How and why I wrote an e-book and what it actually is

I thought I’d share my process of writing my first e-book.  It feels like a MOMENTOUS achievement.   I quite often look at things and think I wonder HOW they did that… do you?

I always start with a goal and break it down.   Here’s how I do that. 

1. I wrote my ebook to solve a set of problems

I offer one to one coaching but only offer 3 spots each quarter because of the nature of the way I work.  That means there is a limited number of clients I can work with and in all honestly it’s a tiny part of my income.

I wrote it for the person I was years ago (and have been a few times since).  You know when you get stuck and you need a cheerleader and you look at coaches online but they cost thousands of pounds.  The idea behind the book is you go through a set of exercises and processes which sharpen your self development so you become your biggest cheerleader and accountability coach.

Hello – Covid-19.  The arts and creative sector has taken an absolute thrashing… as many have but people are wondering ‘what next’ and ‘what if’ and the book gives them space to do that.

It’s important to me to keep sharing all my self development tools and tricks and at the same time develop my own practise and set myself goals.  It’s incredibly rewarding to work on something close to your heart too.

2. How did it happen?

I started writing the book at the start of the year.  I enjoyed putting pen to page and shaping the content.   It was probable 1/2 way finished.

Then, I took this course from Aussie illustrator and entrepreneur Leonie Dawson.   I enrolled just before Covid hit and it was absolutely brilliant to get me in the right mindset around what I needed to do for my own sustainability.  It’s called; Money, Manifesting + Multiple Streams of Income so it’s not about e-books but she does do a course about writing a book too. (*)

The course taught me to think about income differently.  I’d always wanted to turn my coaching programme into an online course but that feels a massive job for me and investment of time.  My perfectionist tendencies would want high quality videos and to record it over a full year so I could share lessons along the way in situ with my clients… so it’s a big time investment.    And I need to have the right amount of time each week to commit to it and more tech knowledge too.

So, I started a mind-map thinking outside the box.  I’ve given away ‘Seasonal Self Development Workbooks’ to my e-list a few times and they always go down really well.   You can grab a couple of them here if you like.

I wondered if I could create an ebook that would also act as a workbook.

Then the self doubt crept in…. 

Then I thought hang on a second… you can actually create whatever you want, you just create it!!!

3. The Creative Process  

Writing is kind of the easy part for me but the zoom out and the bigger picture of what I wanted people to hold in their hands and ‘do’ with the book was harder.  You can’t really control what people do with a stand-alone product in the same way you can with coaching.

With coaching and mentoring you can push, ask more questions and check back in and I wanted to book to be able to do that too somehow.  The only way I could think to do it was sharing process, journal prompts and the biggest one LETTING GO OF THE OUTCOME.

Once the book was out in the world I had to know that some people might think negatively or not do the exercises or not understand or want to do it but that had to be ok.

I wanted to commission art work for the cover.  This felt like a big deal – to pay for art work meant I was making a conscious decision to invest in a product I’d created.    I wanted something rooted in whimsy and magick and found the perfect match for me.

4. Letting go of perfectionism 

I would have procrastinated for at least another week.  I would have asked for more people to proof read the book, comment on the usability, faffed on with the design but the timing of realising it early July was super important to me because of the flow of the suggested plan in the book.  So I just had to let that go.

I also had to let go of HOW much expertise and time has gone into the work by pricing it right.  It went on sale for £11.99 for 10 days and then the price jumps up to £25.  I’ve never sold anything like this before but this felt right to me.

5. What platforms 

I’m part of the Indie Roller community on facebook and I asked the question about the tech behind selling a book on my website and also asked a couple of my creative pals who do sales.  There are a tonne of options but I opted for ‘woo commerce’ and there are no fees which means I am keeping 100% of all the income from the ebook.

Do you have any questions?  I’m really happy to answer them with the knowledge I have and here’s the link to buy the book if you’d like a copy.  It arrives as a PDF so you can read on your tablet or print for note making.

Thank- you for reading and supporting my work!

Claire x

(*) These are affiliate links, if you use my link I earn a small commission for recommending you.  Leonie’s courses are super good value and usually well under £100.  I’m on my third now!

PS – You might also enjoy this check in on goals during lockdown post.