eBook Writing Formats: How to Make the
Words Flow
BY DINA GIOLITTO
Nervous about writing your
first eBook? Never fear. eBooks are written in a
conversational, informative style that's easy for the reader
to understand, and easy for you to imitate as you write them.
Whether it's 10 pages about Smart Finances, 50 pages on "How
to Care for Your Cat" or 250 pages covering "Secrets of the
World's Best Yoga Masters," there are several eBook formats
you can write to that are thought-provoking enough to get your
words flowing, and flexible enough to make them as long or
short as you like. Each of these formats is extremely
appealing to the readers for its breezy, informative style.
Format 1: Q & A.
Question and Answer sections win major popularity points with
eBook readers for their direct, no-nonsense approach. Pose a
question, offer an answer. This format is extremely simple to
create because right from the get-go, the copywriter is forced
to jump into the mind of the consumer, isolate his concerns,
and then offer solutions. Switching perspectives is also a
great mental exercise that lets you to see both sides of a
situation. Why would you want to do this? If you can empathize
with the reader, you'll be able to answer in a way that keeps
his best interests in mind... and that makes him happy. If
he's happy, he'll keep reading. If he keeps reading, he may
ask for more information like this. And presto, you just
landed yourself more writing work!
The style in which you write
your questions will of course depend on the subject matter. If
your topic is a dry one, write your questions and answers in a
formal tone. If the theme is light and casual, try a
conversational tone, like this:
Q: How do I figure out what
questions to ask? A: That's easy; do some Web research! There
are forums for just about any topic on the internet. Visit one
or two, and find out what the most commonly asked questions
are. Let's say your eBook is going to be about quilting.
Locate some handicraft or quilting websites, sleuth around the
boards for a while, and you might find someone asking this
popular question: How do I silkscreen family photos to my
quilt? There you go! Real concerns, from real people. Put them
in your eBook!
Another good way to find
questions is to scroll the annals of your mind for real-life
situations. Maybe you're writing a book about senior citizen
retirement homes. Your grandma was in one, wasn't she? What
were her concerns? How about, "What do I do with all my stuff
before I move in?" "What if I don't get along with my
roommate?" "How can I ensure that my dietary needs are taken
care of?" Train yourself to think like the interested
consumer. Once you do this, you won't believe how quickly the
ideas come.
Format 2: Numbered Lists.
If you haven't noticed already, this article is written as a
Numbered List. Even though it's not part of an eBook, it could
easily be incorporated into one. The numbered list will suit
your eBook quite nicely.
People are drawn to lists for
several reasons:
-
The eye naturally wants to scan
anything in list format from top to bottom.
-
Lists provide incentive,
followed by accomplishment. If you're reading along and you
come to number eight in a list of 11 items, you know you're
3/4 of the way home! That's surely a reason to keep on
trucking.
-
Lists offer brief resting
points that allow the brain to absorb what it just read
before moving on.
Lists are just as easy to
write as they are to read. Let's say you're writing an eBook,
"How to Enhance Your Children's Lives." In the eBook is a
sub-section, "Fun Activities for a Rainy Day." The time comes
to write it, but you're drawing a total blank. Then you
remember the numbered list format! It's worth a shot. In one
burst, you scribble:
- Bake cookies
- Paint with watercolors
- Teach them a new card game
- Write poetry together
- Plant some garden seeds
Look at that! In less than a
minute, you managed to come up with 5 intriguing topics that
can be developed at great length. And what's this, you just
thought of four more! Once you're in the groove, it will be
difficult to stop. That's the great thing about list writing.
Can you see how this could quickly add up to lots of eBook
pages?
Format 3: How-To's.
Your eBook reader is forever searching for new ideas,
practical advice and solutions that work. She wants to be
told, step by step, how to go about everything from home
repairs to taxes, to raising her kids the right way. Give her
helpful instructions, and make her day!
Fill up your eBook with
instructions of all kinds. Imagine you're writing an eBook
about knitting. This subject begs for how-to copy! "How to Do
a Basic Stitch." "How to Knit a Scarf."
How-to sections can be written
in numbered steps, but they don't have to be. It depends on
the topic. Suppose you wanted to write a basic career guide.
One major section of interest might be, How to Get Along
Better With Your Boss. You can easily break this up into bits,
like so:
- Put yourself in your boss's
shoes
- Develop a positive outlook
- Start thinking of the
department's needs instead of just your own
- Consider your own work
habits from an outsider's viewpoint
- Open the lines of
communication
- Take a problem-solving
approach
You won't believe how quick
and easy it is to fill in the details for each of these major
points. If you keep it up, you might eventually need your own
instructions: "How to Stop Writing How-To Lists!"
Format 4: Problem-Solution.
The problem-solution format is a lot like Q & A. It's another
perspective-switching technique that will sharpen your
knowledge of the reader's needs and wants while establishing
you as the person with the answers. Let's pretend you're
writing an eBook for a life coach. She plans to include the
eBook as part of her coaching kit to help clients achieve more
in their lives. What are some problems a life coach's client
might face? Stress. Boredom. Loneliness.
Tackle these issues from the
reader's point of view, as so:
Things that Keep Me from
Moving Forward With My Life
- I have too much to do, and
not enough hours to do it all.
- My job is dull and
uninspiring.
- I don't have many friends
to keep my energy levels up.
Each heading will require a
response on your part; a paragraph or two where you can
expound on ways to solve the issues at hand and help the
reader realize that she's not locked into any situation.
Problem-solution formats are inspiring to write to because
they replace negative, self-defeating thoughts with positive,
energizing ones. You may find yourself catching the fever even
as you write them for your clients! And that will inspire you
to accomplish even more in your own life.
Format 5: Opposing
Viewpoints. Opposing viewpoints is a fun way to play
devil's advocate in your writing. Take the recent article I
wrote on copywriting: "11 Reasons Not to Hire a Freelance
Copywriter (and Why They're All Poor Excuses!)." Throughout
this piece, I set up points that the buyer might feel are
valid reasons not to hire a writer- and then I "shot each one
down" with solid evidence to the contrary. Some subheadings I
used:
-
Excuse 1. "Why pay someone else when I can do the writing
myself?"
-
Excuse 2. "I know my product/business better than anyone
else."
-
Excuse 3. "I find it difficult to work with someone in a
remote location."
This may seem like a sneaky
format, in that you seem to be writing from one point of view
when actually you favor the opposite; but it's a quick and
effective way to hook the reader's interest and hold it.
People love to argue; why not create an imaginary debate
scenario that they can relate to! If your eBook is meant to
persuade and convince people to try new things, the "opposing
viewpoints" format is a classic way to develop a good argument
and entice the reader to follow your lead.
Still intimidated about
writing your own eBook? You shouldn't be! Whether you're a
wet-behind-the-ears writer or an old, seasoned pro, writing
eBooks is an easy, fun and lucrative way to develop your
credibility on the web as well as broaden your knowledge on a
wide variety of topics. Use these tried and true formats to
fill page after page with interesting information written in a
friendly, conversational tone. Master the art of great eBook
writing! It will win you new readers and keep the old ones
coming back for more.
Copyright © 2005 Dina
Giolitto
Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey
based copywriting consultant with nine years' industry
experience. Her current focus is Web content and Web marketing
for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of
her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like
Toys"R"Us. Visit
her site for rates and samples.
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