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1 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
2 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Presented By Connie Ragen Green
Do for a year what others won't;
Live forever the way others can't.
~ Connie Ragen Green
3 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Table of Contents
Researching Your Book .................................................................................................. 4
Week 1 – Research Your Book ....................................................................................... 4
Determine the Goal for Your Book ............................................................................. 4
Choose Your Topic ...................................................................................................... 5
How to Outline Your Content ..................................................................................... 7
Sources for Inspiration ............................................................................................. 10
Stay the Course ......................................................................................................... 13
How to Choose Your Book’s Category .......................................................................... 14
Week 2 – Write Your Draft ........................................................................................... 16
Method #1: Use PLR .................................................................................................. 16
Method #2: Rework Old Content .............................................................................. 17
Method #3: Try Transcription .................................................................................. 18
Method #4: Dictate Your Content ............................................................................. 20
Method #5: Write It Out ............................................................................................ 21
Method #6: Hire a Ghostwriter ................................................................................ 22
Method #7: Partner with Someone Else ................................................................... 24
Choose a Method ....................................................................................................... 25
Book Topic Worksheet ................................................................................................. 26
Week 3 – Polish Your Manuscript ................................................................................ 29
Make It Shine ............................................................................................................ 29
The 3 Stages of Editing .............................................................................................. 30
Finding Beta Readers................................................................................................ 35
Tools to Help You Edit & Polish Your Book .............................................................. 37
Don’t Rush It ............................................................................................................. 38
Back Cover Copy Template .......................................................................................... 39
What I Want You to Do Next ......................................................................................... 40
About the Author .......................................................................................................... 41
4 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Researching Your Book
Week 1 – Research Your Book Publishing a Kindle eBook can grow your business in exciting, new ways. Some marketers
and digital business owners use eBooks to grow their platforms and develop a fan base.
You can publish eBooks to create an additional source of passive income in your business,
too. You can use eBooks to boost your credibility, making it easy for you to become a
sought-after speaker or well-paid consultant.
You might think that writing and publishing an eBook is a difficult process but it’s not. In
fact, the journey to becoming a published author can be fun and enjoyable if you know
what to do. Here’s how to get started…
Determine the Goal for Your Book Before you write a single word or start researching your topic, take some time to consider
what you want to accomplish with your book. This is the most important step you can do so
don’t skip it.
You may have one goal for your goal or you might have several goals for it. For example,
Tina wanted to use her eBook to establish herself as an expert in the parenting niche.
However, she also planned to use the book to create a passive income stream, too. This
meant that when she chose her topic, she picked one that she could easily turn into a series
later.
One thing to keep in mind, when determining the overall goal of your book, is that it doesn’t
have to be monetary. For example, you might plan to write a book and give it away for free.
The reason some marketers do this is because they use the book as the first step of their
funnel.
Once someone has downloaded the book, they present an upsell. Usually, this upsell is a
product or service with a large discount. If you have a large fan base or you have strong
relationships with well-known affiliates, then you can still make hundreds or even
thousands of dollars by offering the book for free.
Another reason you may want to publish a book could be to establish authority. That was
what Bob planned to. He was known in his field but he wanted to be thought of as an expert
and jumpstart his speaking career.
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Once his book was for sale, he began networking with professional journalists and
established bloggers. It wasn’t long before he was quoted as a source and began receiving
regular invitations to speak at various industry events.
As you consider your goals and determine how you’ll sell your book, don’t fly blind. Do
research and see what others in your niche are doing. Do most of your competitors use
their books as an introduction to their funnel? Are they cross-selling similar products like
workbooks or journals to their audience? Knowing this information can help you shape
your offer so that your community responds favorably to your book.
When you do find marketers who have built funnels around their books, take the time to
sign up for them. Whether you can download them for free or you have to pay for them, it’s
worth the investment. By being part of their funnel, you can see how they’re selling their
book and using it to achieve their goals.
Choose Your Topic
Once you know what you want to achieve with your book, it’s time to get ready to create it.
This part trips up many people. You have dozens of ideas until you sit down to write then it
feels like they all evaporate at once.
The best way to come up with a topic is to do some research first. In fact, doing your
research in the early stages will help you create a better book. You’ll know more about
what your audience wants and expects, what points to cover, and which subjects your
competitors left out of their books.
Start your topic brainstorming by focusing on this question: What problems are you
solving for your audience?
You must only write a book to solve a problem for your community. Otherwise, you’re just
adding more noise to the world. Your book won’t help anyone and you’ll be disappointed
when it flops.
Instead, think about the people you’re passionate about serving and tackle one big problem
that continues to haunt them. For example, if you’re a health and wellness expert who
serves busy moms, you may already know that your audience’s biggest frustration is
coming up with quick and easy meals.
Armed with this information, you can write a book filled with healthy recipes that are
simple for your community put together. You could even turn one book into a series by
writing a book on Instant Pot recipes then another one about one-pan supper dishes.
Ideally, you want to make a list of 5-10 problems that your audience has. This gives you a
few ideas to start with. However, you’ll want to expand on your list and make sure that
you’re tackling what your community needs most.
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You can use many tools to start your research. Often, question and answer sites can reveal
ideas and spark new topics you hadn’t considered writing on.
Answer the Public is a good starting place. You type in a keyword and this search engine
based tool pulls up a list of the most popular questions around that subject. It breaks these
questions into groups with headings like “why,” “how,” or “where.”
For example, if you were to look up “puppy training,” the website shows that these are
some frequently searched questions:
What size crate for puppy training?
How long does puppy training take?
Why use puppy-training pads?
Where to start puppy training?
What are best puppy training treats?
After the questions, you’ll see a section for “prepositions.” These are search terms like “is,”
“with,” or “for” and can be helpful when coming up with content ideas. Going with the
puppy-training example above, some of the search terms include:
Puppy training for potty
Puppy training without treats
Puppy training to not bite
Puppy training near me
Keep drilling down and you’ll even see a section that gives you data about comparisons that
users make when searching for information.
Not all of this data is presented as a boring list. It’s created as an image so you can visualize
what keywords you’re seeing. Even better, Answer the Public allows you to download this
information as an image that you can save to your favorite device. This makes it easy for
you to use these keywords whenever you need fresh inspiration.
The second place you should do your research is Amazon Best-Seller Lists. These lists of
the most popular books can you tell you a lot about what your audience wants to see more
of and what types of content they hate.
You can find Amazon’s best-sellers right here. However, don’t just pay attention to the top
100. Look on the side of the page and sort the results by topic. This will show you what’s
popular in your niche.
Keep in mind you may have to drill down to find information on certain topics. For
example, if your topic will be on “Aging” then you would click on the category “Health,
7 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Fitness, and Dieting.” You can go even more in-depth by selecting a subtopic of aging such
as “Exercise,” “Longevity,” or “Beauty, Grooming, and Style.”
Once you’re in your niche, look at the content of the books others are publishing in your
industry. Do they look professional? Are they well written? Do they have positive reviews
from dozens of bloggers or reviewers?
Scan the table of contents. Are there topics that the authors aren’t addressing? Are there
repeated customer complaints that too little time was spent on a particular thought or
idea? These may be signs that you’ve found a gap in the market so take notes of these.
You can also try the Google Ads Keyword Planner for your research. It can help you spot
keywords that you may have overlooked or discover topics you hadn’t thought about
mentioning.
