I’ve really stuggled with the concept of writing an e-book.  Many a blogging sage has expounded on the virtues of this medium as a way to drive traffic, increase subscribers and give value to your site.  I don’t have any issues with increasing traffic or subscribers and I certainly want my site to be valuable.  I’m just not certain that developing an e-book is the way to go.

Personally, I have only downloaded a very small handful and thus far, the one that I’m referring to with any kind of regularity (Thanks, Mary Anne!) is part of a bigger project.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate the amount of work someone has put into their e-book.  For me it really is more about time management.  I could download e-books and just set them aside for a rainy day, but I’m kinda short on those these days.

I’ve walked right up to the edge of the e-book cliff and stared into the depths.  I’ve even lifted one foot with the intention of jumping into the abyss.  Ultimately, I’ve stayed on dry land, a safe distance away.

Here is my thought process on why I probably won’t be doing this anytime soon:

It’s a lot of work to write a worthwhile e-book.  I mean, if I’m going to put together something that will be of value to my readership, it better be smokin’ hot.  Content, layout and design all held to the highest standard.  I’m putting my name on the thing, you see?  By the way, one of the best ones I’ve ever seen is from Amber over at Altitude Branding .  Follow her tweets @AmberCadabra .

So I’m thinking that if I am going to put that much effort into something, if I feel that I have something that valuable to say, then i’m going to flesh out the idea, develop it into a publishable book and shop it around or publish it myself.

My sincerest hope is that the effort I put into my 500-700 word posts every day creates the value my readership is looking for.  Of course I want to increase my subscribers,  but I want to do that through thoughtful content that speaks to Constant Reader.  If it takes a bit longer to do that, so be it.  I do beleive that my base is loyal and patient.  I believe they come here to be inspired and to hopefully learn and share through their thoughtful comments.  I don’t need an e-book to make that happen, and I don’t believe they do either.

When the time is right, I will publish.  But I’m going to do it on my own terms.