Writing eBooks can be life-changing. Whether you are looking to take the initial big step in your career as a writer or looking for a steady stream of side income, writing an eBook is a great idea. Many people understand the value of writing an eBook but they are skeptical to begin because probably they simply don’t understand how to write an eBook or worried that they won’t get enough time to complete the eBook.

If you fall in the former group, you need to know that the most important step to take is to draft an outline. An outline is essentially the roadmap that you’ll follow. It lets you highlight the things you want to cover as well as the tricky patches that you are likely to encounter in the course of your first draft.

There is no right or wrong way of writing an outline but here are a few tips that can come in handy:

Draw a mindmap

Put your eBook topic at the center and add ideas as they come to you. You can use arrows and lines to connect them. Don’t bother to tidy up things at this stage.

Work backwards

Start with what you want your readers to accomplish once they have finished reading your eBook and work your way backwards to some of the things that they need to know first.

List your chapters

If you are very familiar with the topic of your eBook , you probably have an outline already. Write a list of the chapters and sections you want to see in your eBook. You can then write 3-5 key points for each chapter or section.

Get ideas from other eBooks

Go through other eBooks in your industry and see what topics appear in most of them. Check whether there is anything that you are missing in your outline. You should also establish whether each section have a consistent structure. This will make your writing process simpler as you will have fewer decisions to make.

Once you have a clear outline, it is now time to get your ideas in front of your audience: how to write an eBook. Remember to take your time to cover as much detail as you can. And your goal should dictate how deep you go with your eBook chapters. Are you looking to make quick money on a course? Are you planning to build a long-term business? Do you want just to spread your idea to as many people as possible? Your goals will also determine how much you leave out or include in your final draft.