Official Review: Write an eBook in 14 Days by Terry Heath
Posted: 03 Aug 2013, 07:13
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Write an eBook in 14 Days" by Terry Heath.]
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Write an eBook in 14 days is a nonfiction eBook written by English professor Terry Heath. It is, to no great surprise, a how-to guide for the aspiring eBook author. Heath shares research and topic selection advice, describes a streamlined writing process based around five-paragraph essays, and covers the basics of eBook publishing and self-promoting. He is rather successful in making this seem simple and straightforward.
First off, I’d like to say that the method outline in this book is very much geared for making short (if well-organized) and informative eBooks. The book itself was written using the method it teaches, and Amazon approximates that in print it would reach about 50 pages in length. That’s really not a point against Heath, but it would be pretty unrealistic to expect a more extensive eBook to come as a result of these methods in the short advertised “14 days.”
Heath proves that he knows his audience in the first of his three “topics,” which covers the research stage of eBook writing. He lists exclusively digital sources, providing interesting and helpful ways to wring Google for all it’s worth in finding a topic and an audience that wants to read about it. He also, rather unexpectedly, recommends the use of blogs as a source of information. Heath explains that people will tend to write about their own interests and what they imagine others to find interesting, and I’m inclined to agree that this is a great way to dig up potential topics.
When the book reaches the actual writing process, I find myself taking issue with the format that Heath chooses to emphasize. Or, to be more specific, I feel that he could have gone about this emphasis a better way. He strongly suggests the use of multiple five-paragraph essays, which are a perfectly acceptable format to use when appropriate. But, despite claims of being flexible, he sets up a very rigid system. The book insists on three topics and the division of eBooks into five sections.
This would not be an issue if handled differently, but he does not even acknowledge that some changes to the structure may be necessary to accommodate individual needs. What if an author feels it more appropriate to make a section divide into two main parts, with four topics each rather than three? A reader is left with the impression that if they want to use this structure, they’d better do so in groups of five.
There’s little to say about the third “topic” of the book. It (very briefly) talks about eBook publishing, though no true walkthrough is given. Heath then gives a fair amount of good advice on various ways to get those crucial few first readers, through a professional cover and favorable reviews. Amusingly, he does not mention the practice of trading free copies of the book for reviews- a service which Heath himself uses.
All in all, this is a strong and helpful guide to writing an eBook. With a more forgiving approach to organization and a more detailed description of eBook publishing, this little guide would have earned a perfect score. However, thanks to its excellent advice for research, editing, and post-publishing marketing, I give it a score of 3 out of 4 stars.
***
Buy "Write an eBook in 14 Days" on Amazon
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Write an eBook in 14 days is a nonfiction eBook written by English professor Terry Heath. It is, to no great surprise, a how-to guide for the aspiring eBook author. Heath shares research and topic selection advice, describes a streamlined writing process based around five-paragraph essays, and covers the basics of eBook publishing and self-promoting. He is rather successful in making this seem simple and straightforward.
First off, I’d like to say that the method outline in this book is very much geared for making short (if well-organized) and informative eBooks. The book itself was written using the method it teaches, and Amazon approximates that in print it would reach about 50 pages in length. That’s really not a point against Heath, but it would be pretty unrealistic to expect a more extensive eBook to come as a result of these methods in the short advertised “14 days.”
Heath proves that he knows his audience in the first of his three “topics,” which covers the research stage of eBook writing. He lists exclusively digital sources, providing interesting and helpful ways to wring Google for all it’s worth in finding a topic and an audience that wants to read about it. He also, rather unexpectedly, recommends the use of blogs as a source of information. Heath explains that people will tend to write about their own interests and what they imagine others to find interesting, and I’m inclined to agree that this is a great way to dig up potential topics.
When the book reaches the actual writing process, I find myself taking issue with the format that Heath chooses to emphasize. Or, to be more specific, I feel that he could have gone about this emphasis a better way. He strongly suggests the use of multiple five-paragraph essays, which are a perfectly acceptable format to use when appropriate. But, despite claims of being flexible, he sets up a very rigid system. The book insists on three topics and the division of eBooks into five sections.
This would not be an issue if handled differently, but he does not even acknowledge that some changes to the structure may be necessary to accommodate individual needs. What if an author feels it more appropriate to make a section divide into two main parts, with four topics each rather than three? A reader is left with the impression that if they want to use this structure, they’d better do so in groups of five.
There’s little to say about the third “topic” of the book. It (very briefly) talks about eBook publishing, though no true walkthrough is given. Heath then gives a fair amount of good advice on various ways to get those crucial few first readers, through a professional cover and favorable reviews. Amusingly, he does not mention the practice of trading free copies of the book for reviews- a service which Heath himself uses.
All in all, this is a strong and helpful guide to writing an eBook. With a more forgiving approach to organization and a more detailed description of eBook publishing, this little guide would have earned a perfect score. However, thanks to its excellent advice for research, editing, and post-publishing marketing, I give it a score of 3 out of 4 stars.
***
Buy "Write an eBook in 14 Days" on Amazon