The only downside is that Google has become vague with some of their data. This means a
search term may show between “10K – 100K” searches per month and it’s difficult to know
the exact number. It’s also difficult to find long-tail keywords with their planner now.
Some users who invest in Google Ads report seeing better results in their accounts.
However, if you’re just looking keyword data and don’t plan to run advertisements, this can
be frustrating and upsetting.
Fortunately, there’s a solution that also works well called Keyword Tool. This website
pulls data from Google searches for you and shows you the results. Even better, it doesn’t
just pull Google’s data, it can also display search terms used on other platforms like
YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Amazon.
In addition to seeing the search terms, you can also see frequently asked questions with
your keyword in it. This can inspire you with dozens of new topic ideas that you may not
have come up with on your own.
There’s both a free and paid version of this website. The free one can generate up to 750+
keyword phrases (some of them long-tail). But if you find you need more information, it
might be smart to sign up for their premium plan.
How to Outline Your Content
Once you’ve finished your research, you’ll probably have dozens or even hundreds of ideas.
However, don’t let the sheer volume overwhelm you. You can take all of these notes and
thoughts and turn them into a great outline.
Before you start your outline, it can be helpful to know that there are many ways to outline
a book and one isn’t necessarily better than the other. It’s all about what works for your
creative process and makes it easiest for you to write.
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Many new authors like to use mind maps when they’re in the beginning stages of their
outline. If you haven’t seen a mind-map before, it is a brainstorming device lets you draw
visual connections between your ideas. Instead of “reading” your ideas in a list format, you
organize them visually.
Two good free options for mind mapping are Mind Mup and Bubbl.us. Both of these are
web-based so you can use them on any device that has internet. But each has a premium
version with additional features that can be helpful during your brainstorming session.
If you’re looking for a program-based mind map that’s free, you might want to consider
FreeMind. The great thing about this tool is that you can export your mind map when
you’re done into a variety of formats including: PDF, JPG, HTML, or SVG. You can download
FreeMind through SourceForge here.
Once you have your mind map, it’s easier to outline your book because you can see all of
the parts of it at a glance. If you’re having trouble with your outline, consider turning it into
a series 10 questions your audience wants answered. Each question is a chapter and every
subtopic is a supporting question. So for example, your might have an outline that looks
like this:
Chapter One: What Is Calligraphy?
Where Did Calligraphy Originate?
Why Do People Use Calligraphy Today?
What Can I Do with My Finished Calligraphy Work?
Chapter Two: What Supplies Do I Need?
How Do I Know If I Picked the Right Pen?
Do I Need to Use Specialty Paper?
Which Ink Should I Buy?
You can use as many questions as needed in each chapter to share your information. Some
chapters may need several questions to cover all of the points you want to share while
others may only need three or four questions. Don’t get hung up on how many questions
you have right now.
Another way you can write your book is list style. Each of your chapters is an item from
your list. For example, you might be writing a book about puppy training. Therefore, you
could call it 12 Things Every New Pet Parent Should Know about Their Puppy. Each chapter
would be one item from the list. Your outline might look something like this:
Chapter One: How to Feed Your Puppy
Choose the Right Dog Food for Your Puppy
Set Smart Boundaries When It Comes to Food
How to Discourage Your Puppy from Begging
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Chapter Two: Puppies Need Training from Day 1
Don’t Wait to Train Your Puppy
Make Training a Fun Game for Your Puppy
Practice Patience and Kindness during Training
For some topics, it might be easiest to write your book in a step-by-step order. This is
usually best if your content will be a how-to or tutorial style. Each chapter could be a step
and the subtopics in your chapters would be the action items your reader needs to do in
order to complete the step. For example, if your book is about podcasting then your outline
might look like this:
Step One: Get A Microphone
What to Consider Before Your Purchase
How to Compare Different Microphone Brands
Finding a Great Deal on a New Microphone
Step Two: Set Up Your Microphone
What You Need to Know about Installation
How to Add the Software to Your Computer
Testing Your New Microphone
You could also outline your book and use each chapter as a case study or profile. This can
be helpful when you want to highlight a person or company and use them as examples. So
you could publish a book about 10 Kick-Ass Women Who Took Control & Changed Their
Lives. Your outline might look like this:
Kick-Ass Woman #1: Rosa Parks
How Rosa Parks Became Synonymous with World Change
The Early Years of Rosa’s Life
What Girls Today Can Learn from Rosa
Kick-Ass Woman #2: Ernestine Shepherd
Why Ernestine Became a Body Builder at Age 70
How Girls Today Can Be Strong Like Ernestine
Why Age Should Never Keep You from Your Dream
You could also do an outline by thinking of each chapter as a content series. For example,
maybe you normally write 500 word blog posts. Turn each chapter into a blog post series.
For example, if your book is about starting a web design business then your outline might
look something like this:
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Chapter One: What Every New Web Designer Should Know
Post #1: Don’t Get Bogged Down Creating Your Own Site
Post #2: How to Make A Portfolio that Will Knock the Socks Off of Clients
Post #3: Why You Need to Guide Your Client through the Design Process
Chapter Two: How to Find Your First Web Design Clients
Post #1: Get Clients from Awesome Referrals
Post #2: Partner Up with Another Smart Freelancer
Post #3: Create An Amazing First Impression at Business Events
By approaching your outline in this way, it’s easier to break down your thoughts and
organize them. It can be freeing (and fun) to think of your book as tiny blog posts that you
can stack together how you want.
Ultimately, you need to remember your outline isn’t set in stone. You can always go back
and edit it a few times. You can even move around information as you need to.
Sources for Inspiration
It’s not unusual to get stuck during in the outline or mind mapping phases of your book.
This happens because you’ve exhausted your own idea well. Fortunately, you can refill this
well at any time. Here are a few techniques to help you with that…
Google Books
Google has taken the time to index millions of books around the world. These include both
digital books and physical ones, too. The beauty of their design is that you can easily search
within a book to find a certain keyword. This can be helpful if you’re feeling overwhelmed
with your outline and not sure what else to say on your topic.
Just go to Google Books and do a search. You can look for books by title, author, or
publisher. Once you begin your search, you’ll see the title of books that match your criteria
as well as the author’s name and a picture of the book cover.
If one book catches your eye, click the blue “preview” link under the title. This will open up
Google’s reader and allow you to read the first few pages. If you look on the left side of the
reader, you’ll see a search bar. This is where you can add a keyword and see what the
author has to say about it.
For example, let’s say you’re writing about digital photography so you open up the book
Digital Photography Complete Course: Learn Everything You Need to Know in 20
Weeks by David Taylor.
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You can enter a search term like “low light” or “conveying movement.” Depending on
Google’s index, they may display some or all of the content that the book covers on this
subject.
Obviously, you never want to copy someone else’s words. That’s unethical and in some
cases, it could get you sued by the original writer. However, you can be inspired by an
author’s work. For example, you might read about “low light” conditions and realize you
want to talk about how to create the best lighting with a photography umbrella kit.
The more you immerse yourself in work from other authors, the easier it is to think of
topics you want to cover in your own book. That’s because inspiration often multiplies.
Once you’re in a good flow with one idea, more are likely to arrive soon after that.
Podcasts
If you prefer audio to text, you don’t have to be stuck using tools like Google Books. You can
instead look for MP3s and other audio content. You can find some of the best content by
searching through a podcast directory like the one from iTunes.
