Start Today How to Write an eBook in 1 Month as a Mom Blogger

Momma Bloggers,

It’s daunting to think about writing an entire ebook. Where do you find the time?

You have kids, a house to clean and dinner to cook. And then on top of that is blogging!

Write an eBook in 1 Month as a Mom Blogger

Between networking on social media and pinning on Pinterest, it’s almost impossible to tackle such a big project without neglecting your children.

So how did I write my ebook, Blog by Number, in 1 month?

 Step 1: Find Out Your Why

Why Write an Ebook?

If you’re a mom blogger you’ve probably stumbled upon many articles telling you how to make money with a blog. I read all those posts too!

Use affiliate links. Do sponsored posts. Create a product. Or ad advertisements to your blog. And the most popular one recently, create a course!

Everybody is creating a course today!

Are you thinking about it too? You are, aren’t you? As long as you’re trained in what you’re teaching, I’ll fully support you!

But I come back to the first question of this post.

Why would I spend a month of my free time to write an ebook?

I worked on my ebook every morning before the baby and toddler woke up, every nap time, and most nights after the two blessings went to bed.

Let’s see how much time I roughly spent on this:

Early morning hours before the kids wake up = 1 hour of solid work

Nap time = 2 hours of solid work

Bed time, only if hubby is working too = 1 hour

That’s 4 hours a day. That is a lot of time to dedicate to one project. For an entire month (not counting the weekends) that is 4 weeks x 5 days a week x 4 hours a day = 80 hours. 

80 hours is a huge amount of time in a mother’s world… in anyone’s world!

Step 2: Find Your Motivation

Why Would I Spend So Much Time On This One Project?

Honestly, because I was a bit angry. I love blogging and I mostly enjoy the networking with other mothers, but I value my time.

And if I’m going to spend those precious early morning and nap time hours blogging, I would like to see a return for my efforts.

And I know you feel the same! Blogging is my outlet to connect to other moms. But it is also my business and I want it to be profitable.

We are smart mompreneurs, and investing all our free time into a blog needs to pay off, right?

My affiliate sales were doing well but I did not want to be solely dependent on them for my blog income.

So I switched my focus to creating my own product.

Something I can create, promote and profit from. I needed to diversify my income streams.

I became so obsessed with my traffic numbers that one day it just hit me – why?!

Why am I pushing to get more and more traffic if I don’t have ads on my site or a product to sell. What am I directing all this traffic to?

Don’t fall into the trap of chasing traffic if you aren’t directing it to something profitable.

Why Do You Blog?

Do you feel the same? Are you chasing more and more traffic? Do you check your analytics daily? Or the wordpress app on our phone? When you boil it down to one point, why are you blogging? To get massive amounts of page views? Or to grow your business and make money? And if you’re honest with yourself, it’s the latter. Yes there are many other reasons why I love blogging, such as the connection with other moms, the creative outlet, the ability to use my skills, and it saves me a lot of money (by not spending time shopping on Amazon). But in the end, I want my online business to be profitable. And I know you want the same thing. So I switched my focus from gaining traffic, to creating my own product. You may feel differently about my method, but you’ll gain a few tips to help you on your journey!

Step 3: Brainstorm Ideas

What Were the Steps?

I was brainstorming ideas a few weeks before I started to write my ebook. During dinner my husband and I would bounce ideas back and forth. I made a few back of the napkin notes. For weeks I would just toy with the idea, fleshing it out bit by bit. So when I did finally sit down to start the ebook, I knew my goal. I also let the following questions help guide my ideas. Because let’s face it, one.more.ebook about how to start a blog is just redundant. There are thousands of posts and hundreds of ebooks on this exact topic. So I had to think, what will make my ebook unique and better?

Step 4: Be Unique and Provide Value

• What will make your product unique?
  • It’s just for moms. It’s quick to read and easy to implement. It contains over 100+ pages of examples, not oceans of text. What mom has time to read all that?
• What value does your product provide?
  • It saves mom’s who are starting to blog tons of time! Instead of just telling the reader to join Facebook groups or Pinterest boards, I give exact groups and boards to join, and show the reader how to join them. I give you blog post examples, over 130+ blog post headlines that convert, and even pinnable image templates you can use right away! Examples, time savings tips and resources are all tailored to moms who want to start a blog.

Step 5: Set Yourself Apart

What Guided Me Through The 80 Hour Process?

