How to Write an Ebook

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2016, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

I've been writing ebooks for quite a while.

It occurred to me that people might want to read about how to do that.  

One way, of course, to write an ebook, is take a blank spiral notebook, or legal pad, available from the stationery department at Walmart, and just write out the book in longhand, and then type it into your computer.  

And I sometimes do part of my books that way, particularly if it's late at night, and don't feel like booting up the computer.  

Or, for one of my recent books, I needed to do some research for the book, so I went on the Internet and used some of the search engines like Google.com or Yahoo.com or Bing.com  to get the info that I needed.  

I took notes in a spiral notebook, and then used the notes in writing the book.  

But this book here, for example, started with a new .txt file.

Like most people, I have the Windows Operating System from Microsoft. 

At my desktop screen, which is the screen you get after the log-in screen, you right click your mouse, and you get a pop-up menu.  You then left click on "new."

And then I (left) clicked on "text document."

As soon as you create the new file (or if you create a new folder,) then type in a name for it, and press enter.     

I find that I automatically get good line spacing by starting with a .txt document.  And then I don't have to fool with it when I switch over to using WordPad.  

At the top of the screen in Notepad, you have choices about font size and font style.

Choose "wrap" so that your text will automatically wrap around at the end of a line.   

Then I open the new text document by double clicking on it.

I type the book title, author's name, "Chapter 1," enter, enter, enter, "Chapter 2."

Those "enters" give you new lines, blank lines.  

Then click on the "file" drop-down menu, and click on "save."  Then click on the red X in upper right corner to close the file.  

The Windows Operating System has "control panel."

If you go to the Operating System's "control panel" and choose "default programs," you can associate a certain file type with an application.  

I've associated ".txt" files with Notepad, and ".rtf" files with WordPad.  So, my initial typing with the .txt document is done with Notepad.  

".rtf" stands for rich text format, which is the normal output from WordPad.    

With my Windows 8.1, control panel is not on the "start" screen, but at the start screen, you click on the down arrow, and you'll have more choices.

When you find "control panel" you can right click on it and put "control panel" on your task bar at the bottom of the desktop screen. 

You can get to the start screen from the desktop screen by pressing the keyboard key with the Windows logo on it.  (looks like four flags.)  

Or, put your cursor in the upper right corner of the desktop screen, slide it down, and click on the windows logo.  

If the .txt file for your new book is still on the desktop screen, better move it to one of your folders, such as "Things I'm Writing."  

You can create a new folder the same way you created the .txt file, just choose Folder instead of Text Document. 

After closing the .txt file, select it, in whatever window it's in, by left clicking, and then right click on it.  

Now I choose "open with" from the menu on the screen, and open the file with WordPad, and after it opens, immediately save it as an .rtf file, using the choices in the "save as" screen by clicking on the line under the line that is the name of the file.    

If you expect to write the book over a lot of sessions at the computer, it's probably good to make a shortcut for the book to have on your desktop screen.  

I've set my Operating System, using control panel, so that one left click selects a file, and a double left click opens a file.  

So now, the document is open with WordPad.  Click on "select all" toward the top of screen, and click on the font size (at the "home" screen).  I prefer to write in font size 20.  

Sometimes you might have to wait a few seconds for the font size choices to appear on the screen.  

Then to the left of font size, choose your font style, such as Ariel, for example.   

WordPad offers a variety of font styles.  

And you can select a portion of text the same way that you would click and drag, and then underline, italicize, or make boldface, using the options near the top of the "home" screen.

But if you happen to be in the "view" screen, then click on the "home" tab near the top to switch to the home screen.  

With WordPad, you can also select a portion of text, and then click and drag it to a different position in the book.  I've moved paragraphs around that way, or just phrases.  

A word now about "cut" and "copy".  After selecting a portion of text, using copy will copy it to the "clipboard," while leaving the text where it is.  

But "cut" will remove that portion from the text and put it on the "clipboard."  

The "clipboard" is an area of memory where cut and copy save things.  Then "paste" puts what is on the clipboard into your book at the position where your cursor is.  

You move the cursor around with your mouse.  

Position the cursor where you want it, and then left click with the mouse.  

Chapter 2

As you type your book, "save as" frequently.  I "save as" both to the .txt document, and to the .rtf document, so then I have a backup file in case anything happens to the other file.

"Save as" is one of the choices you get by clicking on "File." 

I usually type the whole book under "Chapter 1" and after the book has been written, then divide the book into chapters.  