When you first go to the directory, you’ll see a list of topics. You may have to drill down
depending on what you need. For example, you can click “Health” and find the subtopics
for: Alternative Health, Fitness & Nutrition, and Self-Help.
After you click on a niche, you’ll see a page filled with podcast suggestions. These are just
the most popular podcasts on the subject you chose. If you want to go deeper, you can
browse the complete list in alphabetical order by using the letters at the top of the screen.
Keep in mind that some podcasts may not have recent updates but might still contain
valuable content. In fact, some podcast hosts don’t publish new content on a regular
schedule. They do this so they’re never tempted to release a subpar episode simply to fill an
empty slot on their calendar.
While you listen, have a way to record idea close by. This could be having the notes app on
your phone open or keeping pen and paper handy. If you’re trying to do something hands-
free like drive, then keep a memo recorder nearby. Then you won’t lose any flashes of
inspiration when they come to you.
Social Groups
When it comes to getting new ideas, you don’t have to lean into meaty resources.
Sometimes knowing what to add to your outline is a simple as finding Facebook groups
that cater to your audience.
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You can do this by logging into Facebook and visiting their group's page. You will see a list
of groups that you’re already part of. However, if you look at the top, you’ll also see a tab
that reads “discover.” Click that and you’ll see a list of group suggestions.
The first list of group suggestions will be based on topics you’ve expressed interest in. But
you’ll also see local groups, groups that friends are in, and groups that are labeled hobbies
and interests.
When you do find a few groups that seem like a good match, ask to join them. Some
moderators may have a questionnaire for you to fill out so make sure that you do that. You
should also look at the group rules to see if the group is a good match for you.
Once you’re part of a few groups for your target audience, spend some time browsing in
them. Answer questions from other members and provide valuable content for them. Many
times, these conversations can spark fresh inspiration and make you see your book in a
whole new way.
News & Journalism
Sometimes, looking at your topic in a new way can be exactly what you need to give you
fresh eyes for your outline. Try going to Google News and looking for “new study on
(subject)” without quotation marks.
You could use the search term: new study on heart disease. This pulls up several
interesting articles including one on why half of Americans now have heart disease and
another on how the Mediterranean diet can prevent heart disease.
If you find research that might be helpful to you later when you’re writing, you can save the
news story by signing into Google. You can also choose to select favorite topics or sources.
When Google finds content that matches your preferences, it will display this content
higher in your feed, making it easy for you to discover new articles on your favorite topics.
Videos
Videos can be another great source of inspiration when you’re not sure what else to put in
your outline. One of the most popular and well-known video sites is YouTube. You can use
it just like you would Google.
Type in your topic and search to see what comes up. You can change the results you get by
clicking the “filter” link at the top of the site. This lets you look for content that’s been
uploaded recently (like within the past few hour or days).
You can also filter content by the duration (perfect when you need to go in-depth) or by
features (such as subtitles or the location). You can even have your results displayed by
relevance, number of views, or the rating.
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However, YouTube isn’t the only video search engine you can use. There are also video
sites like Vimeo where you can find tutorials, documentaries, journalism, and more. You
may not find as many videos on the site but sometimes, the quality is much better.
If you’re still looking for video content to inspire you as you work on your outline, try
looking for TED Talks. These videos are presentations by both professionals and amateurs
on almost every topic you can think of.
Don’t feel like you have to watch a TED Talk that’s focused on your book’s subject.
Sometimes, the best way to find inspiration is to see content on an unrelated topic. That’s
because your brain can draw connections while you’re busy focusing on something else.
Surveys
If you’re stumped with your outline and you already have access to a large audience like a
big mailing list or a huge blog following, use that to your advantage. You can create a survey
to see what topics your community wants to know more about.
This doesn’t have to be hard or technical. You can use a website like SurveyMonkey or
SurveyGizmo. Create your survey by asking open-ended questions like: What areas of your
digital photography would you like to improve? Or What was the last book you ready on
the topic of digital photography?
Be sure to leave space at the end of your survey for your participants to share what they
want from you. You never know what they’ll say that might spark an idea or give you an
insight to add to your book.
Once your survey is set up, send it out to your subscribers, blog readers, and anyone else in
your community who’s willing to take it.
You may need to offer a small incentive to encourage people to click through your link and
record their answers. This could be a small gift like a coupon code for one of your product,
free registration to your paid webinar, or another digital goodie. Whatever you plan to
offer, make sure your participants will value it enough to fill out your survey.
Stay the Course
You might be tempted to skip the research week. It may not seem as exciting or glamorous
as some of the other steps involved. However, don’t fall into this trap. Doing your research
and taking the time to create a great outline will help you write your book quickly and
easily later. It will also make the whole publishing process easier and more enjoyable.
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If you start to feel overwhelmed this week, give yourself permission to take a break. But
don’t give up. Come back to your book and keep working on it. When you have a published
book in a month, you’ll feel so proud of yourself and be amazed at what you accomplished.
How to Choose Your Book’s Category The most important thing you can do when uploading your eBook to a publishing platform
is to choose the right categories to place your book in. Here’s how to do that the smart
way…
List 5 Best-Sellers that Are Like Your Book
Tip: Find Amazon’s best-sellers here and Barnes & Noble best-sellers here.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Check Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In which categories are these best-sellers?
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What keywords might describe your eBook? (e.g. anxiety, grief, loss, anorexia, etc.)
Tip: Amazon lets you choose up to 7 keywords so be sure to use them all.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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16 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Week 2 – Write Your Draft
You’ve done the hard work of researching and outlining your book, now it’s time to get to
the fun part: writing it. But what if you’re not what most people consider a “writer” or even
worse what if you hate writing? Well, here’s the good news: there are plenty of ways that
you can write a book that are fun and entertaining…
Method #1: Use PLR
PLR is short for Private Label Rights content. When you buy content that comes with PLR
rights, the seller is giving you permission to re-brand everything as your own and put it up
for sale. You can even add your name and website as though you’re the author!
Sometimes, PLR content is referred to as “white label content,” “done-for-you content,” or
even “ready to use content.” All of these terms mean the same thing—you can take the
content, tweak it for your own use, and claim authorship.
However, before you start using PLR, it’s important that you consider what you plan to do
with your book. If you want to sell it through Amazon Kindle’s program, you should know
the company is strictly against private label rights content of any kind. That’s because they
don’t want their marketplace flooded with duplicate books with different covers. However,
if you don’t plan to sell your book on the Kindle platform, then you could use PLR.
Think about what you plan to do with your book before you use PLR. Some sellers do have
restrictions about how their content can be used. For example, one PLR provider doesn’t
want the meaty eBooks he writes given away for free. He makes it clear in his terms of use
that his customers must re-sell the books for at least $17.
Other PLR providers won’t have these same restrictions. They allow you to use their
content how you like—regardless of whether you plan to sell it or give it away for free to
your community.
When it comes to PLR, you can find hundreds of articles or dozens of eBooks packaged
together for just $5 but often the value of these packs is very low. The content is
outsourced to writers in other countries, where English is not the first language. This can
make editing the content difficult as you’re not sure of the original writer’s intent.
You could spend weeks or even months editing and polishing the content. That’s why you
should look for a PLR provider, who has a trusted reputation in the industry.
