Most Africans have no problems planting crops. Agriculture used to be the main source of income in countries like Nigeria before the oil boom.

Mrs. Michelle Obama took the bulls by the horn to stress the importance of healthy living by publishing an ebook titled: American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America

[info] Buy this book for $14.99 [/info]

American Grown : What can we take from this book and apply it to our homes and communities? Let us take a look.

First of all this is the first book Michelle Obama published. She was able to write about her experience planting vegetables and fruits by herself in 2009. I am sure she and the family like anyone else was excited to see the crops sprout from the ground and matured into a fruit bearing plant. We can learn something from here. We have lots of opportunities to document how we plant and nature the crops we plant and eat from. Let us depend more on what we can produce ourselves than elsewhere. Africa has lots of land but when it comes to food, most people are living in lack. Let us start planting…

Secondly the American Grown book sparked off one of the greatest debates concerning children and healthy eating. This also spurred off  discussions in Canada and other parts of the world. Debates and change can start from someone writing about an issue that is important. Do not wait for the journalist…you can become one as well.

Finally the book also talks about tips on gardening. This is important too because it provides information to those that want to succeed.

American Grown: Video Clip

Let us summarize in two points:

First Ladies in other countries around the world can also make an impact in their communities. Some of them have. However documenting their contributions by publishing them as books or eBooks should also be considered so that millions of people can learn from them. American Grown is a book to read.

If you have a talent – use it to change your surroundings. Pick any hobby or talent you have and change the world – as it is being done, document it like the book American Grown and it will remain available for generations to learn from.

For more information about this book, Click here.

Let us start from the grassroots:

• There are thousands of recipes with many modifications that are not documented that people can learn and take advantage of.
• There are also some dishes that are passed down many generations that people want to learn about.
• By trial and perfection, you may have discovered a new technique on how to prepare a meal and you want to document or share your discovery.
• There are lots of people – both male and female that may want to learn how to cook a traditional dish for the first time.

This is where you can make a difference . You can be the person to document recipes in electronic format . The solution here is to create a cook ebook that can be downloaded by many people with eReaders, Tablet PCs.

This post is specifically on how to create a cook ebook. At the end of the post you have the opportunity to enter your comments and request for free consultation how to create your own ebook.

Below are six steps in creating your cook ebook.

Cook eBook – 6 Steps to Follow

First Step is to think of recipes – African recipes, European recipes, Caribbean recipes, Indian recipes that are easy to make and delicious to eat. If you come up with 10 or more recipes then that is just enough to create the cook ebook.

Second Step: Create a Microsoft Word document with the recipes you want to write on. If you require help in doing this part, then consider co-authoring with someone that is computer savvy. Ensure that you prepare the recipes as you write them so that you do not miss any instruction behind. Take pictures of the ingredients and the prepared dish which can be used in the cook ebook.

Third Step:  From the list of recipes list the recipe titles based on popularity or ease of preparation.

Fourth Step: Choose a captivating title for your cook eBook – examples of captivating titles include

“10 Popular African Dishes made outside Africa”

“How to have an indoor Caribbean Cuisine”

“5 European dishes that will Keep your Man Indoors”

“How to make 10 Top Indian Dishes within 20 minutes”

“Making African Local Dishes using Alternative Ingredients in North America”

I hope these titles will excite you but the intent here is to state that it is possible to come up with a cook ebook easily.

Fifth Step: Get a cover page that is captivating – you may want to engage an artist to help in getting a cover

Sixth Step: Consult an ebook consultant from Apad Canada Inc. or any other ebook publisher on how to get this published online. The costs vary from one publisher to others but if you have the skills, all this can be done using self-publishing tools available. You can also fix the price of the cook ebook which will in turn determine the royalty you will eventually get.

Here are some tips that will be useful in your cook ebook project.

•  Take advantage of hyperlinks in your ebook to advertise your services – like your website or other ebooks you may have published
• Arrange with local or foreign food stores like the African food store to put banners, links or even QR codes in your ebook and get a referral fee based on sales. This will become an additional revenue stream apart from your royalties.
• Try to sell your cook ebook for a reasonable price to attract more readers.

• Have you ever wanted to be an author of a book or manual?
• Do you have a lot of ideas that you want to share with others?
• Do you have some instructions that you want your students or followers to read?
• Are you scared of the costs associated with publishing a book?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” then you have already crossed the 25% mark in the process of creating an ebook. Just go ahead and write an eBook

Let us analyze each question and hopefully you will consider becoming an author of eBooks.

