Right now, this is definitely the most informative article you will ever read on writing and publishing an e-book all by yourself.

From my years of experience and expertise, I have used and experimented with different tools and resources to get my e-books done.

And these are the ones that have worked for me, And many others too.

P.S: Each resource can be found on either computers (PC) or smartphones (mobile).

Here we go.

1. GOOGLE DOCS/MICROSOFT WORD (PC and mobile): This is mostly used for typing the drafts of your e-book. Both of them are easy to use with a minimalist interface (This reduces distractions).

But for project collaboration, Google Docs is preferable. From time to time, I switch between both tools for effective and efficient e-book writing.

2. EVERNOTE (PC and mobile) / WRITER P (mobile): Each tool (Both apps are free to download) is to prevent ideas or potential content from escaping from your head.

Whether you are stuck in a bus, at work or in an event, you can open the app on your phone to jot down points. This can now be expanded into paragraphs or even chapters in your e-book.

Insider tip: Most people use EverNote, but when I started using the Writer P, it became an instant go-to for me. The app is simple. You can compile ideas in different folders. Save your favourite articles. And it is free for download too.

3. CANVA (PC and mobile): As a content strategist, I am an advocate of the Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator). Until I found out about Canva. This online platform already has e-book cover templates you can edit to your taste. It is faster, efficient and user-friendly. Especially for beginners.

Insider tip: You can also use Canva to create flyers and social media banners to promote and market your e-book.

4. POWERPOINT (PC): This tool is also a lesser known hack in the e-book industry. I use PowerPoint to create powerful short e-books (as lead magnets) for businesses.

After creating your e-book pages as slides, you can save them as PDF and use it as an e-book. Very cost-effective.

5. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP: This is a more detailed way of creating e-book covers, book trailers and mockups. If you are already familiar with Photoshop, this will boost the excellence you deliver while writing and ‘glamorizing’ your e-book.

Insider tip: You can download free e-book mockups from Freepik. They have tons of design resources for e-books. Both free and premium.

6. ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR: Like Photoshop, this is also detailed. But the awesome thing about Adobe Illustrator is that your e-book covers will be in vector format.

This means you can resize and stretch the picture to any width and length. And the quality still remains the same.

Insider tip: I have seen mediocre e-book covers all over the internet. I don’t blame them. Most of them don’t know the principles of design.

For a better understanding, you should read ‘The Non-Designers Handbook by Robin Williams.’ It breaks how to design stunning and amazing graphics into baby steps.

7. VOICE RECORDER (mobile): Ha, this is one of my favourite tools. Even if you are not close to your phone or don’t feel like writing. You can share your thoughts in audio and then transcribe later. Very powerful tool.

8. NOTE-BOOK/ JOURNAL: I always tell people, ‘never underestimate the power of paper.’ Before the digital age, we recorded ideas on books and jotters.

Our writing instincts also came from drawing and writing on paper. You should use this to your advantage.

Insider tip: You can use your journal for mind-mapping your e-book. Deadlines. Ideas. Chapters. Illustrations. You can map them out in your favourite journal.

9. YOUR BOOK IDEA: The last and definitely not the least is your book idea. Without it, the tools mentioned above will be useless. It is the central framework on which these tools and resources.

And make sure your e-book idea is a winner.

So that’s all. I just gave you a comprehensive list of resources to get your e-book done. This is the ultimate e-book toolkit.

From your content strategist,
Zamai

Any questions? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Keep creating magic