36 eBook Writing Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills as Non-fiction Author - Part 1
eBook Writing Tips
Non-fiction authors have to write differently from fiction writers on many levels. There are still many similarities, but the purpose and goals for eBook writing is different when it comes to satisfying the needs, wants and desires of the reader.
I will be the first to say that I have always struggled with spelling and grammar. I rarely paid attention during English class in high school and unfortunately that has come back to haunt me as an author. However, I know where I need help and where my skills excel when it comes to writing.
Here Are Some Writing Tips for Non-fiction Writers:
1. Be Decisive When it Comes to Your Goals and Objectives for Writing Non-fiction.
1. Why are you writing?
2. Who are you writing for?
3. What unique information do you have to share?
4. Are you trying to educate your readers or explain a unique never-heard of before program to solve their problem?
2. The More You Write the Better You Get!
As long as you are writing, you will constantly improve on what you write. You will learn from past articles or pieces of work where you need to improve. The old saying of “practice makes perfect” will never apply to writing as you can always improve. But as long as you are improving you will be heading in the right direction.
3. Learn From the Best!
One way to learn is to learn from those who have already “done it” and are succeeding with their non-fiction writing. There is no need to “re-invent” how it is done. When learning from the best, pay close attention to their style, the content, and how their eBook is put together.
4. Learn to Be Unique and Develop Your Own Voice in Writing.
This doesn't contradict the previous tip; it just clearly states that you should have a guideline for how to be a successful non-fiction author. It is essential that you can separate yourself from other authors in what information you provide.
5. When You Read Learn to Critique the Language and Style Used.
Take the time to see what style works and what doesn't when it comes non-fiction writing.
6. Constantly Improve Your Vocabulary.
You should always increase your knowledge base and that includes learning new words to help add variety to your writing. Whilst you may think that each piece you write is different, it will be your fans who will judge you on whether or not you can write with variety.
If you are presenting yourself as an expert then you need to write with confidence and with authority. If you truly have knowledge to share as an expert in a particular niche topic then be confident in how you share that. Your readers will buy your eBook based on the fact that you know what you are talking about and not because you may know what you are talking about.
7. Choose Your Words Carefully.
The words you choose and the way in which you construct your sentences will go a long way in determining the tone of the writing in your eBook. Avoid clichés when writing.
8. Decide on The Main Point for Your eBook.
When I was writing “eBook Marketing Online - For Maximum Exposure and Profit” my main point that I wanted to get across to the reader was how they could best get their eBook into the hands of their ideal customer. It was around this main point that I shared my knowledge in all the steps and stages required to achieve this.
9. Have You Performed Your Research?
The majority of top selling non-fiction authors have performed research on their topic before writing. If you think that you have all the knowledge required to write and don't need to do any research then I would strongly recommend that you re-consider that stance. Research will help provide you with information as to what is already out there, and may save you a lot of time and money down the road.
10. Learn to Master the Art of Writing a Compelling Introduction.
You must learn to grab the readers' attention from the very start.
11. Have a unity of pronoun (first person, third person, etc.)
This will establish consistency throughout your eBook. You don't want to use “I” in one sentence and then use “We” in the next as the reader will wonder who is actually writing.
12. Have a unity of tense (past, present, or future).
Once again this will establish consistency throughout your writing and won't confuse the reader.
13. Know how, when and where to use power words.
Power words evoke emotion and can emphasize a point. Overuse of power words will lose potency and will take away from when you need a power word to maximize its impact on the reader.
14. Be aware in your use of unnecessary “qualifiers and intensifiers” such as;
really, very, unique, basically, quite, actually, practically and virtually. This was one tip that made me aware of my use as I was an habitual abuser of this rule. I still use these words as you will see throughout my writing, but they are now used more sparingly.
15. Keep your sentences short to avoid “losing” the reader.
A succession of long winded sentences will remove the ability to emphasize a key point that you are trying to get across to the reader.
16. Remove words that have no role to play in a sentence.
Many authors write for “quantity” and therefore write a lot of nonsense as they believe that they are providing “value for money” if they write a lot.
17. Quality Over Quantity.
A well written non-fiction eBook of 50 pages is much more appealing than a 150 page eBook where the reader has to search through all the unnecessary words and paragraphs to find the important points. If it's possible to cut a word out, do so.
18. Learn to “make the complex simple and the simple compelling!”
This is one of my favourite sayings and I hope that you take the time to get the full meaning out of this saying and apply it to your work.
19. Be yourself and make sure that you sound genuine in how you write.
I always strive to write as if I am talking directly to that person in a one-on-one consultation. Otherwise I may come across as being “distant” or not being able to relate to my reader on a personal level.
Continued in Part 2 ....
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