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Being a writer in an eBook era

Ebooks are changing the way we read and write and as sales continue to rise, more authors are buying into the idea of writing specifically for the eBook market. The unique format of an eBook, however, makes writing one a little bit different from penning a printed book. Below are three important pointers that will help authors excel in the world of eBook writing.

Think SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help your eBook get discovered, so you should think about using relevant keywords in your eBook’s title, headings, and subheadings. For example, suppose you’ve written a memoir called Out of the Dark, this title won’t really show up on anyone’s online search results because it's too broad, but if you instead called your book Out of the Dark: My Struggle with Multiple Sclerosis this title would yield more 'hits' because it's more specific, anyone searching for “multiple sclerosis” would likely locate your eBook with much more ease.

Add lots of links

The beauty of eBooks is that you can hyperlink virtually any text to material on the Internet. Say you’re listing resources it’d be an excellent idea to hyperlink them to external sites to save your readers the effort of researching, all they have to do is click on the hyperlink and there they're are. This measure is likely to augment traffic to your site. Also, at the end of your eBook, it’s a good idea to provide your e-mail address as well as you Facebook, and Twitter accounts so you can communicate with your readers. Today’s authors need to make themselves reachable via multiple social media outlets.

Include lots of extras

Readers love free content and some authors provide sample chapters of other books or even short reads at the end of each eBook. Offering the reader freebies many times translate to an increase in sales. So, if you have a short story that's been lying around unused, why not add it to the end of your eBook and attract readership?

There you have it folks three simple pointers to consider if you're thinking of writing exclusively in eBook format. Good luck and happy 2014!

Maria

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