We’ve discussed the importance of e-books on this blog before. If you’re a small business owner that wants to be seen as an expert in your industry, e-books can be an invaluable tool. But it takes a bit more than simply getting behind the computer and hammering out 20,000 – 50,000 words of content that your audience and peers will want to read.

There are several key elements to making sure your book goes over well. Some are obvious, but some are also hidden deep in the weeds of promotion. So before you wrap up that e-book and send it out to the masses, make sure you have the following items covered.

• Hire the services of a professional editor. To look like an expert, your grammar should be spot on and your book should flow cohesively. Even if you are an exceptional writer, it always does a world of good to have a second set of eyes cover your writing.

• Your book’s cover needs to be of a professional quality. Don’t just throw something together. A few images and color fades does not make a great cover. Since most books are now sold on-line (especially if you’re releasing your book as an e-book), the cover is the first thing people notice about your book. Make it pop, but don’t make it too busy. This is another area where you’ll need the possibly hire the services of a professional.

• Speaking of covers, your cover image needs to be easily seen in a thumbnail. Go to Amazon and look at the standard size of a cover thumbnail in the product description page. Your cover needs to be able to be conveyed in that small space but also needs to look great in paperback form as well.

• Come up with a great description of four or five sentences. Again, this is a huge factor online. If someone can’t become interested in your book based on your five sentence product description, chances are, they aren’t going to buy the book.

• Seek out people within your industry for reviews. Look for influential bloggers and publications within your industry and send then query letters. Ask what their review polices are and if they would be interested in reviewing your book. This can help generate an online buzz for your book, The earlier you can get this done, the better.

As you can see, an author’s work is never done, especially if you’re going the self-published and/or digital route. Make sure you are ready for all of the post-manuscript responsibilities before sitting down to write you book.