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You can purchase content that’s well written and professional sounding from these sellers:
Ronnie Nijmeh from PLR.me
Justin Popovic from Tools for Motivation
Sharyn Sheldon from Content Sparks
Susanne Myers & Tracy Roberts from Piggy Makes Bank
Alice Seba from List Magnets
Alice Seba and Damon Greene from Publish for Prosperity
April Lemarr from Niche Starter Packs
Melissa Ingold and Nicole Dean from Coach Glue
Ron Douglas and Alice Seba from Elite Writers Lab
Also, check my resource page regularly for special offers on private label rights content
from the people I know, trust, and recommend:
https://hugeprofitstinylist.com/free-plr/
Keep in mind that you don’t have to use just one PLR pack to create your eBook. It’s fine to
mix and match your PLR. For example, you could turn a small 10-article pack from Piggy
Makes Bank into one eBook chapter.
Then you could take a small report from List Magnets and make that your second chapter.
The cool thing about doing this is that it becomes easier to write your book when someone
else has already done most of the writing for you.
You can edit or rewrite anything that you disagree with in PLR. So if you come across
advice you don’t agree with or outdated information, simply add in your own thoughts and
keep going. But don’t get bogged down thinking you need to edit everything. If the content
is well written already, you’re just duplicating your work by rewriting the original author’s
words.
Method #2: Rework Old Content
Some eBook authors are very prolific, churning out book after book. You may see all of
their work and wonder how they can write so much while still running their business and
having a personal life.
The truth is that some authors already have a huge arsenal of content to pull from. They’re
so good with content creation simply because they re-use everything that they make in one
form or another.
The good news is that you can use this technique yourself. Maybe you don’t have a website
filled with 600+ older posts. But look at what you do have. Did you create a small report
that was wildly popular with your community? Did you spend years regularly publishing
guides and tutorials for your audience?
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All of this content can be repurposed into your eBook. But before you copy and paste your
old work into your new eBook, take a few minutes to look it over. First, scan the content for
any outdated information.
This step can be very important depending on which niche you’re in. If you’re serving
young moms who just had their first child, then most of your content may be evergreen and
it will be easy to reuse it. However, if you serve a niche that’s gone through significant
growth in the past few years—like the web design industry—then some of your content
may need to be tweaked so it’s still relevant to readers today.
Besides updating the content, you should also look and see if you want to change any of
your previous words. With older content, you wrote it when you had less experience. You
probably know things now that you would do differently.
You may have even radically changed your stance on an issue in your industry. Don’t be
afraid to talk about that when you create your eBook. These admissions help readers to
understand that you’re still growing and learning yourself. It makes you look trust-worthy
in their eyes and gives them permission to grow, too.
Old content may need to be re-formatted, too. For example, your use of all caps in your
early blogging days will be annoying to readers now. But you should also keep an eye out
for “copy/paste” issues. Sometimes, moving content can mess up your formatting, making
your book a mess later on.
The best way to handle this is to paste your content. Then select it and click the “Remove
Formatting” button in your office program. Here’s a screenshot of what the button might
look like:
Using old blog posts or reports is a great time hack that can make writing your book a
much faster process. But remember to spend a few minutes editing or tweaking any
content that needs to be updated.
Method #3: Try Transcription
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If you’ve been creating content for your podcast or YouTube channel, you can use all of that
hard work for your book. In fact, many smart marketers take the content from their videos
and audios and turn it into eBooks they can leverage again and again.
In order to turn audio or video into text, you’ll need to focus on something called
“transcription”. This is the process of turning spoken words into text. This can be done in
many ways, depending on the amount of time you have available and what your budget
looks like.
The first and most obvious transcription method is to do it yourself. This can be a good
option if you have a very tiny budget but plenty of time on your hands. You could just select
your audio, start playing it, and get to work in your favorite office program.
However, this can be difficult. Every time you have to pause (and you’ll need to do that a
lot), you have to stop, minimize your existing windows, find your audio program and click
the stop button. Then when you’re ready to go back to typing, you’ll have to rewind your
track by a few seconds and make sure you got it all.
An easier way to transcribe your own words is to use a software option like Transcribe
from Wreally. You can use their integrated player & editor to capture your words in text
format.
You simply upload your video or audio and press “play.” Then you can use keyboard
shortcuts to quickly play, pause, slow down, or speed up your recording. Even better, you
can format your text within the app. This makes it simple to have a ready to go transcript in
just a few hours.
If you have a budget and you don’t want to transcribe your words yourself, you can use
other tools. Temi is a computer-generated transcription service. You upload your video or
audio track then the software displays your transcript. The advantage of using this method
is that it’s quick and easy to use. You’ll pay around $0.10 per minute of transcription.
An alternative is to hire a freelance transcription to turn your audio or video into text.
Though it’s more expensive, there are a few advantages to this method: first, you get the
benefit of a real human going over your words. If you’re talking about an important topic
like say a step-by-step guide to brain surgery, then you want to hire a professional for the
project.
You may also need a human when your audio is very low quality. Services like Temi are
great but if your microphone made the entire interview sound like it was underwater, you
need a professional on your side.
The good news is that you can easily find and hire a transcriptionist by using a website like
Rev. You can expect to pay around $1.00+ per minute of transcription but depending on
your needs, this can be a good option for you.
If you don’t want to transcribe your work yourself but you’re not afraid to spend some time
fixing punctuation and formatting your text, there is a free solution that might work for
you. The app Otter will transcribe up to 600 hours of content for you for free.
20 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
The only downside is that you’ll have to copy and paste the transcript into a word
processing document. Then you’ll need to go through and edit it. However, if that doesn’t
bother you, then Otter might be just what you need.
Method #4: Dictate Your Content
Transcription is a great way to write an eBook if you already have dozens of MP3 files or
videos that you can turn into content. But what if you don’t have anything? What if you
know exactly what you want to say but you don’t enjoy typing and find it to be an annoying
waste of time?
There’s another possibility you could try: dictation. Instead of using content you’ve already
created, you open an app and speak it into it. As you talk, your words are automatically
converted into text.
If you already use office programs regularly, you can open Microsoft Word and look for a
microphone button. You have to be signed into the software to see this option. If you’re
already logged in, simply click on the button. Here’s what it looks like:
Then you can begin speaking and watch as your text appears. Remember that like many
programs, you will need to speak punctuation marks at the end of your sentence. So when
you’re done with a thought you’ll say: “How will you know which podcasting microphone
you should buy question mark First, you should consider cost period next consider…”
This might seem tedious at first but after some time passes, you’ll get use to it. In fact, you
may even find that dictation is easy once you’re familiar with how to add punctuation.
If you’re not using Microsoft Word, you still have other options for dictation. You can use
Google Documents. Simply open a new document and look for “Voice Typing”. It’s under the
tools menu. Here’s what the option looks like:
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However, Google Documents currently only supports voice typing if you’re using the
Chrome Browser. Fortunately, Chrome is free and easy to install.
If you use Google’s voice typing feature, you’ll need to speak your punctuation marks just
like you do for Microsoft Word and other programs. So don’t forget to do that while you’re
dictating.
You can also use a website like Dictation.io or Speech Notes to create your book. But keep
in mind that you need to be connected to the internet when using either site as they’re both
online tools.
The cool thing about Dictation.io is that it can translate text from many different spoken
languages into your preferred text output. But unfortunately, Dictation is entirely browser
based and powered by Google Chrome. That means you’ll have to download Chrome if you
plan to use the site.