At the beginning of May I created my outline for my ebook. I knew what helped me as a mom who blogs, so I wanted to pass on the knowledge and resources. I also know the struggles that mom bloggers go through. Not being able to focus on anything for longer than 10 minutes. Being pulled in a million different directions. Finally sitting down to blog and then the baby wakes up. The struggle is real. It’s frustrating. So I wanted to share all the templates and guides that help me blog smart.

I went through each process of starting a blog and outlined the most essential and crucial steps. My ebook would be a step by step guide. It would be like painting by numbers but for blogging. That focus helped guide my mentality. Also, instead of explaining what makes a good blog post or a great pinnable image, I provided examples. The ebook is filled with visuals. I would rather see an example than read 500 words. 

Below is what my ideas looked like when I created them for my ebook.

Step 6: Dedicate The Time

What You Need To Do

The entire month of May I only allowed myself to be on social media for quick promotion and checking in.

I did not network or chat with other bloggers or friends. I needed to stay focused. Going cold turkey works for me.

Because there are so many motherhood things that pull me in different directions, I needed just ONE focus for the month.

I normally use time blocks to help me focus – here is what I do day to day with my Mommy Schedule.

I treated the entire month like one big time block. I needed to focus (did I say that already?)

Many of you may not agree with my method. It may not work for you.

But I know how easy it is for me to waste the entire baby’s nap time chatting on Facebook.

It is one of my favorite parts of blogging – the networking with other wonderful moms. But I was very strict on myself and stayed focused.

Step 7: Stop Consuming More Information

What You Need to STOP Doing!

What’s another time suck for me? Reading click-bait emails, posts and fantastic articles by other bloggers.

I would stay up too late reading articles on how to improve my online business.

I would consume, consume, consume, but never act.(Ever fall into this trap too?)

May was my month for action. I had enough knowledge. I needed to apply it.

So whenever I stumbled upon a great post or an enticing email landed in my inbox, I archived it. Or I saved it to my Pocket.

I only read and addressed emails personally sent to me. This took discipline, but it helped me get my book done.

You can do this too momma! I know that if you apply yourself and you focus, you can get anything done!

Step 8: Eat That Elephant

Since I had my outline I focused on one section every day. Sometimes a section would take more than one day.

But I systematically tackled each chapter of my ebook and completed it. Then I moved on to the next chapter.

At the end of the day if I had completed a section, I celebrated with a glass of wine. Whoops, that’s a lie, I celebrate every night!

Step 9: Use The Right Tools

Invest in Yourself

I wanted my ebook to look professional. If I was going to ask people to open their wallets, I needed to give them something worthwhile.

I bought a beautiful package from DesignCuts for all my logos and images (see the cute icons below).

I also signed up for SendOwl to deliver and handle the payment of my ebook. Their system and process is super easy to use. It took me less than 5 minutes to setup my shop!

And finally, I took the plunge and got Convertkit to manage my emails.

These are all big commitments. But I’m growing a business darnit and I’m reinvesting all of my profits.

Step 10: Get Help

You Can’t Do It All – So Don’t!

I asked for help. Every Thursday my mother in law would play with my toddler for 3 hours while I go to Starbucks dates with my baby.

This gave me a solid 2 hours of time to work.

When the baby nursed I would check my social media for a few minutes. But as soon as she was done, it was back to working on the ebook and drinking my americano with room for cream.

When I became demotivated and missed my late night chats with my blogging buddies, I remembered my goal.

Once I have my product done, my blogging efforts will be much more valuable. Instead of pushing traffic to a site without ads or products, I’ll have a purpose!

I remember my hubby asking me how I was doing, and I replied, “I just miss chatting with my friends.” But I knew they would be there in a few weeks. So I remained focused because…. dragging out a project for months is more draining than just getting it done.

Step 11: Create a Hype

I probably could have done a better job of this. And I know the experts value creating a big hype for your product.

Next time I’ll do this, but I did not want to overwhelm myself and never get my product done.

I posted a few times on my Facebook page that I was working on my ebook, so my friends and followers knew where I was.

And once I got a bit closer to being done, I posted a few more times.

Then during the last week of May I was just sitting on my ebook. I was 95% done with it but too nervous to launch.

So for a week I just looked it over. What if no one likes it? What if this? What if that?

I finally, with much hesitation, asked for a few proof readers in one of the Facebook mommy groups I’m a part of.

I sent 5 mommies the ebook for free in exchange for an honest review. And I asked them to proofread the ebook.

When I received their awesome reviews I was filled with confidence to launch!

This is my first product, and I’m learning a lot! I figured that I would have a good launch with my subscriber list that was over 2,000. And I did.