Have you ever wanted to become an author?

Let us state clearly that you do not need to be a professor or a teacher to write an eBook. Anyone – no matter the age can become an author if there is a compelling story. You also do not need to have an university degree or diploma before writing a book. What is more important is the message you want to convey. If it is interesting, humorous (depending on the type of situation) or if it meets the need of people then you are qualified to write a book.

Do you have lots of ideas that you want to share with others?

If you have an idea that you want to share, it is better to document them in an organized manner and share it either via a blog or on social media sites. There are ways to look at this – having a book on your thoughts preserves them a very long time. We do see books created by authors centuries ago and still referred to nowadays. So if you want to share your ideas and make it stick for a long time then consider writing a book.

Do you have some instructions that you want your students or followers to read?

This is more for academicians – if you have your learning materials for your students in one book as opposed to handouts and notebooks, students will remember you for a long time. Having your lecture notes in a book makes it easier for students to prepare for lessons and exams. For the lecturer, the learning content can be used by other students worldwide if it is relevant.

Are you scared of the costs associated with publishing an eBook?

This is the most important question most people have before starting.

• What are the costs involved?
• Can I recover the costs used in publishing a book?

The cost to produce an eBook is much lower than a paperback book – there is no shipping, no inventory costs, no printing costs and no paper cost. Remember that the cheaper book production also means more affordable literature for readers.

Write an Ebook- Video

Another article will cover this question in detail but with the increase awareness of “Do it Yourself” methods and the e-reader evolution, it has become less expensive in publishing books. My tip here is to have your notes saved on your computer – say in Microsoft Word or PDF format. The electronic files constitutes the major bulk of the work. This site will provide tips in getting your work done faster and cheaper than using the traditional way of publishing.

Author: Professor Simeon Ogbulafor

Recommended for: Post Secondary students and Lecturers in  Universities, Polytechnics and Collegess

Available at: Kindle Store

[info] Order the eBook for $7.99 here [/info]

If you are preparing for a test or an examination on Philosophy of Education or if you are a lecturer looking for test questions and answers to prepare for your students, this eBook will  suffice. The first series of the eBook has over 150 questions carefully prepared and analyzed and spans 5 areas in Philosophy:

• General Philosophy
• Philosophy of Education
• Logic and Ethics
• Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Education Questions and Answers – Video

This compilation of Philosophy of Education questions was prepared over 10 years ago when Professor Simeon Ogbulafor was a visiting Professor at the University of Manitoba, Canada. He was compelled to write this book based on the fact that the world is increasingly democratized and that democratic education requires a democratic technique of testing and evaluating of students which multiple choice questions offer.

According to Professor Ogbulafor,

The importance and use of multiple choice questions and answers as a technique of testing in our modern world is highly recommended. That constitutes the main reason for writing this book.

Note that the Philosophy of Education Questions and Answers eBook  should be used as a study guide and a complement to existing textbooks. Students are encouraged to use this eBook as a supplementary tool and always to research more materials that come across their way. Lectures and Academicians can also take advantage of this book to determine the skill levels of their students as they are being trained.

This book is also available in paperback edition as well. However if you want to get this book instantly, the ebook version will be the better option and more affordable option.

The author of this book will be releasing more volumes of this book in 2012 which will focus key areas in Philosophy of Education.

However we are still seeing lots of textbooks and lecture “hand outs” in our classrooms. Even in advanced countries most students still spend lots on printed material which is disturbing. In developing countries where students cannot afford to purchase all their materials, this is worst off and has affected the quality of students in terms of skills acquisition.

The time has come for eBooks in Africa to take a positive place in institutions of learning. Students should have access to eBooks just as they have access to search engines online or social media sites.

The video clip in this write-up illustrates how primary or elementary schools students have access to up to 300 books on their e reader which is the size of some libraries. Students with lots of information within their reach can transform their lives.

Ebooks in Africa – The Time has Come – Video

For this to succeed, authors and academicians have to first of all embrace eBooks and e-readers. Authors and academicians in general should look into how they can publish their content electronically so that students can purchase them and study. An eBook awareness drive  needs to start from the authors and school authorities as well as eBook publishers.

According to Matt Ogbulafor of Apad Canada Inc.

If  an author has a manuscript in Microsoft Word, he or she has over  80% of the requirements for an eBook version.  Most authors publishes two versions of their books – the textbook version and the ebook version and can make more revenue from International downloads.

Click here to see a hard copy (paperback) and soft-copy (eBook) of a book.

