Rashad GloverTo become an authority on any topic, you’re going to need to write about it. Once you start to post information online and people reply, you will become an authority on your respective topic. Now a days, websites like LinkedIn ask what have you published or patented. If you want to be taken seriously in your field, you’re going to need to write about it.
Getting started writing may seem like a very hard task. Ive’ always found it easier to type knowing that I’m going to pay someone to edit it later. That way you can focus on typing what’s important. If you don’t know how to type you’re probably going to need to spend a couple of weeks practicing with some software like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. This will get you comfortable with your keyboard and you can just focus on the words in front of you and not the keyboard. I was always taught to type first and then go back and check for errors after you’re done with typing your first page.
If you nitpick yourself, you will never get your book/article done. Try to find a comfortable place like a library or Barnes and Noble or just a quiet room in your house where you won’t be disturbed. If you are disturbed by someone, don’t sweat it. Just hear the person out then politely inform them that you’re in the middle of something really important and will be with them as soon as you’re done. That way you don’t shoo away a loved one like a child or coworker.
Choosing the best software to type with is completely up to you. I personally typed a couple of chapters of this book using Google Documents that came along with my gmail.com account. This is a very good practice because if your computer crashes your documents are stored in the Google cloud (online storage). The only reason why I’m using Microsoft Word to type now is because of all the cool add-ins that exist for it.
The first notable add-in for writing a book is called Book Design Wizard 2.0. This software allows you to organize your book chapters, create an index automatically, edit headers, and offers trimming to give your book a professional look. The add-in costs around $40.00 which is well worth it. I actually used it for this book. I do recommend typing out each chapter in separate Word documents then adding them to the master document later. This way you can import chapters as you go.
(Screen shot of the Information tab of the Book Design Wizard 2.0)
(Screen shot of the Fonts tab of the Book Design Wizard 2.0)
(Screen shot of the Chapters tab of the Book Design Wizard 2.0)
(Screen shot of the Styles tab of the Book Design Wizard 2.0)
The next piece of software is used to create electronic books or EPUB files. Wikipedia describes an EPUB as follows; EPUB is designed for reflowable content, meaning that the text display can be optimized for the particular display device used by the reader of the EPUB-formatted book. The format is meant to function as a single format that publishers and conversion houses can use in-house, as well as for distribution and sale.
The reason you want to make an EPUB file is because you want to make your information ready for all electronic book readers. Believe it or not, electronic readers are the future and more and more people are purchasing them. I’m actually testing my book on a Nook Color and Nook 3G plus WIFI. You are probably going to end up getting an E-reader in the future. If you do purchase an E-reader, I recommend a Nook Color. It’s almost in the same class as the IPAD but half the price, and it is Android based.
To create an EPUB file you’re going to want to download a piece of software called Apose.Words Express. This software is freely distributed – at least it was when I downloaded it. You can download it here at http://tinyurl.com/6asfk9k .
It automatically takes your Word files and creates an EPUB file that you can upload to the Barnes and Nobles self publishing site www.Pubit.com or Amazon.com’s Kindle site. All in all, it’s good to be ready to distribute whatever you write.
(Screen shot of Aspose.Words EXPRESS software)