You’ve heard about how ebooks can grow your business. And you like the idea of seeing your name on an ebook cover. But you haven’t done anything to make it happen.

What’s stopping you? Maybe it’s that …

You think you’re not ready.

Here’s a secret: before writing their first ebook, most would-be authors feel the same way. They ask themselves “Who wants to read something from me? Why should they care?”

Despite these doubts, they persist and write their ebook. And that’s exactly what you have to do if you want to become a published author.

You’re sure you don’t have the time.

Ebooks take time to create. But the time you work on them has a beginning, middle and an end, just like any other project. And there are ways to make the ebook creation process easier: read on for more on this.

You can’t figure out the process.

It’s complex, that’s for sure. You have to write, design and market your ebook in order for it to be successful. These are three very different processes, and you may feel comfortable with one or two of them, and deeply uncomfortable with the third.

You’re afraid you’ll spend the time, then fail.

To minimize this risk, don’t type a single character of your ebook until you’ve carefully thought through who you’d like to write it for, and what problem you’ll solve.

Life after Ebook: Here’s what you can expect

Ebooks put you and your business in the spotlight.

If your goal is to make your business (or yourself) well-known for a topic, there’s nothing better than having written a book on it.

Think of all the places you can mention it! It could be featured in your website sidebar, your email signature, on your business card, and more. It becomes a natural calling card to use when trying to acquire a new client.

Ebooks build authority.

It’s one thing to have a Facebook page or a YouTube channel devoted to a topic. You could start a blog about a topic and that would be fantastic as well.

But a book? When you can say “I wrote a book about my topic,” that’s impressive. It will be easy to mention in interviews, speaking engagements, and at live networking events.

Ebooks drive engagement.

The beauty of ebooks — whether they’re PDFs or ereader-style ebooks — is they can be directly linked to web pages. Your readers won’t need to remember your website name or know how to spell it: they just have to click a link and they’re on your site.

This means you can continue to engage them beyond the pages of your ebook. You can offer additional resources in exchange for an email address, or link directly to products that build on the topic your ebook talks about.

Ebooks are the easiest way to get published.

When you write an ebook, you’re in control of when and where it’s published.

There’s no easier way to become an author: it takes some work, but in the end you will see your ebook published because you’re in control of the process.

Finish your Ebook by the end of this year

Wouldn’t you like to start next year as a published author?

It’s a matter of setting your deadline and working backward. When you break down the process over eight weeks, and you devote a chunk of time each week, you’ll move toward your goal day-by-day and never feel overwhelmed by the process.

And now, for some extra inspiration, click through the SlideShare presentation below, 12 Ebook Ideas That Will Grow Your Business: