How to write an ebook

To write an ebook, pick one problem for one kind of reader, outline 5 to 10 chapters, draft a chapter at a time, then edit, add a cover and export a PDF or EPUB. A how-to ebook of 8,000 to 20,000 words is long enough for most topics.

Updated 12 November 2026

The same eight steps work whether you make an ebook to sell, to give away for email sign-ups, or to hand to clients. The steps below are in the order you do them, with the mistake to avoid at each one.

How to make an ebook in 8 steps

1. Pick one reader and one problem. Write down who the book is for and the single thing they will be able to do after reading it. If you cannot say it in one sentence, the topic is still too wide.
2. Check that people ask about it. Type the topic into a search engine and read the suggested searches and the questions people post in forums and groups. Real questions, in the words readers use, tell you the book is wanted and give you chapter titles.
3. Turn the promise into a working title. Use the pattern result, reader, limit: for example, Meal prep for parents who get home at 6pm. A clear title keeps every later decision easy, because anything that does not serve it gets cut.
4. Outline 5 to 10 chapters. List the steps the reader has to take, in the order they take them. Each step is a chapter. Under each chapter write three to five points you will cover and one example.
5. Draft one chapter at a time. Write quickly and do not edit as you go. Aim for 1,000 to 1,500 words a chapter. Start with the chapter you know best, not chapter one.
6. Edit, check facts and add your own examples. Read the whole draft aloud once. Cut anything that repeats, check every number and name, and add the stories and examples only you have.
7. Add a cover and lay out the pages. Give the book a cover that can be read at thumbnail size, a title page, a contents page and consistent headings.
8. Export the files and publish. Export a PDF if you will sell or give the book away from your own page, and an EPUB if you will upload it to an ebook store.

How to choose an ebook topic

The most common reason an ebook goes unfinished is a topic that is too big. A book called Healthy eating has no end. A book called Packed lunches for a week in 40 minutes has an obvious last page.

A topic is narrow enough when you can fill in this sentence:

After reading this, [reader] will be able to [result], even if [limit].

• After reading this, new freelance designers will be able to price their first three projects, even if they have never sent a quote.
• After reading this, balcony gardeners will be able to grow tomatoes in pots, even if they get four hours of sun.

If you need a starting point, the list of ebook ideas has 40 topics sorted by subject and a five-question test for your own idea.

How long an ebook should be

These are sensible ranges, not rules. Shorter is fine when the problem is small.

To see what a word count looks like on the page, use the word count to pages tool. As a rough guide, 10,000 words is about 33 pages in a 6 x 9 inch book.

How to outline an ebook

An outline is the cheapest place to fix a book. Spend an hour here and the draft goes faster.

1. Write the result the reader wants at the bottom of a page.
2. Write where they are today at the top.
3. List every step between the two. Merge small steps and split big ones until you have 5 to 10.
4. Under each step, note the points to cover, one example and the mistake people usually make.
5. Add a short opening chapter that says who the book is for, and a closing chapter with next steps.

Read the chapter titles on their own. If a stranger could follow the book from the titles alone, the outline is ready.

How to write the first draft quickly

• Give each chapter the same shape: what this step is, how to do it, an example, what goes wrong, a short recap.
• Write to one person. Use you, and explain terms the first time they appear.
• Leave a marker such as TODO where you need a fact or a figure, and keep going.
• Set a small daily target. 500 words a day finishes a 10,000 word draft in 20 days.

How to write an ebook with AI

An AI writing tool can turn your idea and outline into a full draft. That takes care of the slowest part of the work, but it does not replace what you know. Plan to do three things to any AI draft:

• Check every fact, figure, name and instruction against a source you trust.
• Add your own examples, results and opinions. They are the part a reader cannot get elsewhere.
• Cut what you would not say yourself.

EbookMuse works this way. You type an idea, it plans a title and 4 to 15 chapters, writes each chapter at about 1,000 to 1,400 words and designs a cover. You can rewrite any single chapter. What you get is a first draft to review, not a book to publish unread.

If you plan to publish on Amazon, read the KDP rules on AI content first. KDP requires you to declare AI-generated text and images when you upload.

How to edit and format an ebook

Edit in three passes, each looking for one thing:

1. Structure. Is every chapter needed, and in the right order?
2. Clarity. Read aloud. Shorten long sentences and replace vague words with numbers and examples.
3. Errors. Spelling, links, figures and names. Ask one person from your audience to read it and mark where they got lost.

Then check the file itself:

• Cover with a title you can read at thumbnail size
• Title page and a short copyright line
• Contents page with working links
• The same heading style in every chapter
• A last page that tells the reader what to do next

Which file format to export

• PDF keeps your layout exactly as designed. Use it for downloads from your own site, lead magnets and anything people may print.
• EPUB lets the text reflow to fit any screen. Use it for ebook stores and e-readers.
• Word (DOCX) is for further editing, or for sending to an editor.

Once the files are ready, the guide to selling ebooks online compares what each store keeps from a sale.