3 Reasons You Should Write an E-Book

Have you ever thought about writing a book? 

About every other week someone asks me this question. My answer is always the same: "Yeah, I've thought about it, but I simply don't have the time."

And I've also feared that I don't have the skill or the expertise. And I doubt I have the platform to really push sales. These are the voices in my head convincing me to ditch my dreams of authorship.

But now I have a a new voice in my head. At BlogHer'14 I met an awesome blogger named Ariane who blogs at The Force Expansive. When discussing self-doubt in her BlogHer recap post she gave fellow writers a charge to "Shut that noise down!"

I've decided to do just that and I've decided to write an e-book.

Here are three reasons you should too.

1. You have ideas worth spreading. You're an expert at something whether you realize it or not. You may feel you're not qualified to write about a particular topic because you don't have a degree to back up your knowledge. But sometimes passion can make up for that piece of paper. I often feel that way about blogging. I may have a two journalism degrees but I don't have an award-winning, highly profitable blog so why should anyone listen to my social media tips, I'll think. Then I'll attend a blogging workshop or a seminar on Twitter and realize I already know everything being taught. Sometimes I even know more than the presenter!

2. You have a story worth telling. As I shared yesterday, my main takeaway from this year's BlogHer conference was to write like my life depends on it. Sometimes I'm hesitant to write about feminism because I don't have a degree in women's studies. But every time I write an essay or blog post sharing my experiences as a southern fried feminist, I receive email after email from women thanking me. Women tell me they didn't know they were a feminist until they read my writing. Women tell me they weren't sure if they could be a good feminist and a good wife but after reading my work they know they can.

3. You have a blog or business worth promoting. An e-book could be what you need to take your blog or business to the next level. While blog posts are quickly pushed to your archives, an e-book can have a much longer lifespan. Simply add a graphic promoting your e-book to your website's sidebar or promote your book at speaking engagements. You can choose to give away your e-book for free as an incentive for joining your email list or simply as a way to get your name out and expand your influence and reach.  An e-book can, however, generate extra revenue, too. You could sell your e-book on Amazon, iBooks, or with a company like Shebooks, which publishes short e-books by and for women.  Shebooks is a curated collection of short fiction, memoir, essays, and long-form journalism, available by subscription or one by one. (Between now and July 30, 2014 you can get a free Shebook simply by using the promo code FREEBOOK at checkout at Shebooks.net.)

If lately you've been feeling like a writer who doesn't write, working on an e-book may be just what you need to get out of your rut.

Happy writing!