Once academicians publish eBooks, students will in turn purchase and download them onto their e-readers, tablet computers or smartphones at a much cheaper cost.

It is time to get students more engaged into reading and studying. Imagine a student with an e reader with 1000 eBooks. It is just like having an entire library within the reach of one person. Students can then read and gain knowledge much faster using ebooks.

In summary, let us use what we currently have to improve ourselves. Let students use their computers to learn. Ebooks in Africa, if made more available, is clearly the way for the future.

Image(s)  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I vividly remember a period of my university days when students misplace or lose their textbooks. They usually got very annoyed not because it was expensive, but it was also because they had to travel far away to buy it..Another thing I also dreaded was students not returning the books I lent to them to read for a period of time.

The above factual stories would have been different if we had eBooks then.

This article intends to project what an eBook is and review eBook benefits.

What is an eBook?

An ebook can be defined as a electronic version of an organized set of documents that can be read using an eReader, Tablet PC or any computing device. If you have an Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, Kobo eReader, a smartphone, a laptop or a desktop, you have what it takes to download and read ebooks.

An ebook should not be related to a scanned book – it is possible to scan a book and save it as a PDF file but that is not what an ebook is. If a physical text book is scanned and digitally stored, it is not referred to as an ebook. However the contents of a textbook, the texts and diagrams can be used to create an ebook.

Ebooks are usually ordered online via the Internet. There are online stores like Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble where one can download paid and free ebooks to read. There are some universities where ebooks could be borrowed online, therefore making the trip to the Bookshop or Library no longer necessary.

Now that we have an understanding what an eBook, let us look at the Benefits.

Ebook Benefits

Convenient to Read: Ebooks are convenient to read and comprehend. With an e-reader, one can adjust the size of the letters (fonts) and also the style of the font as well. For instance you can make the fonts larger and use Arial Bold, Garamond or any font you wish to use. You cannot do this with a textbook!! More seniors can start to read more often.

Convenient to Download: Ebooks are easily downloaded via the Internet. No need to go the bookstore if you need to purchase a book. Just go online and downloaded when required. This is also the case in Libraries that have ebook borrowing services. Very convenient indeed!!

Convenient to Store: Thousands of ebooks can be store onto a single e-reader, tablet pc or computer. Some ebooks can also be stored on thumb drives or micro SD cards. Imagine having a truck load of books all in one device. Students can carry one device to their classes without carrying heavy school bags.

Loss-proof: E books are easy to recover or retrieve if it is lost or stolen. If an e-reader is stolen, you can replace the device and still download your books from the eBook service provider. If your e-reader is secured with password protection, no one will be able to access the ebooks in the device.

More Affordable: Ebooks are much better to purchase than textbooks – everything is electronic so the cost associated with using paper print and hard covers are no longer an issue. Consumers will also save money associated with shipping costs. This makes eBooks more attractive.

Ebook Benefits – Why you should own an e-reader

In closing, ebooks have revolutionize the way we read literature and because of its tremendous benefits, it should be promoted in schools, workplaces and general literature – the costs savings and the convenience will be felt by all.

Click here for more information about what an eBook is.

Image(s) on Ebook Benefits: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

• Carrying ten or twenty textbooks in a school bag or carton was considered almost impossible. Not any more with the advent of ebooks.
• Cost of publishing a book was an issue for many academicians, research personnel or even individuals. No more a problem.
• Students spending so much money buying textbook, spending money on shipping costs, scared of their textbooks stolen or lost. A thing of the past

With the cost of e-readers, tablet PCs and computers becoming more affordable, many students and authors can leverage the power of their devices by downloading ebooks and use their devices as a learning tool as well as a tool for Internet browsing and communication.

Visitors to Ebooks in Africa will:

• Understand what ebooks are and its benefits
• Have access to information about affordable e-reader and tablet PCs – the main ebook tools.
• See our showcase of  ebooks written by Authors – both African and International
• Have access to professional ebook publishers who will provide answers tp questions
• Have the change to get consultants who will assist authors in publishing ebooks
• Be able to purchase ebooks at affordable prices
• Discuss about the challenges being faced with the use of e-readers and tablet PCs in general.

[info] Note: Ebooks will not replace textbooks now or even in the future. Our intent is to show the benefits of ebooks and how it can complement textbooks.  [/info]

In closing, ebooks in Africa is going to be dream come true. Already some academicians have published literature in paperback and ebook formats and this will increase as time goes by. This site therefore is a catalyst to ensure Africans have easier access to ebooks to achieve their academic pursuits in a more affordable way.