I write a lot of eBooks, that’s obvious to anyone who’s visited this site.
So how do I put out a title each month, and often more than one?
I don’t know if there’s much more to it than sitting down and typing, but a lot of people like to think there is. I think Muses have a lot to do with it, but most people don’t want to hear that.
So what do they want to hear? Probably what’ll allow them to write a book faster, and especially one that’ll sell a lot of copies on Amazon.
Sorry, I can’t really help you with that. But I can show you what I do to use my writing folders in such a way that I’m motivated and organized enough to finish what I start.
So how do I put out a title each month, and often more than one?
I don’t know if there’s much more to it than sitting down and typing, but a lot of people like to think there is. I think Muses have a lot to do with it, but most people don’t want to hear that.
So what do they want to hear? Probably what’ll allow them to write a book faster, and especially one that’ll sell a lot of copies on Amazon.
Sorry, I can’t really help you with that. But I can show you what I do to use my writing folders in such a way that I’m motivated and organized enough to finish what I start.
Working With Your Folders
If you’re like me you’re probably working on more than one thing right now. Alright, maybe you have one major project, but I’m sure there are a few false starts hidden away on your computer somewhere.
This is what my writing folder looks like:
This is what my writing folder looks like:
My Writing Folder
Each title has its own folder, and as you can see I’ve got quite a few subfolders in there as well. I think it’s really important that authors have a folder for their eBook covers, which you’ll have to upload a lot. Here’s what mine looks like:
My eBook Covers Folder
Trust me, when you get a lot of books you don’t want to wade through all your folders to get to a cover when the time comes to upload it somewhere, whether your own site or a promo site.
I have all of my published eBooks in a separate folder so they’re easier to keep track of. Typically the goal is to have a book go here and then not get touched again.
I have all of my published eBooks in a separate folder so they’re easier to keep track of. Typically the goal is to have a book go here and then not get touched again.
My Published eBook Folder
Now, what do some of these eBook folders look like? Let’s start off with what I’ve been working on a lot lately, and that’s the third volume of my Montana history series, Braves and Businessmen. Here’s what that folder looks like today:
Current drafts for a history eBook
The first thing you’ll probably notice is how many files there are. Most of those are drafts. You see, each day I add some words then put the total. I subtract it from the previous day and add that to my word count total for the day. Since I work on a few projects at a time and write for others, I’m able to do thousands of words a day.
It’s also nice to see all those drafts lined up like that. It makes it feel like you’ve done something, and opening an older one will show you how far you’ve come when you just don’t feel like doing another word.
You’ll notice I have a folder called “Old” at the top. That’s where I put even older drafts, and some of those titled files that I use for even rougher drafts. Here’s what that folder looks like:
It’s also nice to see all those drafts lined up like that. It makes it feel like you’ve done something, and opening an older one will show you how far you’ve come when you just don’t feel like doing another word.
You’ll notice I have a folder called “Old” at the top. That’s where I put even older drafts, and some of those titled files that I use for even rougher drafts. Here’s what that folder looks like:
Older drafts for a history eBook
There are lots of drafts or files that go into a book, especially a non-fiction book. Most of my novels aren’t like that at all.
Take Ale Quest. This is a shorter novella that I just did a little on each day or every few days until it was done. I don’t even have an “Old” or “Drafts” folder for it. (I open a “Drafts” folder for published books and put old uploaded copies in that).
Take Ale Quest. This is a shorter novella that I just did a little on each day or every few days until it was done. I don’t even have an “Old” or “Drafts” folder for it. (I open a “Drafts” folder for published books and put old uploaded copies in that).
Drafts for a short historical novella
Some novels are longer than others, and usually take longer to write. Here’s one for The Hirelings, a novel that stretched over six months:
Drafts for a long epic fantasy eBook
Some of those drafts are just line edits, and oftentimes when you get close to completing your book the word counts won’t go up as much.
Anyways, that’s what my eBook writing folders look like and maybe they’ll give you an idea of what you need to do as well.
Anyways, that’s what my eBook writing folders look like and maybe they’ll give you an idea of what you need to do as well.
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