How to Create Your Own EBook

The world of publishing has changed drastically since my first book was released in 1993. Starting in 2003, I now publish all of my own books as the "traditional" publishers don't bring any benefit for me. Often I am asked about the process and it is somewhat dependent on what you are wanting to create.

I ran across a great article titled How to Create Your own E*Book that was born out of a presentation at an un-conference. It gives you a very good blueprint for creating an ebook ready to sell in Amazon's Kindle store. Even if you are planning on releasing on other platforms, you can still follow much of the recipe provided.

Read Step 2 carefully as it is extremely important. You'll even note that it was added to the list as somewhat of an afterthought. In general, my first drafts are pretty darned good. Yet they are never without mistakes. Readers of this blog know that the occasional mistake makes it into the blog since I don't use an editor for the posts.

The process I use for the books has three editing passes with outside editors. First I have my "grammar editor" read the raw text and correct any errors. In almost all cases, I go with all suggested changes. Then the text is off to a technical editor who makes sure any steps I describe are accurate and may suggest some tips or features I may have missed. When those corrections are made, pages are laid out and printed. Those printed pages go back to the grammar editor for one last pass.

With all that editing and reading through things myself, there are still a very small number of typos that sneak through. Just imagine how many more would be there if there wasn't such a strict editing routine in place.

If you decide to embark on creating your own ebook, I wish you the best of luck. It is certainly exciting to have your own works available and it could be a way for you to make some extra income or even to change careers.