Work at Home Education Center

How long will it take you to research and write a 20 page ebook? Do you have any idea? A lot of new writers have NO idea because they are new! This is part of the growing pains, and should be monitored carefully.

Your time is precious, as is your clients' time. As a professional, you should be able to tell your client how long you'll require to complete a project. Underestimating that number can be harmful. It will require you to approach your client and explain why you need more time. This can be both embarrassing and stressful for you - but it can also be detrimental for your client.

Overestimating your time can be just as bad. If you're claiming to require an undesirable amount of time for a project, your clients are going to go elsewhere. Plus, you'll have difficulty taking on additional projects if you're budgeting too much time to get them done.

The key to estimating your time properly is simply to pay attention. Even if that means getting a little timer that helps you keep track. For your first few projects (of similar nature), record the hours spent on the different phases (such as research, writing, editing). Not only will this help you figure out an accurate estimate, but it will also reveal where you spend the most time.

Research Phase

This can vary widely depending on your level of knowledge of the given topic you're writing about. If you have little to know knowledge of a topic, obviously you'll have to allocate more time to the research phase. Do not ever skimp on time required for this phase, even when you are knowledgeable about a topic. The quality of content you produce relies heavily on the quality of your research.

Writing Phase

The actual time it takes to complete the writing should be shorter if you've done your research thoroughly. It also helps if you can type fast, so don't rule out typing software that can aid with this.

Editing Phase

Organizing all of the content into sensible chapters and sections is an important step. It affects the overall presentation of the product. Editing also includes checking for proper spelling and grammar. You should NEVER produce content with spelling or grammar mistakes.