Annie Jean Brewer - How to Write Ebooks For A Living

HOW TO WRITE EBOOKS FOR A LIVING

BY

ANNIE BREWER

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Annie Jean Brewer on SMASHWORDS

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HOW TO WRITE EBOOKS FOR A LIVING

Copyright 2011 by Annie Jean Brewer

Discover Other Titles by Annie Jean Brewer at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/annienygma

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it,or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returnto Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespecting the author's work.

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HOW TO WRITE EBOOKS FOR A LIVING

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"Give a man a fish and you feed him for aday. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Chinese Proverb

I am a writer. I have publishednumerous ebooks online and live entirely from theroyalties earned from these publications.

Daily I receive emails from people asking howI do it. I normally attempt to answer these questions in just a fewsentences but honestly we need a bit more than that to cover theentire subject thoroughly.

After yet another of these occasions Idecided to write this book. This way I can help others by sharingall of the information that I have available without fear ofleaving something out.

I have created this book for those who areserious about being an independent writer; those who are willing todo whatever it takes to become successful.

You will get as much out of this informationas you are willing to put into it; if you never write your firstebook you will never have a completely passive income (unless youwin the lottery that is). If you treat this as a hobby you willreceive a hobby's wages.

Earning a living with ebooks is just likefishing: you won't catch dinner if you never bait the hook.

I became able to live completely off my bookroyalties in slightly over a year after publishing my very firstebook in August 2010. In that first year I published 10complete ebooks online. This is the type of dedication you willneed; the dedication and determination to keep typing andpublishing until you reach the magic number of published works foryour unique amount of expenses.

Now, instead of fighting with a day job Iwake up with my daughter, send her off to school, drink a cup ofcoffee and sit down at my beloved computer. I will work on mylatest project, clean the house, chat with friends or take longsoaks in the bathtub.

My joints no longer ache from tugging heavyboxes at a low-paid dead-end job. I no longer have to rush toachieve everything in a single day. After school my kid walks inthe door with a smile on her face because she knows Mom is there togreet her. Sometimes I walk to the bus stop to give her theumbrella if it has rained during the day.

We walk to the library, watch movies, cookdinner and enjoy our time together as mother and daughter. Whileshe does her homework I add to my latest book. Evenings aregenerally spent watching a movie with her but sometimes I workwhile we enjoy the video on the screen.

When a friend and fellow artist has a localperformance I never worry about being able to make it because Ihave no boss to ask for permission now. When I want to pull anall-nighter to read a book or write one I no longer have to denymyself.

If I want to go somewhere I just go. I canwork wherever the wind may guide me thanks to the laptop my ebookroyalties have paid for. As for bills, they are now paid in advanceor as soon as the invoice hits my mailbox. No longer do I have towait for payday or worry about having enough gas to get to work. Wealways have more than enough.

This is the life of freedom that a writer canobtain.

This process is not aget-rich quick scheme. It will take a year at the very least foryou to wean yourself from the day job. The more work you put intothis, the faster you will achieve your dream of freedom.

To prove to you that the information in thisbook works I offer a money-back guarantee: if after six months youare not completely satisfied with the results you have receivedemail me with your receipt at annie (at) annienygma.com and I willgive you a full refund of the purchase price.

Peace,

Annie Brewer

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In order to write ebooks you will need accessto certain pieces of equipment. Here are the basics that you willneed:

Computer:

A computer is an essential when it comes towriting ebooks. You do not have to have access to the latest andgreatest machine; an older one will work just fine. It can beeither a Windows or an Apple computer but some have successfullyused other operating systems like Linux to write their bookson.

Software:

For best results with the conversion softwareyou will encounter on distribution sites I recommend purchasing acopy of Microsoft Word. The source ebook file needs to be in theDOC format (Word sometimes calls it the "Word 97-2003" format) asopposed to the newer DOCX format. As a result you can use olderversions of Microsoft Word if you have them available.

If you do not have a copy of Microsoft Wordyou can purchase a legal copy of Microsoft Office dirt cheap atWaysale.com ( http://www.waysale.com/wholesale_microsoft_office ).This is where I buy my software. You will download the programdirectly from the Microsoft website.

Internet:

A connection to the Internet is essential tobeing able to upload and publish your ebooks online. You don't haveto break the bank but you do need some sort of internet access.

What if I Don't Have This Stuff?

If you are starting out on a shoestring anddo not own a computer, software or internet connection you canstill write an ebook. Check out How to Write andSell an Ebook for information about creating ebooks whenyou don't even own a computer or other basic tools.

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If you are serious about being an independentwriter you will need to pare down your living expenses. This isessential so that you can (A) Work less at your day job to devotemore time to writing, and (B) Make the transition from being atypical worker to an independent writer faster and easier.

I had an advantage because I have lived onvery little since I divorced my husband in 2002. As a result I knewexactly how to keep my expenses low so that I could dedicate themaximum amount of time to my writing and make the transitionquickly (if a year can be considered quick). I shared my tips,tricks and experiences in The Shoestring Girl:How I Live on Practically Nothing And You Can Too forthose who are interested.

Reduce your bills by eliminating all excessexpenses. Cut the cable, reduce your cell phone package - eliminatethe cell phones entirely if you can. Stop buying the prepackagedfoods and eat the cheaper stuff. Reduce your utility bills andeliminate wasteful spending.

Sell the extra car and eliminate every singlepiece of debt that you own. Every single bill you have is a chainthat keeps you tied to that day job. The faster you cut thosechains the faster you can gain your freedom.

I am not going to reinvent the wheel here;there are tons of resources available to help you pare down yourexpenses. Start searching and save every penny that you can.

This is Only Temporary:

These cuts may seem like deprivation butremember that they are only temporary. After your transition tobeing an independent writer you will be able to create more booksand continue to increase your income. This is when you can startincreasing your spending.