If you need a more robust dictation system and you don’t want to pay a small monthly fee,
you could purchase Dragon Naturally Speaking. Although pricey, this speech recognition
software is considered the best on the market and widely trusted around the globe.
For many marketers, dictation is a fun way to write their book. It’s often easier to talk
about a topic than it is to write down all of your thoughts. If dictation sounds like it might
be the answer for you, go ahead and experiment with it!
Method #5: Write It Out
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Sometimes, the easiest way to write a book is simply to write the book. If you find yourself
spending your days, playing with various tools and experimenting with different software,
then it might be time to take step back.
Writing your book doesn’t have to be hard. Break it down into manageable sections. For
example, if you chose the question outline, you only need to answer two questions each day
for five days. On day-six, write your intro and use day seven to write your conclusion.
Often, it’s helpful to write in short increments. Grab a timer or use a website like E.ggtimer
to set a countdown for 15 minutes. Use that time to write as many words as you can.
Challenge yourself to keep your fingers moving continuously until the timer dings.
If you’re still having trouble focusing on your book, it might be time to do something
drastic. Many writers find it helpful to cut off their internet connection for a specific
amount of time.
There are even programs that will block your internet access for an interval of time. Some
of these can be heavily customized like the Freedom App. You can choose to block the
entire internet or just sections that you find distracting (like social media or news sites).
Of course, you could also install a time tracker that randomly takes screenshots of your
screen like Rescue Time. At the end of each day, you can see a report of exactly how you’re
spending your time on your computer. You might just be surprised to discover how much
time you’re spending on sites like YouTube and Netflix while you’re “writing” your book.
If a timer just stresses you out or makes it too hard for you to focus, there are other ways to
write your book. Consider giving yourself a “reward” for each writing session. This could be
something simple like a walk around the neighborhood, a cookie, or fifteen minutes to read
your favorite novel.
Whatever the reward, choose one that you like and will motivate you. You can also set up
rewards as you hit milestones. For example, you might get a pedicure or massage after
finishing a chapter. You could even set up a super special reward for completing your book
like a night out on the town or weekend getaway.
Method #6: Hire a Ghostwriter
If you have the budget and you’d rather not write your book yourself, you can always
outsource to a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter is someone who writes your book but their name
doesn’t necessarily go on it. When the project is completed and you’ve paid the ghostwriter
in full, all of the rights belong to you. This means that you are free to do what you want with
the finished book.
Hiring a ghostwriter can be tricky though. You want to find someone who’s professional
and can write well. Some marketers try to hire the first cheap writer they can find. They
have a terrible experience then think that all ghostwriters are swindlers looking to cheat
23 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
them out of money. Actually, a ghostwriter is someone who enjoys writing and helping
other people bring their ideas to life.
You can look online for a writer. Some sites where you might hire a content creator are
UpWork and Freelancer. If you’ve never used these sites before, you sign up for an
account and create a job describing what you want from the project.
Then ghostwriters can bid on your job, giving you an estimate of how long it would take
them to do the work and what they would charge you for it. Depending on the complexity
of your project and your budget, you may have dozens of writers respond to your job
posting.
If you’re nervous about working with a freelance writer, ask around in some of your
Facebook groups. Chances are you know someone who has worked with a good
ghostwriter, even if they haven’t mentioned it before.
You could post something simple like: “I’m working on a book that I’m really excited about
and I’m in need of a ghostwriter. Who do you recommend? I’d love a few suggestions to
start my search with. Thank you!”
Then pay attention to the responses you get. Look for writers who are mentioned again and
again. The highly recommended ghostwriter with a stable full of happy clients is usually a
good choice.
Understand that by asking for a recommendation, you may be sent to ghostwriters who
charge more. Writing, like everything in life, comes down to quality and often, you get what
you pay for. If you want professional writing, you have to be willing to pay a professional
rate.
If you’ve found a writer you like the sound of, arrange a time to connect over Skype or
through a phone call. Share your outline with the writer beforehand and ask for their
thoughts on it.
Be prepared for follow up questions though. A professional ghostwriter will want to make
sure she’s thorough and covers your content completely. That means she’ll probably have a
lot she wants to clarify and she’ll take many notes.
Pay attention to the vibe you get from the writer during this call. If you don’t like the
freelancer or have a funny feeling in your gut, don’t ignore it. While the ghostwriter might
be completely professional and an amazing writer, sometimes there are personality
conflicts or other problems.
If you and your writer agree to work together, you need to agree on a timeline. How fast the
writer can work and how complex your topic is will impact how long it takes to get the
book writer. At the minimum, you want a writer that can give you a chapter a week.
24 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
When your writer completes the project, make sure to schedule time to read it through. If
you need edits or changes, it’s best to contact your writer early on so they can get the work
done quickly.
Method #7: Partner with Someone Else
Another way to write your eBook is to bring in a partner. Writing can be an overwhelming
task and it helps to have support. However, that doesn’t mean that you should pair up with
the next person you see.
You want to choose a writing partner that you click with. Think about how miserable it is to
go to a job where you hate your co-workers. You don’t want that same dread impacting
your writing process.
Instead, you want to look forward to working with your writing partner. You want it to be
someone you get along with. That doesn’t mean you’ll see eye-to-eye on every creative
issue but it will be easier to navigate conflicts when there’s mutual respect and admiration.
So, where do you go to find a writing partner? Don’t post an ad first thing. Instead, look
around at your current circles. Are there any friends or connections that you’ve always
wanted to collaborate with?
These potential writing partners may even be people you’ve worked with in the past. For
example, David had worked with Shannon when she was a virtual assistant who wrote blog
posts for her clients. Now she was a six-figure writing coach and David reached out to co-
partner with her on his next book. To his delight, he found she was excited about the
project and wanted to collaborate.
Keep in mind that you have to share your vision for the book with a potential partner. You
can’t just say, “Hey, I’m looking for a writing partner so we can collaborate on a book about
Viking history.” You need to be prepared to share your outline and talk through your ideas.
If you don’t have a shared vision for the project, it’s going to be very difficult to write
together.
As you’re looking for your writing partner, do think about what you’ll both bring to the
table. Often, the best partners bring complementing strengths. For example, you might
know how to make a great sales funnel but you may struggle with writing the actual book
content. By collaborating, you and your partner get the best of both worlds as does your
audience.
This doesn’t mean that you won’t help with the writing but it does mean that you can let
your partner take the lead when it comes to that part of the project. Then when it’s time to
work on the funnel, you may need to step up and guide your partner.
25 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Take time to read something your partner has written or if they’ll be bringing a different
skill like graphic design to the partnership, look at some of their work. Browse their
portfolio, buy their products, and look at reviews from others.
If you find the work is subpar or you have doubts, don’t agree to work together. Your name
will be associated with your partner for years to come. You don’t want to risk being known
for shoddy work or being linked to someone who is unprofessional.
During your search, keep in mind that communication is essential during a partnership.
Both of you need to be willing to confront problems and deal with them. If you try to ignore
the problem in the hopes that it will go away, the final product may suffer.
Not only do you have to be willing to draw attention to an issue, you also need to be open to
hearing about potential problems from your partner. You might think everything is going
along fine with the project only to have your writing buddy tell you that there’s a major
problem with the middle section of the book.
It can be tempting to get upset, offended, or hurt when issues are brought up. But rather
than leaning into your emotions, think about what your partner is really saying. Often, their
words have nothing to do with you. They just want to bring up the problem and get it
resolved so the eBook can get back on track.
