Things to remember when outsourcing an e-book writing project

While I am all for the traditional value of an actual book, I can't help but love the idea of e-books. Especially given the new technologies such as Kindle and iPad and what not, one can access and carry hundreds of books all the times.

When writing a book, there are many advantages of choosing a digital version. It's cheaper since it doesn't involve publishing cost. Moreover, in the age of search engines and smart phones, people prefer to look it up online rather than to go out and actually buy it. An E-book can serve as a marketing tool, and it can also serve as an information product, yielding in some good profits if you can chose the right topic, but what if you don't know anything about the topic in hand, or you don't have the time to write an entire e-book because you are too busy managing your business. The solution is to find a freelance writer. This is a good option in many cases, provided the writer does indeed possess good writing skills. It can save you a lot of time and energy, and frankly if you had to do it yourself, it might take forever.

When looking for a freelance writer to write an e-book for you, here are some things one must keep in mind:

Define a niche for your job posting

Even before you start to find for a freelancer, you have got to identify your niche. Why do people buy books? To acquire useful information on a topic that’s not commonly discuss over the Internet (in other words niche). So select a niche by researching the market and deciding on something that you know is in demand with little or no content available (any reasonable keyword research tools can help you in determining that). This should be a topic seldom touched on blogs and websites. Find something useful to offer to a certain group of internet users and they will buy it. Doing so will help you post a better job description and attract the writers with the right set of expertise.

Don't let the writer stray away from your outline

It's your book and therefore you should be having an idea of the outcome or the content your book is going to have. Define your outline and discuss it with your writer. Your task is not limited to simply deciding on what to put on the cover, it's always better to have a plan that the book needs to follow. Even if you don't know a niche like the back of your hand, you can still drive the results towards a point that you want. All it needs is a basic research of the market and people. Don't let the writer dominate your ideas, and especially the outcome. The writer may have excellent ideas, and even a predisposition about what the end result should be, but it's your dime, therefore you have got to roll it.

Experience matters

Finding a skillful writer who is also affordable is a difficult task, but when it comes to a project as extensive as an e-book, experience does pay off. Remember that E-book writing is a little different from simple article writing. It requires much more in terms of vocabulary, command, and expressions. Moreover, there is a great deal of research involved when one is writing an e-book. Find someone who knows this and can handle the entire project.

The best option would be to go for someone who has a background of writing, or education in the subject you are planning to create a book on. This way his research requisite would be lessened and the command over the topic will show through the book.

Ascertain the credibility

An important factor is to ascertain the credibility of the writer in terms of ethics and conduct as well. Make sure that the writer will not run away with your ideas and information that you researched and spent hours defining. Make sure he won't run away with your money. Take a look at his/her portfolio to see if he is indeed capable of handling a large project. It will help if you hire a writer for a smaller project first; build trust, and then move on to larger projects like e-book. Also make sure that the writer knows the true meaning of ghostwriting and doesn't want credit or association at any point afterwards.

Written over 1 year ago

Natasha Mesty is an Internet Marketing expert, writing mostly on topics related to link building and guest blogging. You can get free blogging ebook to know more about the nitty-gritty of guest blogging.