How to Create an eBook for our Course in Popular Music, with Nitsan Cohen

This e-book is specifically written for our course in Popular Music at Tel Aviv University. However, it should be valuable for any student in any course writing his, her or their ebook on any topic.

Comments, questions and ideas should be directed to Nitsan Cohen here or to Mel Rosenberg.

How to write an E-book

In this class, you have a unique chance to receive a “protective” grade, by writing an e-book about a topic you find interesting THAT IS RELATED TO OUR COURSE. In order to receive that grade, there are a few things you need to know about writing an e-book – it is not hard but requires attention and thought.

The url of your book should be submitted to Nitsan Cohen ([email protected]) at least one week before the end of the semester.

Answers will be given a few days after submission.

A few things you need to know before we start:

1. The protective grade for the e-book does not exempt you from the test. You still must take the test – you just can’t fail in it.

2. The e-book creating platform we use is called Ourboox and you can register for free and write as many books as you want.

A few things you need to know before we start:

3. Before you start writing you should look at:Create a Book – Ourboox tutorial, Mel’s Ten Tips for Creating and Sharing Books on Ourboox

4. And most importantly – Popular Music Class of 2018 – Books By Our Own Class!

You can also find more examples previously written by students  here.

Write Your E-book!

1. First – SAVE SAVE SAVE!

Do it when you start and do it all the time, make it a regular thing, and never forget to save!

2. Think of a topic – it can be an artist, band, song, musical genre, musical, movie or anything else you find interesting. The only demand is for it to be related to the subject of popular music in the twentieth century.

2. Decide what you want to say in your e-book. It can be informative, make a claim or a comparison or tell a story.
3. Your book should include these sections.
   1. Introduction –what your book is about, introduce the subject and the problems, give relevant background.
   2. Body – describe the claims you want to make, give information, media, details etc.
   3. Conclusion – summarize and conclude your claim.

2. Provide information but also include media such as pictures, videos and most importantly – music! The book must include at least two songs (or musical segments), the more the merrier!
3. The book should be written in a language we understand (Hebrew or English. If you really want to write in Russian, you should ask Mel’s approval)

Important:

1. Focus – pick a specific subject and focus on it. Do not explain the entire history of music.
2. Be informational – tell the readers something they don’t know, provide interesting and relevant information.
3. Be original – write your own opinions, while basing them on relevant data. Try to tell something new, bring an original idea, or just tell a story you believe not many people know.

1. Do not plagiarize! Do not copy your entire book from Wikipedia, it’s not only boring but also wrong. You can and should provide data from external sources but make sure you edit it first and bring references if needed.
2. Proofread – it is not fun to read something with typos or inaccuracies… Read the book once or twice before you submit it, even give it to a friend.