Use a course platform (see #2 above) and price the eBook at $0 (free) – I only recommend this option if you have other courses available and you want exposure for them. If you choose this option, I recommend the eBook is also downloadable from your website. (This is how I have a couple of my opt-ins setup.)

Are you ready to write your own eBook?

Converting your blog posts into an eBook is one of the simplest ways to start making money with your blog or to create an excellent opt-in. If people read your blog posts, they love the information you are sharing and will likely download or purchase your eBook!

After your eBook is complete, create a landing page for it. Whether you sell or use it to grow your email list is essential.

Once the sales page is complete, create several images for social media that link directly to that sales page for increased exposure. This will get you more newsletter sign-ups or make you more money. 

About the Author

Dr. Tawna Schmidt

I’m a prior teacher, school counselor, university professor, and starter of three 6-figure businesses, turned full-time blogger. If you’re serious about turning your blog into a money-making business through the development of niche sites, you’re in the right place. It Started With A Blog is where I share my strategies, trials and errors, successes, and a glimpse into my daily life as a full-time blogger.

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