Many people hesitate to write an e-book because they think they have to do everything alone, or they worry that getting help is a kind of cheating. It is not. Professionals have worked with writers for a long time, in business books, speeches and memoirs. What matters is that the ideas, the experiences and the opinions are truly yours.
What is yours and what is the writer's
You bring the knowledge: what you have seen, what you believe and what you would tell a younger colleague. A writer brings the craft: structure, clear sentences and a steady voice from the first page to the last. When the two are in balance, the book sounds like you on a good day.
How the work usually goes
- A long conversation: the writer asks questions and records your answers. Most people find they have far more to say than they expected.
- An outline: the ideas are placed in order, chapter by chapter. You approve this before anything is written.
- A first draft: written from your own words and stories.
- Your edits: you read it, cut what is wrong, correct facts and add anything missing.
- Final polish: checking for clarity, consistency and small errors.
The voice has to be yours
A good writer listens for how you speak: the phrases you use, how fast you move and the jokes you make. If the draft sounds like someone else, tell them. It should be fixed until you could read it aloud without wincing.
What cannot be outsourced
Your stories, your opinions and your numbers must come from you. A writer can shape a story, but cannot invent one. If you want people to trust your book, every example in it must be real and every claim must be something you can stand behind.
What a good writer will ask you
- Who is the reader, and what do you want them to do after the last page?
- What do you believe that most people in your field would disagree with?
- Which mistake taught you the most?
If a writer never asks hard questions, the book will be a pleasant blur.
Keep it short
A focused e-book of a few thousand words, with one clear idea per chapter, will be read. A long one will sit unopened. A short book that people finish does more for your name than a big one they abandon.
Be open about it if asked
There is no shame in saying you had help writing it. Most people will respect the honesty, and what they judge in the end is whether the book is useful and true.
A good e-book is simply your expertise, made easy to read.