Reference quotations go into my books, such as from the Bible.  At the top of my desktop screen, I have shortcuts to two different translations of the New Testament, and two translations of the Old Testament, to make it convenient to grab reference quotes.  

If you're using Notepad, under the "edit" heading, use "find" to find the certain passage you're looking for.  

But WordPad has a "find" function near the top of the "home" screen.  

You can create a shortcut by right clicking on the file that you want a short cut for, and then left click on "create shortcut."  

Do that in a window that doesn't fill the whole screen, and then click and drag your new short cut to the desktop screen.  

The minimize button is the dash near the upper right of the screen.  The change window size button is just to the right of the minimize button.  

If you happen to have the Microsoft Word word processing software, you can use that to write your books, and it has many features, such as adding tables or illustrations.

But it's also rather expensive.

I do most of my writing with WordPad.  

But with one book, I wanted to add some figures.  So I went to the Public Library and created .jpg files using their scanner, taking with me the drawings I had made on paper.

Then using Microsoft Word, I inserted the illustrations into the book at the appropriate places.  

And in another book I used Microsoft Word at the library to insert tables.  A Librarian showed me how to do that.  

And the Librarians are quite knowledgeable about computers.  

After I've finished typing the book into the computer, and saving, just as I did before when opening the .txt file with WordPad, I open the .txt file with "Open Office Writer," which is downloadable for free on the Internet.

Go to Openoffice.org, and toward the top of the home screen, click on "downloads."  And choose to download Open Office.  

I only download Open Office, and none of that other stuff.  

With my laptop computer, to get on the Internet, I use a portable wi-fi device that I got at Walmart with the "Go" brand, which is a subsidiary of AT&T.  

Each month, I buy a card to add gigabytes of data and an additional thirty days.  

Now that the book that I'm writing is open with Open Office Writer, I place the cursor at the top of the book, and click on "tools" and then on the spelling checker.  

Sometimes it will stop on an abbreviation I've chosen to use, so I tell it to ignore that.  

If it finds a spelling error, you can click on "change."

Then I close the spelling checker, and save the file as an .odt file, which is the filename extension for Open Office Writer.  

After you've finished the text of your book, you'll upload to nookpress.com

But first choose a photo for the cover of the book.

There are places on the Internet where you can download free photos.  When I upload a photo for a cover, I have it in the .jpg format.  

Of course, you must first create your account with nookpress.com

Go to the home screen and start your account.  You'll be asked to provide information.

It could perhaps take three days while they verify your bank information, which they'll need for direct depositing your royalty payments for your books that they sell.   

You'll choose a log-in i.d. and a password.

After you have your account, log in to your account at nookpress.com, and then click on Create New Project.

You'll type in the name of the book.  

Then you'll be given the opportunity to choose a file to upload, and you upload the file that has your book.  I usually upload the .rtf file.  

After uploading the file, I use Nookpress's "Edit Manuscript" and proof read the book after uploading, making corrections if necessary.

After making corrections, click on "save" at the top of screen if it is bright blue.  If it is not bright blue, put your cursor at the end of a paragraph, press enter on your keyboard immediately followed by backspace on your keyboard.

Now click on the bright blue "save," in their Edit Manuscript utility.  

Then press the Back arrow (that points to the left) at the upper left corner of the screen to get out of "Edit Manuscript." 

Then upload the cover photo that you've chosen for the cover.  When they ask the question, "Do you want this to be part of the file?", I've gotten better results by answering No.  

Then click on "description," and fill out the form.

Click on "save and continue."

Fill out the forms.  

After you've filled out the forms, click on "publish," and give it a moment to come back with some kind of message.  

Then, at the top of the screen, I click on "Projects," and I look to see the new book listed under Projects.

The processing of the new book could take a day or two.  

After the book has been processed, you can find it for sale at Barnesandnoble.com


___James chapter 1
 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.
 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,
 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.
 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.
 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.
 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,
 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.
 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,
 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.
 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.
 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.
 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.
 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,
 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.
 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2
 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,
 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"
 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?
 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
 6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?
 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?
 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,
 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.
 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.
 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.
 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.
 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?
 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,
 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?
 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.
 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."
 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.
 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?
 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?
 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3
 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.
 2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.
 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.
 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!
 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.
 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,
 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.
 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.
 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?
 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.
 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.
 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4
 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?
 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.
 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.
 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.
 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"
 6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.
 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.
 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.
 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.
 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?
 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"
 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.
 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."
 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.
 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5
 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.
 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.
 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.
 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.
 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.
 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.
 8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.
 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.
 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
 11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.
 13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.
 14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,
 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.
 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.
 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.
 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,
 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.