a title bar, so it looks like a window from a real app,.Then we went into each app, took a screenshot or two, and added two visual cues in Sketch: We thought about what's special about each tool and what the most representative screenshot would be. Now we had to create screenshots for each tool. Our main inspiration for the new layout was the Universal Principles of Design and was also influenced by Google’s Material Design. We designed the ebook to be read like a real book, with the left and right page side-by-side.īut if the reader views the ebook as a single page, we’ve put some signifiers to improve the coherence so they never have to think 'where am I?' or “what’s this?” In the end, we combined the best elements from each one. We experimented with a few different ways to combine and present basic information, and mulled over about what we like the most on each variation. So we decided to give screenshots their own page - after all, they provided as much value as the text, if not more. Images clashed with text, each trying to hog our attention, and the page ended up too busy and unpleasant to read. In the second draft, we tried a few different layouts, thinking “If we rearrange the elements in the right way, harmony will emerge”. But it was too crowded, there wasn’t enough room for more text, and you couldn't see the screenshots well. In the first draft, we’ve put everything on one page. We tried 7 different variations on 3 layout ideas before finding the perfect one. We just need to find the right layout and a way to present them. The ebook had three elements: tool description, basic info, and screenshots. Once settled on a general direction and layout, we could continue refining the design in Scribus. So we first designed it in broad strokes in Sketch. Stage II: Creation Design - 2 daysīefore we could start creating the ebook, we needed a design. Once we knew there was a demand, we could go on with creating the ebook. Thankfully, we ended with a hundred sign-ups. If enough people signed up, we could know there was an interest and safely go ahead with writing. We created a cover image and asked for an email if the reader was interested to know more. It was much longer, but also more popular.īefore we published it, we thought it would make a good ebook: we could expand it with more tips and tricks, and add screenshots to show real-life examples.īut before making an ebook from the post, we decided to measure interest by offering signup for a future ebook. It wasn't long, there were around 30 tools and a sentence or two for each one.Ī few months ago, we expanded the post: we listed all the tools we use (59 this time) and wrote a whole paragraph for each tool, detailing how we use it in practice. There was one very popular post we published a year ago, where we listed some of the tools we use. We started by checking our Medium stats and Google Analytics to determine what our most popular posts were. You can do this by watching what people like to read on your blog, what posts are the most popular, and if you can expand on them while keeping the high quality. You can't just choose a topic you like, make an outline, outsource a few writers, throw it all in Word, and hope someone reads it.įirst, you have to find a worthy topic. Stage I: Exploration Choosing a topic people want to read aboutĬreating an ebook takes time (about a month in our case) so you want to get the topic right to make sure you're getting the maximum ROI for your time.

Here's how we created our ebook from start to finish:įirst how we found the topic, then how we designed and wrote the ebook, and what've done to promote it since.

We wrote a massive ebook about all the tools we use in our company: we covered a lot of processes in detail and illustrated everything with screenshots. A case study on how we wrote and designed our ebook from start to finish

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