Finally, don’t forget to look at what your partner’s long-term goals. Do they want to write a
series of eBooks to create a stream of passive income for both of you? Do they want to use
the book as the first step in a complex sales funnel?
You want to work with someone who has similar goals to you. If your plan is to write a
single book to establish your expertise and become a speaker, that’s great. However, if your
partner wants to write a 20-part series and turn it into a massive digital course, then your
conflicting goals may make it difficult to work together.
It’s a smart idea to approach a writing partner the same you would a business one—with
your eyes wide open. The more you know about your writing buddy’s workflow, goals, and
ambitions, the more likely you are to enjoy the partnership.
Choose a Method
There are dozens of different ways you can write a book. Don’t get caught up thinking you
need to investigate every method before you start writing. Instead, pick one that looks like
it might be a good fit for you and dive in.
If you find you’re not enjoying it after two or three days, you can always switch gears and
try something different. The more you learn about your writing style and preferences, the
easier it will be to work on your book.
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Book Topic Worksheet Selecting your eBook’s topic is the first step in the publishing process. But if you’re feeling
stumped, here are some ideas to get you started…
Who are you writing the book for?
What are your audience’s top frustrations or problems?
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What advice is your community always asking for?
What blog posts, podcast episodes, or Facebook Live videos have been your most popular?
List your top five:
Blog Posts
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Podcasts
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Live Video
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
How will you bring a unique angle or present new information on this topic?
28 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
29 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Week 3 – Polish Your Manuscript
Writing a book is quite an accomplishment and you should proud of yourself. Not many
people reach the point where they can say they’ve written a book. But once you have
completed the writing, the book is still not finished yet. There’s more to do…
Make It Shine
Anyone who writes a book is often too emotionally invested to realize that it’s not perfect
as-is. If you’re the only person who has read your book, then there’s a 99.9% chance that
you missed something that could impact the book’s future success.
Since you only get one shot to make a good first impression, you don’t want to disappoint
your readers. If they are disappointed, the book may be marked as “DNF” (did not finish) by
your audience.
Your book needs to appear professionally written or readers will move on quickly. For
example, Patty rushed to publish her book before she took the time to make it the best it
could be. She received a lot of criticism and negative reviews. Eventually, she took the book
down and re-launched it with a new cover after she had made major improvements.
When it comes to polishing your book, you need to set aside time to read it cover to cover
in one sitting. There’s a lot of advice that tells writers to “let the book sit” but this isn’t a
good thing to do. You want to reread the book while it’s fresh in your mind. Otherwise, you
might forget something important.
As you read your book again, don’t read it from an editing mindset. Instead, look at it
through the eyes of a reader.
See if you can answer exactly what is about within the first few pages. If your message isn’t
clear, you run the risk of sounding like you don’t know what you’re talking about. In
addition, you’ll lose your audience’s interest and they’ll put your eBook down.
When you go back to the beginning to polish your book, you want to make sure that it
opens with a hook. A hook is a sentence or two that’s compelling, interesting and draws in
readers. Your opening hook is what makes your audience want to keep turning the pages.
As you read your book, notice the flow of your content. Do you hop from topic to another in
a way that’s not coherent? Do your thoughts flow clearly or is it easy to lose your place due
to confusion?
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If you don’t have an outline, it can be helpful to create a list of important information you’re
trying to impart in the pages of the book. You can use this as your table of contents later if
you’d like.
But for now, your list or outline will act as a readability checklist. By following it, you can
see if you covered each thought or topic and ensure your thoughts are flowing smoothly.
Books that are easy to read have a higher readability quotient. They’re also more pleasant
to readers and because of that, they’re more likely to review your eBook and recommend it
to others.
It can be difficult when reading your own work to judge if it’s well written. There are tools
that you can use that will help you measure important markers in your book. You can use a
website like Web FX’s Readability Test Tool to help with this.
You can use the “test by direct input” button and paste portions of your manuscript. The
site will check your writing after you hit “calculate readability.” Then it will tell you what
the grade level for your writing.
Pay attention to this level. If you’ve written in a style that only those with a PhD can
understand, then you need to go back and rewrite that portion of your book. The average
audience may understand that level of writing but they aren’t likely to enjoy it.
Along with the readability level, the site above will also tell you the number of sentences
you use and the words in each sentence. You want to know this information because if all
your sentences are the same length—give or take a word—it can make the writing difficult
to understand and tedious to read.
Sentences that are the same length throughout the book also affect the pacing. If your
pacing is too slow, readers will think your eBook is boring. However, pacing that’s too fast
will leave your readers feeling like they didn’t get enough time to absorb your ideas.
The 3 Stages of Editing
The hardest work you’ll ever do on your eBook is the editing. You may think of editing as
merely checking the grammar and spelling or looking for typos. While it’s true that these
are editing tasks, they aren’t the whole process.
A thorough edit involves three separate stages. Your book isn’t ready for publication until
you’ve completed these edits and even then, you may find yourself needing to revisit an
editing stage.
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Stage #1: Developmental Editing
The first stage of editing is what’s known as developmental editing. During this phase, you
read through your entire book and you make notes as you go.
Start by looking for inconsistencies. For example, you promise the reader you’ll teach them
something more, then you started talking about something else and never circled back
around to the promised material. You want to tie up these loose ends so they don’t
disappoint readers.
As you read your eBook, pay attention to the overall tone of your book. Make sure that if
you’re sharing a story about someone else that you don’t accidentally give the person the
wrong name or title. Little details like this can distract your audience and make reading
your book less enjoyable for them.
Also during this stage, you’ll want to double check the descriptions, facts or resources that
you mention for accuracy. You may end up unknowingly sharing information or links that
are no longer available if you don’t.
It’s essential that you examine whether each chapter has a strong enough hook or teaching
point to carry it. If you fizzled out and tried to pad the word count, you need to go back and
rewrite it.
In developmental editing, you’re checking for anything that would jar your reader out of
what you’re saying. However, you also want to make sure that you tap into the emotions of
your audience.
Readers who relate to the emotions you mention are more likely to be moved to take
action. Books that motivate or inspire, make them happy, nostalgic or give them answers
are ones that an audience will not only remember and use, but you’ll get word of mouth
marketing from it as well.
Finally, you need to edit the content for your voice and personality. Your voice is made up
of your life experiences, your beliefs, and your attitudes. You want that to shine through.
It’s what makes your book unique. In other words, your “secret sauce” keeps readers
turning the pages.
Remember, the best books aren’t the ones created by experts or niche leaders. The best
ones are written from the heart of a writer trying to connect with her audience. So if your
book doesn’t sound like you wrote it, rework it until it does.
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Stage #2: Line Editing
The second stage of editing is known as line editing. Some writers confuse this stage with
proofreading since proofreading and editing are often used in place of each other, but that’s
not what this is.
Proofreading focuses on surface mistakes like typos. Line editing focuses on how you’ve
written your story and making sure it flows smoothly. It’s the phase where you check to
make sure you’ve written your ideas in the best possible way. Here is where you’ll push
yourself to go deeper into the book and make it the strongest it can be.
Start by looking for places where you’ve said the same thing. You may have repeated
yourself but just worded it differently.
At this point in the editing process, you’ll look for paragraphs that need tightening. If your
wording makes it hard to understand the point, you need to rewrite that paragraph or
section.
The tempo or pacing of your book should be examined during the developmental editing
stage. Books that are written with a lot of long sentences tend to have slower pacing.
Shorter sentences speed up pacing.
Long, unbroken, descriptive paragraphs or an overwhelming amount of detail (known as
fluff) slows pacing. Look for paragraphs that are difficult to read because there are too
many words. Shorten them. If a detail isn’t important to the point, consider cutting it. Be
willing to let go of words that don’t strengthen your book.
You should also cut portions that don’t tie in with the main theme. Paragraphs that veer off
topic or thoughts that don’t serve a purpose should be removed. Remember, every time you
cut something from your book, you’re trying to make it stronger.
It might be tempting to use big, complicated, or niche buzzwords in an effort to impress
your audience. However, you have to keep in mind that not every reader is at the same
level. You want your book to appeal to beginners as well as those who are more
experienced.
Try reading you work out loud to see how it sounds. If you find yourself having to reread a
sentence or paragraph, then the phasing is probably awkward and needs to be tightened.
As you read through, look to see what the reader takeaway is. Will they learn anything from
this section? Did you share actionable advice they can implement? Did you provide step-by-
step instructions? Did you leave out anything in those steps?
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While line editing, look for “pet” words. Every writer has them—they’re the words that slip
into your book seemingly on their own. Common overused words include:
Just
Only
Really
Totally
Completely
Somewhat
Somehow
Absolutely
Basically
Actually
Sort Of
Pretty
Very
Kind Of
Often the words above just weaken your sentences. They water down your meaning and
can even confuse readers depending on how you use them.
Keep in mind that line editing is all about the flow of your words and how they sound
together. Don’t be afraid to experiment and rewrite sentences if you can make them
stronger.
Stage #3: Copyediting
The final stage of editing is known as copyediting. In this phase, you’ll look for common
grammatical errors. Even if you’re great at grammar, you don’t want to skip this step. It can
be easy to accidentally switch words. For example, you used farther when you meant
further.
Other words that are easily confused or switched up during the writing process include:
Accept/Except
Affect/Effect
It’s/Its
You’re/Your
Illicit/Elicit
Pour/Pore
34 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Advice/Advise
Dual/Duel
Palate/Palette
Ensure/Insure
Aloud/Allowed
Principle/Principal
Grisly/Grizzly
Site/Sight
If you’re using an office program, it’s easy to find the number of times you used a repetitive
word. Press Ctrl + H and that will bring up a dialog box. Put in the word you’d like to check
and it’ll show you how often you used the word.
Besides switching words, misspellings are also something you’ll want to watch for. While
most writing programs will catch commonly misspelled words, some won’t—especially if
the words are unusual.
As you’re editing in this stage, make sure your verbs agree with your tense. You’ll also want
to check to make sure you didn’t accidentally use a homonym incorrectly. For example,
Robert used “bare” when he meant “bear” in his eBook. These simple mistakes can change
the whole meaning of your sentence and confuse you readers.
When you reach the copyediting phase, this is your last chance to make sure that
everything in your book is as polished as it can be. So now is the time to double-check your
dates, charts, images, and other important information.
During copyedits, you should listen to your manuscript. Hearing the words out loud will
help you determine if the sentences read smoothly or if they’re jarring. Most devices have a
feature known as “Screen Reader”. PC users can find this feature under “Windows
Accessories.”
Turn on the screen reader and pull up your document. Let the program read your words
back to you. This will help you see if you are transitioning smoothly when introducing new
ideas and thoughts.
Since copyediting is the final stage of editing, study your punctuation and keep an eye out
for mistakes. These mistakes can include things like forgetting to put something in
quotation marks or having a period at the end of a sentence that needs a question mark
instead.
Check for spacing in between words and sentences. Format your book in this stage so that
it looks like you want it to appear in eBook form. Doing this makes it easier to handle
formatting issues later.
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Remember, the point of copyediting is to present your content in a way that’s logical
without confusing or overwhelming your readers. You want your words to be invisible so
your ideas can shine through.
Finding Beta Readers
Now that you’ve completed the editing stages of your book, you’re ready to take the next
step. This involves finding other people to read over it before the book is published.
The purpose of doing this is so that you receive feedback on what you’ve written. When you
use beta readers, you end up with a professional, refined book because others will often
catch what you miss.
Think of your beta readers as your test group. These early readers will help you eliminate
problems before the eBook goes live. They can see your book and its flaws more clearly
because they aren’t as close to the content as you are.
You’ll also discover if your eBook is right for your target audience. If your audience has
questions or doubts, you’ll be able to tweak the book using their input. Another upside to
using beta readers is that you can have them do pre-reviews of your book before it comes
out.
These pre-reviews will go up on their social media profiles or book websites. This creates a
buzz for your eBook before it’s released. Then, these reviews can be added to your
platform’s author page so that when the book is published, you already have plenty of
positive reviews.
Finding beta readers won’t be difficult if you a decent following already. You can send out
the call for beta readers to your email list. Alternatively, you can put a notice up on your
website or social media letting your followers know you’re looking for someone to read the
finished product before it goes on sale.
If you do not have a large following, you can still put the announcement out across your
social media. However, you can also reach out in any forums or groups that you belong to
asking for beta readers.
Finding beta readers is easier if you look in communities where you’re known. That’s
because joining a group just to find beta readers isn’t very effective. If no one knows who
you are, chances are they won’t care about your book.
One thing you can do is connect with a colleague or leader who is also in your niche. You
can ask them if they’ll put a “shout out” on social media for you. Another option would be to
ask if they’re interested in bartering or participating in a book swap option.
36 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Some people might advise you to send out your book to family members or to your friends.
This is not always a good idea, if your family and friends don’t understand the purpose of
your book or the people it was written for. They can check for grammar and mistakes, but if
they’re not your target audience, you don’t really get a good feel for whether or not your
book works.
Your family and friends may also be more hesitant to tell you the truth about your book. In
the interest of not wanting to hurt your feelings, they might simply say that they liked or
enjoyed the book which doesn’t help you polish your eBook. You need people who will be
honest with you because they don’t have anything at stake.
Keep in mind that you should ask more people than you think you’ll need because
inevitably, someone won’t come through and finish reading the book before launch time.
To make sure the beta reader experience is a good one for you and them, they need some
guidance. Email the reader the book along with a checklist or set of instructions. Include a
date that you need their responses back to you by. Give yourself plenty of time to make any
changes beta readers suggest before you go live.
In your instructions, ask the reader to write down the page number and anything on that
page that needs your attention. This might be a grammar mistake or a typo. It could be
something they didn’t understand, or they feel was explained in too much detail.
Specifically ask if your words resonated with them. In addition, find out if what you said
made sense to them and what their overall impression was as they read. When the halfway
point has passed for when the feedback is due, send out a reminder email along with a
message saying you hope they’re enjoying your book.
When you receive your feedback, some of it will be helpful but some of it won’t be. You
have to separate the comments that point out a legitimate problem from the ones that want
to rewrite your passages based on opinion. Not every beta reader will be as informed as
you about the book’s subject matter so their comments may not always be valid.
If you receive enthusiastic responses from the beta readers, select a few of them to contact
and tell them you’re going to highlight portions of their comments and put them under
editorial reviews.
