Content Development Tips: How to Create an eBook

Getting Started with Content Development

In the coming weeks, we are releasing our first eBook written to help all companies launch a corporate blogging initiative as part of an overall content marketing strategy. The eBook will contain checklists and quick start guides to help the key roles launch the program. It will also feature unique content from Joe Pulizzi, Ann Handley, and Jonathan Kranz. Stay tuned!

For the past few months I led the initiative of completing and releasing OpenView Labs’ first eBook and I wanted to provide some tips I learned throughout the process. I worked with several team members on gathering the content and finalizing the design.

Here are the 10 things I learned about eBook content development:

1. Understand your audience and their pain points to ensure a high level of customer engagement
2. Find an experienced designer who created eBooks before
3. Hire an experienced copywriter to help finesse your draft copy
4. Finalize all written content before entering the design phase
5. Format in a landscape orientation
6. Lay out all of the content so you can visualize the eBook before any design commences
7. Require multiple review steps and utilize checklists
8. Ask for expert feedback
9. Include quotes or unique content from industry thought leaders
10. Document a release/promotion plan