If you’re wondering how I build my subscribers list – I used a super helpful freebie. 🙂

Step 12: Promote Your Product

I finally completed my ebook after many, many nap times, a few Starbucks dates and a month of disciplined focus. I was ready to launch!

I promoted my ebook in my favorite Facebook Groups and I sent the launch email to my subscribers.

I remember waking up Sunday morning and telling my hubby I sold my first ebook! We were so excited!

And then the following week my phone would beep every hour or so with another sale. I was on a bloggers high!

Bigger bloggers were noticing my ebook and signed up as affiliates. They shared it on their Facebook pages and the sales kept coming in.

I was excited and extremely humbled by the experience.

Step 13: Enjoy Your Hard Work

The week following my launch we went on a family vacation and I just enjoyed the high I was riding. 🙂

It Took a Bit of Luck

And in all honesty, starting and completing an ebook in one month while in the trenches of motherhood took a bit of luck.

No one got sick. There were no big events we had to plan or attend. Life was normal. I had a routine and had time to work each day.

I’m beyond blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom.

So please do not be hard on yourself if you have been putting off creating that product for months, or years.

A mom’s life is continuously changing. Be kind to yourself.

And remember, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re burning out, you won’t be able to stick with it.

You can do this. You can create awesome and valuable products and grow your business. Be confident in your skills!

How to Write an Ebook – Student Review

It was on a train back from the Hamptons three years ago that the idea was formed. I had been nannying for 7 years and loved my job; so much so that I wanted to take it to a bigger scale. The child’s mom, Sarah, looked at me and suggested “why don’t you give advice to parents – coach them on a lot of the issues most parents have?”

I graduated in 2008, during a recession, and I wasn’t finding any jobs in marketing or sales, so I defaulted into the only one I could find – nannying. I had been babysitting since I was 13 and worked in a daycare center in high school but was grossly unprepared to, at just 21, care for a three-month old. I was left to figure things out. I spent a lot of time making phone calls to my mom for advice, and also made a friend who had a child of the same age, so I learned a lot from those women. I couldn’t stay away from taking care of kids, and over the past decade I’ve worked with 4 different families, and six different children. Not to mention my friends have been having their own children over the past decade, so I spend a lot of time with littles.

Sarah’s idea took root. Over the last three years I have started a blog, where I share tips and strategies for moms, and through the formation of the blog I met Suzi, who has been an incredible support system on this journey. Most recently I decided to start grad school for Marriage and Family Therapy. The past three years also coincided with my own journey into counseling and emotional health, and I believe that parenting is so inextricably linked with our emotions and our health. I knew the best way to continue to grow my parent coaching business and help people through stressful parenting moments would be through a license in family therapy.

I am so excited to share that I just finished writing my first eBook as well! Suzi’s nook, Blog by Numbers was in inspiration, and I decided that for those who couldn’t do personalized coaching sessions, a book with some of my general tips, strategies and tactics could be a help. I share some of the foundational issues of parenting, like boundaries, sleeping, and language development, then move into 7 discipline strategies I’ve found to be the most helpful and effective over the past decade. I close with thoughts on mom guilt, toddler emotions and emotional health. When I finish school, I will update the eBook and create a printed manual as well!

This book has been a labor of love for me, and I want to share it with moms. I know that parenting is a stressful, emotional and hard journey. As Elizabeth Stone says, having a child is choosing to forever “have your heart go walking around outside your body.” My role as a nanny has been one of deep love and care for these precious gifts; I am in awe of the fact that people allow me to care for their little ones – not just physically but emotionally as well. It’s a gut-wrenching endeavor, and I don’t take it lightly.  

So as a special gift to Start a Mom Blog readers, I’m offering 20% off my eBook! The book is a guided course, so there are questions at the end of every section and time for reflection. The book is written to build on itself, so take your time and work through it at your own pace. And if you love it, encourage others to buy it! My mission is not to make money or to become famous, but to help parents parent from a place that is healthy, joyful and full of grace. I want to impart wisdom, encouragement and love for your journey. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I want to help you through some of the challenges you’ll encounter as you grow your little ones into amazing adults! I hope you enjoy it, and I’m always looking for feedback, input and to grow my own mom community!

To learn more about the book and to purchase it, visit my website: healthyjoyfulparenting.com/ebook and use the code “GC20” for 20% off your purchase!

Corinne is a parent coach and nanny and blogs over at healthyjoyfulparenting.com. When she’s not laughing with kids or studying for school, you can find her belting out Taylor Swift songs or curled up with a good book. Corinne lives in NYC.