Be sure to keep a list of every beta reader, who completely read your eBook and turned it
into you with notes. You’ll want to be sure and thank these people in the acknowledgement
section, so they know you appreciate their hard work.
37 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Tools to Help You Edit & Polish Your Book
When you’re editing your book, you may need help organizing all your thoughts, ideas,
images, charts, and other information. For that, you can use Scrivener. You can see the
screenshots here.
The program allows you to work on your book a chapter at a time with the ability to
rearrange your thoughts or sections of the chapter easily. You can leave notes to yourself
within the application and you can also add things like tables or images. The software is
also compatible with audio files.
You may also want to get a program that can help you with spelling because there’s no
doubt that you’re going to make mistakes as you write your book. However, these mistakes
can be caught if you use the right tools to help you polish your book.
Some writers swear by using the spell check feature in their writing program. But these
spell checks aren’t infallible. They often can’t tell the difference between a word that
sounds similar to the one you actually meant to use.
For example: You might mistakenly write: The software isn’t affective for the job. What you
mean to write was: The software isn’t effective for the job.
The second sentence uses the correct word effective but spell check wouldn’t catch the
mistake and correct it for you. Therefore, you would unintentionally change the meaning of
your sentence if you only rely on spell check. Beta readers are awesome at catching
mistakes like these, too.
You don’t have to carry the burden of editing alone. There are plenty of online tools that
you can use. Some of these are paid resources but others are free or have special trials you
can take advantage of.
One of the best sites for editing your eBook is Grammarly. It has both a free and premium
edition that you can use including a browser button you can insert to check your spelling
and grammar when you’re writing emails or posting to social media.
However, you can also use it for any of your writing projects, including the ones that are
book length. Not only will the resource point out spelling errors, but it will also perform a
basic check of your writing.
If you need more help finding problems like vocabulary errors, grammatical mistakes, and
punctuation, then you would choose the paid premium option. In addition, the software
will check to make sure your words are concise and tell you why you should change the
parts that are flagged as needing to be rewritten. Then it will give you a suggestion on how
to fix the issue.
38 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Besides Grammarly, you might also like, Pro Writing Aid. This software also has both a
free and a paid edition. In the free edition, you can only have the program check about 500
words at a time (that’s roughly a page of content). However, with the paid version, you can
upload your entire book and have it checked.
One of the features that users like best about Pro Writing Aid is that it offers “writing
reports.” With these, the program will look over what you submit to determine how to
make it better.
It will check for style, grammar, words that you overuse, sentence lengths, transitions and
more. Not only will this improve your current book, it will help you become aware of your
writing weaknesses so you can improve other content you write like blog posts, short
reports, and more.
You can also use the Online Grammar Check from SEO Magnifier. It checks your writing
for spelling and grammatical errors. It also searches your sentences to ensure they have the
proper subject/verb agreement.
Since you can only upload small files at a time, this site is best used for people who want to
turn their previously written articles or blog posts into a book. If you’re looking for a
proofreading website, try Language Tool. It highlights errors and recommends alternative
solutions.
The exciting thing about Language Tool is that it can differentiate between English based
on the dialectic you choose. For example, you can the tool check your content and note
problems for American English, Canadian English, and others.
You can use the free version of the tool to check up to 20,000 characters (that’s roughly
4,000 words). Therefore, you could presumably use it to check your book chapter by
chapter if you wanted to stick with the free version. If you’d rather do all of your book at
once or if you want additional features, they have an affordable monthly option that might
be a good fit for you.
Don’t Rush It
In the excitement of having your eBook completed, it’s natural to want to begin working on
the publishing process. You’re proud of your new book and you want to share it with the
world. However, it’s important that you take the time to slow down and polish your
creation. You don’t want to release a subpar eBook that taints your reputation and turns off
potential readers from your brand.
Instead, be patient during this time. Remember that your goal isn’t just to publish a good
book—your goal is to create an outstanding resource that both your community and your
fellow niche leaders can proudly recommend. That means giving yourself the space and
39 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
time to rework your book. When you’re done, you’ll have a finished product that you can
proudly promote to your audience, knowing it will inspire and delight them for years to
come.
Back Cover Copy Template Your back cover copy is one of your most important sales tools. However, it doesn’t have to
take you hours to create. Use this handy template to get it written quickly and easily!
Headline
Are You Ready to Become (Results Audience Wants)?
Get Serious about (Topic) and Finally (Achieve Results)!
How To Do (Task) While Doing (Other Unrelated Task)
The (Definitive/Best/Ultimate/etc.) Guide to (Results) for (Your Target Audience)
Back Copy
In (Book Title), (thought leader/expert/authority) (Author Name) explores (topic) in-
depth. Find out why (problem) happens, how to overcome (obstacle), and (achieve the
desired result). You’ll also discover…
(Book Feature #1)
(Book Feature #2)
(Book Feature #3)
(Book Feature #4)
(Book Title) will (transform/challenge/inspire/motivate) you to (do task). You’ll feel
(excited/peaceful/delighted) as you experience (positive result).
Author Biography
(Author Name) is an (expert/leader/authority) on (topic or subject matter). He/she has
(relevant credential such as schooling or number of years in field).
He/she lives in (country or state) with (partner or kids or fur babies) and loves (hobby or
interest) when he/she isn’t busy (writing or researching) about (topic or subject matter).
To learn more about (author), visit (website address).
40 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
What I Want You to Do Next
I have been writing to grow my business since coming online in 2006. In
2010 I published my first bestseller, Huge Profits with a Tiny List: 50
Ways to Use Relationship Marketing to Increase Your Bottom Line. Since
then I have written and published more than twenty books around the
topics of authorship, entrepreneurship, and mindset.
In 2017 I taught my first "8 Week Author" program to a small group of
participants. I now teach this program twice a year and have expanded it
to ten weeks to enable me to cover additional marketing strategies
specific to selling books and creating an income stream from your
writing. Seventy percent of my students complete their book during the
program, or within another four to six weeks. I write a book right along
with everyone else to model the system I have created.
Please join my list so that you and I will be connected and able to
communicate online. You may do this at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
Also follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ConnieGreen
Read my articles on Medium at
https://medium.com/@connieragengreen
Take a look at all of my books at http://ConnieRagenGreenBooks.com
My goal and intention is to work closely with you as you write your first,
or next book.
To Authorship Success!
Connie Ragen Green
41 © Connie Ragen Green https://ConnieRagenGreen.com
About the Author
Connie Ragen Green is a bestselling author, international speaker, and online marketing
strategist who is dedicating her life to serving others as they build and grow successful and
lucrative online businesses. Her background includes working as a classroom teacher in the
inner city of Los Angeles for twenty years, while simultaneously working in real estate as a
broker and residential appraiser. In 2006 she left it all behind to come online, and the rest
is history.
She makes her home in two cities in southern California; Santa Clarita in the desert and
Santa Barbara at the beach. Connie also spends time in Finland with extended family
members and has adopted this country as her second home.
In addition to her writing and work online, Connie consults and strategizes with several
major corporations and some non-profits, as well as volunteering with groups such as the
international service organization Rotary, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, the women's business organization Zonta, SEE International, and several
other charitable groups.
As the recent recipient of the Merrill Hoffman Award, presented to Connie by the Santa
Barbara Rotary Club, being honored with this award has strengthened her resolve to serve
others around the world in any way she is able to by using her gifts, talents, and
experiences in a positive and sincere manner.
Take a look at my titles here: